Alicia Vikander Opens Up About 'Painful' Miscarriage Before Welcoming Son with Michael Fassbender

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Alicia Vikander is opening up about her difficult path to becoming a mom.

In a conversation with The Sunday Times, the 33-year-old Oscar winner spoke about her journey to parenthood with Michael Fassbender, with whom she shares her 17-month-old son, revealing that she previously suffered an "extreme and painful" miscarriage.

One of the storylines on Vikander's new show Irma Vep deals with one of the characters experiencing a miscarriage, which Vikander told the Times she went through herself.

"We have a child now, but it took us time," she told the outlet.

Similarly, in the film The Light Between Oceans, where Vikander and Fassbender met on set in 2014, Vikander's character suffered two miscarriages.

"Talk about meta," the actress told the Times.

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She explained that the film took on "another meaning" after she endured her own miscarriage and said she believes movies that deal with difficult topics can help both the performers and audience deal with their own hardships.

"[The miscarriage] was so extreme, painful to go through and, of course, it made me recall making that film," she told the Times.

"Sometimes you go through things that are tough in life and if you have an office job you can step away for a bit. But there are times that myself or colleagues have been through something and, well, I can't understand how they went on to the red carpet afterwards," she added. "To be met by people asking, 'How are you doing?' Given what they had just been through? Most people would not be able to step out of their house."

Vikander also spoke about how she and Fassbender, 45, stay balanced as engaged parents and working actors while raising their young son.

"We do every second job," she said. "One stays at home while the other works."

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In 2017, the couple exchanged vows at the luxurious La Granja farmstead resort in Ibiza surrounded by friends and family, sources told PEOPLE at the time. In 2021, the couple welcomed their first son.

In September 2021, Vikander chatted with PEOPLE about becoming a mom and embracing her new life changes. "I now have a whole new understanding of life in general," she said. "That's pretty beautiful, and obviously will give a lot to any of my work in the future."

When asked to sum up exactly how much life has changed after having a baby, the Swedish star said she's keeping the finer details to herself, but admitted she's doing her best to live in the moment with each new milestone.

"I think I'll wait with that one," she shared. "I'm enjoying finding it out in the moment right now, more than anything."