Russell Brand is about to be a first-time daddy, and while that may be daunting to some, the actor is over-the-moon about it.
The 41-year-old covers the latest issue of Britain's ES magazine and opens up about his life outside of the spotlight, living in the country with his 27-year-old girlfriend Laura Gallacher as they prepare for their first child.
"I feel lit up by the idea I'm very excited about becoming a dad and I'm preparing myself," he told the publication. "I am just getting ready to be with a new little person and see what it is they want."
Though rumors began swirling about the baby news in June, Brand officially confirmed it on Instagram in July. However, he and Gallacher still don't know the sex of the little one.
"I might never find out," he joked. "I may never look."
As they anticipate the arrival of their bundle of joy, Brand says Gallacher has been busy "decorating the nursery. Around domestic issues, my vote is often secondary...Or the vote of my gender at least, so I will just wait to see what is determined."
Brand is hoping his child doesn't give them as much trouble as he gave his own parents, noting that he was a very "mischievous little boy."
"I always had this tremendous sense that I could do whatever I wanted, probably from a combination of my mother's devotion and my father's sense of 'can-do' individualism," he explained.
Speaking of his mother, he remains very close with her, noting, "She's very well and she's so excited to become a grandmother. She's a beautiful, kind woman who taught me through example that it's really important to be compassionate, loving and understanding, to put other people before yourself."
She stood by his side as he battled his bout with addiction to heroin, and he has now been sober for 13 years. However, it's still a topic that affects him greatly—so much so, he's actually writing a book about it, due out next year.
"Addiction is about the way you relate to the outside world," he explained to ES. "If you're lucky, you'll get a substance misuse problem, which drills it right down. If you're not lucky, you'll have a food, sex or spending issue; those things are insidious because they're culturally endorsed, they're habitual."
He feels that addiction should "be regarded like autism," explaining, "Everybody is somewhere on the spectrum. If you look at your own life, what is it you do that isn't good for you and you can't stop doing, even if it is seemingly innocuous, like the way you watch TV."
After learning how to properly deal with his own addiction, he's realized the facade in comparison to true happiness.
"There is constant conflict between the primal drives: the drive to procreate, the drive to survive, and the drive to have status. But I am no longer deluded as to what may provide happiness," he said, noting that his rural retreat on the countryside suits him perfectly. "I'm so much happier over the course of the day to see one or two people and a few chickens, that's a good way of living."