Alicia Vikander reveals she secretly welcomed 2nd child with Michael Fassbender: 'Second time was harder for me'

Alicia Vikander revealed she quietly welcomed a second child with husband Michael Fassbender. 

In a new interview for ELLE UK, actress Taylor Russell praised the 35-year-old Oscar winner, saying she was 'so impressed' by Vikander's physical work on their upcoming movie Hope, especially since Vikander had 'literally just had (her) second baby.'

The Swedish star replied, 'All women have such different experiences, and going through it a second time was definitely harder for me.'

She continued: 'But I think training made it easier. Going through those nine months is like a marathon, so it does help if you're strong going into it. 

'It's so physically demanding, and I have so much admiration for any woman who has done it.'

Alicia Vikander revealed she quietly welcomed a second child with husband Michael Fassbender; (pictured June 2024)

In a new interview for ELLE UK , actress Taylor Russell praised the 35-year-old Oscar winner, saying she was 'so impressed' by Vikander's physical work on their upcoming movie Hope, especially since Vikander had 'literally just had (her) second baby' 

Vikander went on to say that she had portrayed childbirth on-screen four times before experiencing it in real life, adding, 'Your job is to pretend as an actor, but every time I had to give birth, I said to every woman on set, "I'm sorry." I felt like such an imposter.' 

The star kept further details about the couple's second child private. They quietly welcomed their first child, a son, in 2021 after marrying in 2017.

The beauty has been busy working on her new film Firebrand, which centers around King Henry VIII's sixth wife Katherine Parr. Jude Law will star as the scoundrel of a King.

Alicia stars on the September cover of Elle UK

On finding a balance between her career and personal life, Alicia added: 'I am preparing for two jobs at the moment, and I have come to a point where I’m finding the balance between work and having a family. 

'I narrow it down to two things now – the people I really want to work with, and the projects that I feel are going to be a creative, joyous time. I am privileged that I have the choice of whether I work on these big things.

‘I always have the blues when I finish a job. Especially if it has been one of those good ones, which as I get older is what I’m seeking. 

'I had it on Firebrand. It was a very tough subject, but we had a great time. So, there is a sadness that it’s over, but it’s also like having done a sprint. I’m tired, and by the end of the job I’ve already started to look at something else.’

‘You have to let go. You can’t be in control of your own work, which is a really strange feeling. But then you realise that’s actually what it’s like to be an actor. That can be really hard sometimes. Obviously, working with people and directors you trust really helps.’

Alicia and her husband Michael first began dating in late 2014, after they met on the set of their film The Light Between Oceans.

The couple tied the knot in a romantic ceremony three years later, in Ibiza, Spain in October 2017.

Speaking on her experience of childbirth, Alicia told the publication: 'All women have such different experiences, and going through it a second time was definitely harder for me.'

She continued: 'But I think training made it easier. Going through those nine months is like a marathon, so it does help if you're strong going into it. 'It's so physically demanding, and I have so much admiration for any woman who has done it'; (pictured in May 2022)

The Swedish actress revealed in September 2021 that she had quietly welcomed a baby son with Michael, earlier that year.

Last year, Alicia opened up about the pain she went through after suffering an 'extreme' miscarriage before getting pregnant with her first child.

She spoke out about the 'painful' struggles she faced on her journey to becoming a mother, admitting to The Times that 'it took time' for the couple to conceive their first baby together.

'We have a child now, but it took us time,' she said, before revealing that she had suffered a 'painful, extreme' miscarriage before she got pregnant with her son.

She also compared her experiences to her 2016 movie The Light Between Oceans in which she and Michael played a childless couple who experience two miscarriages and ultimately adopt a baby girl who is lost at sea.

Alicia added: '[The miscarriage] was so extreme, painful to go through and, of course, it made me recall making that film [The Light Between Oceans]. That film has another meaning now.'

The Danish Girl star added: 'Sometimes you go through things that are tough in life and if you have an office job you can step away for a bit.

She has avoided discussing her and Michael's child publicly but in an interview with Harper's Bazaar in 2022, Alicia opened up about motherhood, stating she always puts her 'little family' first.

Michael and Alicia first began dating in late 2014, after they met on the set of their film The Light Between Oceans (pictured in film)

The couple tied the knot in a romantic ceremony three years later, in Ibiza, Spain in October 2017 (pictured in The Light Between Oceans)

She said: 'In my little family, with my husband and my child, we travel together, always. That's the rule. We do jobs so one of us can always be with the baby.'

During that same interview, the Tomb Raider star shed some light on her fertility struggles, telling the publication that she'd 'struggled for a while'.

She said: 'I tried to get pregnant for a while. So I had tough times during lockdown. I struggled for a while. For a while I didn't think that I could get pregnant.'

She added she decided to talk about her issues to help other women going through similar experiences.