Three years after giving birth to her first child with partner Norman Reedus, Diane Kruger has finally revealed their daughter’s name in an interview about her forthcoming children’s book.
The actress’s new picture book, A Name From the Sky due out in October, deals with the story behind her own name and how she was teased as a child growing up in Germany where Diane is not a common name. Kruger explained to People, “I remember coming home crying because kids were making fun of my name.” But when her mother read her a book about the Roman goddess Diana whom she was named after, she said, “It truly changed my life and how I see myself today.”
So when it came to naming her own daughter, the actress said that she wanted to give her a name that would empower her as well, which is how she and Reedus ultimately landed on Nova Tennessee. “I had her late in life at 42, and [Norman] had a child when he was much younger,” she said, referring to the actor’s first son, Mingus, whom he had with his former girlfriend, model Helena Christensen, at age 30. Kruger went on to explain, “Nova in Latin means new beginning, and a nova star keeps changing and is reborn. And we love Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains; we do motorcycle trips there.”
And the Inglourious Basterds star added that she’s been totally surprised by just how much she loves being a mother. “I wanted to be a mom and I was sure I was going to like it, but just the magnitude of wanting to be there every second, not missing a thing,” she said, adding that it’s been “wonderful to rediscover firsts. So many things at my age, you’ve done a thousand times, but just seeing it through her eyes again. Whether it’s having ice cream for the first time or seeing snow for the first time there’s just something so refreshing and simple about that life as mother and daughter that I’ve just found magnificent.” She continued, “[Nova] was a surprise. I thought it wasn’t going to happen, and she came into my life when I was ready. I’m grateful that happened for me and our family. She’s changed my world and the way I look at everything.”
Ultimately, Kruger hopes that her new book will help other children who have been bullied over their name or feel insecure about them. She explained, “I think as children, we suffer through things. Whether that’s a given name, or somebody says something mean to you. Everything is so up in the air. In time, your powers will come, and you don’t have to worry. That kind of was the idea of the book.”