While Alaqua Cox is blazing a trail in Hollywood and starring in the new Disney+ Echoher most significant role so far may be that of being a proud mother to her newborn son.
Cox, 26, and her fiance and partner of six years, Erich, welcomed their first child, a son, in October.
“He’s the sweetest boy,” the actress told PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “Before, I was kind of careless and carefree, and now that I have a son, I’m learning patience, how to be calm and how to take care of something.”
For Cox and her partner, who bought their first home in Wisconsin in April, the baby was a decision they made as soon as they were “financially ready.”
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Alaqua Cox and her fiance and partner of six years, Erich.
Alaqua Cox/Instagram
Alaqua Cox Bullied for Being Deaf and Amputee, Now Marvel Star Is ‘Proud’ to Prove She ‘Can Do Anything’ (Exclusive)
“I’ve been dating my partner for about six years, almost seven years, and we decided we were ready to have a child, to bring a child into this world,” she explains. “That boy is everything to me. He just changed my life. I love him. It’s so hard to balance this life and having a baby, but we’ll get through it.”
Cox — who, like her character in Echo, Maya Lopez, an amputee who has been deaf all her life — predicts a busy year ahead as she is already working on several acting projects after the Marvel series. She hopes to challenge herself with a wide variety of characters, not just the villainous roles she often plays.
A wedding might be in the offing, provided she and Erich coordinate their schedules.
“We’re thinking about a small wedding at the last minute when we’re both free, but it’s been a lot of work, so we’ll see what happens,” says the actress.
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‘Echo’ star Alaqua Cox gave birth to her first child, a son, in October.
Alaqua Cox/Instagram
Although Cox says there could be more children in her future, for now she’s mostly content to enjoy her hard-earned success, playing a superhero who paves the way in Hollywood for a variety of performers who look more like her.
“When I got this role, I was contacted by people who were harassing me,” she says. “I’m just really proud to show them that I can do anything. I can achieve anything on the same level as any other normal person. I can be a superhero. Anything is possible.”
For more on Alaqua Cox, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday or subscribe here.
All five episodes Echo are available to stream on Disney+.
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Source: HIS Education