TORONTO — Canadian actress Wendy Crewson says she was “scared to death” to come out as gay to her children.
“I didn’t care what anybody else thought,” she said. “I was fine with coming out to everybody, but to your children…it’s just a different thing.
“You’re just afraid of rejection.”
The 58-year-old, best known for playing the U.S. First Lady opposite Harrison Ford in 1997’s Air Force One and Tim Allen’s ex-wife in three The Santa Clause movies, told her children about her sexuality several years ago.
Her daughter Maggie, then a first-year university student, was understanding.
“I knew she would be fine because she’s a smart, compassionate girl,” Crewson said in an interview that aired Tuesday on eTalk.
Her son John’s reaction surprised her.
“The first thing he said to me was: ‘You are so brave. That must have been so scary to tell me.’ It makes me emotional even when I think about it.”
Crewson said she has no regrets about publicly declaring she is gay during a Canadian talk show appearance in December.
“I feel like it’s our responsibility as out adults in high-profile positions to let kids know it gets better,” the star said.
Crewson’s 21-year marriage to U.S.-born actor Michael Murphy ended in 2009 but the two remain friends and worked together on last year’s movie Fall.
She has also appeared in movies like What Lies Beneath and Eight Below and has had roles on TV shows including 24, Revenge and Saving Hope.
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