LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Following the untimely loss of Anne Heche, James Tupper, 57, opened up candidly about how he and his 14-year-old son, Atlas, are supporting each other. Tupper spoke at the 30th annual Race to Erase MS Gala, hosted at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, California, about their healing journey.
Tupper underlined their mutual care in an interview with People at the occasion, saying, "We're taking care of each other and taking it one day at a time." He acknowledged their extensive support network, stating, "We've got a lot of great support and family around us, and it doesn't help."
'We still miss her, we miss her every day, love her'
Tupper described his ex-partner and Atlas' mother's enduring feelings of loss, adding, "We still miss her, we miss her every day, love her." In January, the actor at the reading of Heche’s new memoir, Call Me Anne, in January said, "I want to say that I'm doing great, but it's been a very, very difficult time. A very big transition and spending time with my boy and looking after him, that's basically been my whole focus," Tupper told the outlet at the event.
'I want to say that I'm doing great, but it's been a very, very difficult time'
Since Heche's unfortunate car accident on August 5, which ultimately resulted in her death, Tupper and her family have endured enormous difficulties, Tupper said, "I want to say that I'm doing great, but it's been a very, very difficult time. A very big transition, and spending time with my boy and looking after him, that's basically been my whole focus."
The 53-year-old Emmy Award-winning actress was involved in a terrible vehicle accident and was left in a coma for nearly a week before being pronounced legally dead in the state of California on August 11. To ensure that her organs could be donated in accordance with her wishes, her heartbeat is until August 14th.
'It's very difficult whenever you lose a parent like that'
Tupper spoke about the effects on Atlas while recognizing the special pain of grieving for a kid. Drawing on his own past, he said, "It's very difficult whenever you lose a parent like that. Your whole world switches inside out, and I think kids experience trauma in a way that adults don't. Adults have a context to put it in, but kids do not. You want to bury it, you want to forget about it and move past it. I happened to have lost my mom, too when I was very, very young. So I kind of understand what he's going through."
'It's impossible to get over quickly'
Tupper said, "This shock that she's gone now — someone that you really loved and really knew very, very well... [It's] impossible to get over quickly." As for how they are navigating their grief, Tupper revealed that Atlas has taken up tennis as a way to find balance and spends several hours each day playing. He also highlighted the importance of Atlas's supportive friendships, stating, "Atlas has really good friends. So keeping these things carefully in balance, that's how we're getting through grief."
