It’s safe to say that Jon Chu is someone who is incredibly proud of the work that he does on the big screen just as much as he’s proud of the work he does in his private life, too.
The Hollywood director, who is best known for his smash box office hit Crazy Rich Asians, just welcomed his second child with his wife, Kristin Hodge. What makes this birth so special is that the couple decided to name their baby after one of Chu’s upcoming movies.
According to People Magazine, Chu and Hodge made the announcement on social media. They revealed that they named their son Jonathan Heights Chu, after Chu’s newest movie In The Heights, which stars Lin Manual-Miranda.
Chu even said that he took a day off from shooting the movie so he could witness his wife give birth to their son. Sharing several new photos of his new pride and joy on Twitter, Chu captioned it with, “May your hands always be connected to others but your view be towards the skies.”
Chu and Hodge welcomed their first child, a daughter named Willow, back in July of 2017. According to Chu, little Jonathan will be joining his sister in many upcoming adventures as they grow up together, both behind the scenes at their father’s movie locations and of course at home as a new family of four.
Welcoming his son into the “Chuniverse Space Academy,” Chu also shared a sweet message on Instagram and wrote, “At 12:02 PM on Friday July 26th 2019 he landed onto our planet by way of New York City. With a backpack full of bravery and rockets fueled by resilience strapped onto his sneakers, Willow’s little rebel brother knows no limits and only looks in one direction: UP.”
The proud new dad also added that he felt tired and exhausted but gave his wife all of the credit for her labor and delivery and even said that she deserves an award for such an achievement.
Chu is currently in the middle of directing In The Heights, which will star Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dascha Polanco from Orange is the New Black, and Anthony Ramos. Miranda also shared a sweet message for the director and his entire family by writing “Welcome HOME, Jonathan Heights Chu.”
The musical drama is slated for a June 2020 release. The movie is based on Miranda’s Broadway adaptation of Quiara Alegría Hudes musical In the Heights from 1977. The play received 13 Tony Award nominations back in 2008, winning four of them, including the categories Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Choreography.