Cate Blanchett's Son Ignatius Makes First Public Appearance in 7 Years

Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban’s Daughter Returns to Paris Fashion Week

Cate Blanchett and her son Ignatius Martin Upton shared a high-fashion moment in Paris.

Indeed, the Carol star brought her 18-year-old son to the Giorgio Armani Privé Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2026 show at Paris Fashion Week on July 7.

While the 57-year-old wore a black jacket with cutouts and matching trousers, Ignatius opted for a cropped black jacket with coordinating pants and a statement chain.

The appearance serves as a rare outing for the mother-son duo, as Blanchett typically keeps her family private. In fact, this is the first time in nearly eight years that she has brought Ignatius out to a public event, having had him as her plus-one at the Green Carpet Fashion Awards in 2018.

And the Tár actress occasionally shares stories about her kids Ignatius, Dashiell John, 24, Roman Robert, 22, and Edith Vivian Patricia, 11, whom she shares with her husband of 29 years Andrew Upton. She previously revealed how she came up with her eldest three children’s names.

“Dash, I guess came from Dashiell Hammett, and Roman [came from Roman] Polanski, but it’s also the French word for book,” she explained on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in December 2020, per People, “and Ignatius came from this book called Captain Underpants.”

Although the latter inspiration may seem strange, the Lord of the Rings alum broke down her reasoning.

Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images

“I was eight months pregnant and hallucinating,” she continued. “And there's a section in the book where he gets so upset that everyone teases him because his name is Professor Pee-Pee Poopypants that he forces the world to change their names.”

She added, "They have this interior code, and they give these examples of names. You go down to 'I' and the example is Ignatius. It was like the Virgin Mary going 'Boom!'”

And beyond the periodic public appearances, Blanchett has been candid about how her kids help her behind-the-scenes. Namely, their disinterest in her work ensures that she doesn’t take the emotional baggage of her toughest roles home with her.

“I’m an irrelevance around the kitchen table, in a great way,” she told The Guardian in March 2025. “Everyone’s an equal player, but sometimes my husband and I are less equal than the rest of them. They’re quite a force.”

Keep reading to see more sweet bonds between celebs and their kids…

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