Charles Melton says becoming a father has changed how he understands himself, approaches his career and evaluates risks he once might have accepted without hesitation.
The Beef actor and his partner, filmmaker Camille Summers-Valli, announced the arrival of their first child on March 9. They have not disclosed their daughter’s name or exact birth date, but Melton told Bustle that she was 5 months old at the time of his interview.
“I feel more sure in who I am today than, you know, five months ago before my daughter was born,” Melton said.
Melton received his first Emmy nomination for the second season of Netflix’s Beef and stars in Nicolas Winding Refn’s new thriller, Her Private Hell, which opened in U.S. theaters on July 24.
A Fire Escape Made Melton Reconsider Everyday Risks
Melton noticed one unexpected effect of fatherhood during his Bustle cover shoot. After stepping onto a fire escape for photographs, he returned to the studio shaken and surprised by how strongly the height affected him. “It’s crazy, after having a daughter, I’m kind of afraid of heights,” he said.
Melton connected the reaction to knowing that his safety no longer affects only him. “My stomach was tossing and turning because you’re not just living for yourself anymore,” he explained. “I want to be here for my daughter and not miss anything.”
He said wirework for a movie would still be possible, but standing in a dangerous position only for a photograph suddenly seemed less worthwhile. “Is it worth it for me to be on this fire escape for a photo shoot right now?” he recalled wondering. “Just things have become clearer.”
He Heard His Daughter’s Heartbeat Before an Emotional Scene
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Melton’s experience as an expectant father became closely connected to his performance in Her Private Hell. He plays Private K, an American soldier traveling through a futuristic city while searching for his missing daughter. Immediately before filming the scene in which Private K sees his child again, Melton joined Summers-Valli by video while she attended an ultrasound appointment.
“I was FaceTiming with my wife, who was in an ultrasound, and I heard my daughter’s heartbeat for the first time,” he told Bustle. “And then we shot the scene.” Melton referred to Summers-Valli as his wife during the interview, although the couple has not otherwise publicly detailed their marital status.
The largely wordless role required Melton to complete his own stunts and fight choreography during the 57-day production. He jokingly described the dark, violent film as his “first superhero film,” although its story and visual style differ sharply from a conventional comic-book project.
Neon’s official synopsis describes Private K as an American GI on an attempt to rescue his daughter from “Hell.” The film premiered out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May and marks Refn’s first feature in a decade.
Melton and Summers-Valli Are Protecting Their Daughter’s Privacy
Summers-Valli announced her pregnancy in January with photographs captioned, “Making a lil family.” Melton confirmed that their baby had arrived on March 9 by posting family photographs with the caption, “Our family.” Melton later confirmed that they had welcomed a daughter, whose face the couple has kept obscured in public photographs.
During the Bustle interview, Melton proudly showed the writer a photograph of his daughter and discussed missing his family while working away from their home in Paris. He said it would be seven days before Summers-Valli and their baby joined him in Los Angeles.
‘Beef’ Earned Melton His First Emmy Nomination
Melton stars as Austin Davis in the second season of Beef, playing a former college football player and personal trainer who becomes entangled in a destructive conflict involving the wealthy couple who employ him and his fiancée. The performance earned Melton his first Emmy nomination, in the category for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
He is also nominated as one of the show’s executive producers. Melton said professional recognition has not replaced his appreciation for ordinary family routines. Drinking coffee, spending quiet time at home and putting his daughter to bed help him avoid overthinking his performances. “I think doing nothing is beautiful,” he said, “and doing nothing in the work is really hard, too.”