Television

Mike Flanagan and Kate Siegel Named Their Daughter in Honor of THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE

by Lindsey Romain
Dec 4 2018 • 8:00 AM

Mike Flanagan has had a crazy year. His Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House was a major hit this October, he’s been hard at work on a film adaptation of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, and he just became a dad for the second time. In a Twitter post, the writer/director shared the news that his wife Kate Siegel, an actress who has starred in most of his projects including Hill House, gave birth to a baby girl today. This is already happy news for the family, but you’ll notice an additionally heartwarming bit of trivia in the announcement: They name their daughter Theodora.

If you’ve seen Hill House, you’ll know that Theodora is the name of the character Siegel plays in the 10-episode series. Better known by her nickname Theo, she’s the middle child in the Crain family, a child psychologist afflicted with debilitating psychic touch abilities. Theo is one of the most fascinating characters on the show; as a queer woman and empath, she’s extra ostracized from her already haunted family. She immediately became a fan favorite on the series, inspiring a number of fan art and appreciation posts on social media.

The name is a meaningful choice for Flanagan and Siegel, who discovered they were expecting another child during the filming of Hill House‘s perilous, long-shot episode six, “Two Storms.” “Made me really nervous every time I saw her fall down,” Flanagan said on Twitter, referencing the scene when a drunk Theo slips and falls during an argument with her siblings.It’s been quite a week for Flanagan, who wrapped filming on Doctor Sleep just two days ago. That horror flick will come out in 2020.

Baby Theodora joins older brother Cody as the newest member of the Flanagan clan. Nerdist wishes a big congrats to the family on the birth and on a big year!