Maggie Gyllenhaal's Daughter Is Growing Up Fast

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard are parents to two daughters, Ramona Sarsgaard and Gloria Ray Sarsgaard. They have grown up mostly out of the limelight, and Gyllenhaal has previously spoken about why that is. "There's something nice about being instantly recognized for what you do. But I don't feel comfortable with paparazzi intrusion in my everyday life," she said in an interview with The Guardian in 2014. "There's an antenna that goes up even if I can't see them — I just know they're there. My daughter finds it scary and upsetting."

Gyllenhaal has spoken candidly about the ways motherhood has changed her and the struggles of balancing her acting career with her home life. "It's very strange and disorienting. On one hand, you just want to be home with your baby," she told PopSugar in 2019 of leaving to go to work. "And at the same time, it's amazing to be talking and hanging out with other grown-ups! So you're kind of always straddling two worlds." Still, with a lot of help, she's managed to do it all and raise two interesting young women who care about what's happening in the world and understand that being outdoors has value.

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard became parents for the second time on April 19, 2012, when their second daughter, Gloria Ray Sarsgaard, was born. And, just like Gyllenhaal worked to keep her firstborn out of the limelight, "The Honourable Woman" actor also chose to keep her pregnancy private. "I find it difficult to pretend you're not pregnant, which I had to do," Gyllenhaal told USA Today (via E! News). "I didn't let anyone know until three and a half months this time. I went to film festivals. I'm throwing up in the bathroom and having to keep pretzels in my purse and having to fit into dresses."

Gloria's arrival made Ramona Sarsgaard a big sister. Their parents have been reluctant to share information about them, but the sibling bond is a special one and something Gyllenhaal has with her brother, Jake Gyllenhaal. "My brother [actor Jake Gyllenhaal] and I are closer now than we've ever been," she told The Guardian in 2014. "We're friends now, whereas growing up, I always saw him as my little brother. My earliest memory is of him still in my mum's huge belly. I was about three."

Maggie Gyllenhaal is an impressive woman, but she is not trying to convey to others that she is the perfect parent or that her life is without chaos. She has also discussed being mom-shamed, telling SheKnows in 2019 how another mom said, "It had been so long since she'd seen me at pick up." Raising children is no easy task, which the "Crazy Heart" actor freely admits. "Most of the moms I know are pretty honest about how hard all this is. I don't think any of us have fantasies about being a 'great mom' or 'the best parent.' We're just living and doing the best we can," she said.

Gyllenhaal has previously spoken about motherhood and its impact in an interview with The Guardian in 2014. "Motherhood brings you to your knees in a way that doesn't leave room for you to judge others. It makes you see that there's no ideal — a constant struggle, constantly compromising, but ultimate love," the actor said. Another interview with News.com.au echoed these statements. "It's such a complicated relationship, but it has completely brought me down to earth — and down to my knees," Gyllenhaal said about motherhood.

Ramona Sarsgaard and Gloria Ray Sarsgaard don't live their lives in the public eye, but their uncle Jake Gyllenhaal has given a glimpse into their lives with his interviews. The "Brokeback Mountain" actor spends a lot of time with the girls and speaks of them with great affection. "Truly, and I'm not just saying this because it's an interview, [they are] two of the most incredible people," he told The Sunday Times in 2021. "They come from a long line of incredible women, and they're even more incredible than the ones before them." 

Growing up in a generation where technology plays such an important part of everyday life, it comes as a surprise to learn that Ramona and Gloria are not glued to screens all day. "Their father taught them a lot about the outdoors and the country; it's very important to him," Jake said. "So, they find trees more interesting than phones, which is a rarity. They are the farthest from being a handful that you could imagine." Even their Brooklyn home had a garden with flowers and fruit trees. "A lot of what I do in my downtime is beekeeping and gardening," Peter Sarsgaard told People. "I'm not really a vegetable gardener. I like perennial gardening and planting flowers and plants that change the landscape."

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard are open about needing extra help sometimes, and they don't have everything figured out. "When my daughter was first born, I kept saying, 'I don't need anybody, I'm just going to do this by myself.' I thought I could make a home, be a good wife, and do all these things. I thought, 'I'm just going to call my mom,'" Gyllenhaal told Pop Tarts (via Fox News) in 2010. "But I have since realized that wasn't realistic for me." But the family hired a nanny who can be there for their kids at all times. 

Gyllenhaal's comments are refreshing, breaking the mold that a mother has to be perfect. That's not to say she and Sarsgaard are not heavily involved in their kids' lives, though. "I am always mothering, always thinking about my kids: Who needs a dentist appointment? Got to change the violin lesson for Friday, I forgot to RSVP to that bday party, and on and on forever. There is no second shift. It's all the time," Gyllenhaal told SheKnows in 2019. 

Ramona and Gloria Sarsgaard have unique opportunities and privileges as the daughters of celebrities, but that doesn't mean they have everything done for them. Gyllenhall told SheKnows how her kids "folded up their sheets and made up their beds by themselves" when visiting their grandma. And it was a moment she was particularly proud of! 

Ramona Sarsgaard and Gloria Ray Sarsgaard are fortunate to have a loving uncle like Jake Gyllenhaal. The "Nightcrawler" actor has spoken about his nieces with pride and admiration. "They are so well behaved, and they are so thoughtful, and they are so observant of the world around them, and I'm so proud of not only them but my sister as a mother," he told Us Weekly in 2017.

Gyllenhaal's comments make it clear how much becoming an uncle means to him, and it also inspired a book titled "The Secret Society of Aunts and Uncles." He discussed his inspiration in an interview with ABC News in 2023. "When my first niece was born, you know, I was sort of like, 'I'm becoming an uncle. Like, oh, I get to be Uncle Jake forever!' And then I was like, 'What does that mean?'" He would explore these feelings and eventually write a book about that relationship.

Gyllenhaal has also shared his work with fans on Instagram and thanked those who supported his book signing. "You are now officially members of The Secret Society of Aunts & Uncles!" he captioned a bunch of photos from an event in December 2023. In an Instagram post from September 2023, Gyllenhaal made a special announcement about his book. "The Secret Society of Aunts and Uncles is officially a NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER! What an honor and a thrill! Get your copy now," he wrote.

Ramona Sarsgaard and Gloria Ray Sarsgaard's parents place great importance on education. "I see their little minds and how they work and how easy it is to engage them, and then sometimes how incredibly difficult it is and how it takes somebody who is really trained as an excellent teacher to help," Gyllenhaal said in an interview with Deseret News in 2012. 

School is important, although Gyllenhaal freely admits it can be a struggle to get her girls ready in the morning. "Well, we wake up at the last possible moment we can wake up," she told SheKnows.She also works with her kids to make it fun when they head back to school; they can get new supplies. "Usually, we choose a new backpack at the beginning of the year, and we donate the old backpack," Gyllenhaal told Woman's Day in 2019. "But my older daughter is very focused on not being wasteful. She's a real environmental activist." In the same interview, the "The Dark Knight" actor discussed the contrasting approaches her daughters have to leave home, saying, "One found it really difficult to say goodbye, and the other one was like, 'See ya, mom!'"