Tom Pelphrey is basking in the glow of fatherhood. 

The actor—who next appears in the HBO Max limited series Love & Death, premiering April 27—and his partner Kaley Cuoco welcomed daughter Matilda, the couple's first, on March 30.

In an exclusive interview with E! News, the Ozark alum opened up about how incredible—and surprising—the experience has been thus far.

"It's so beautiful," the 40-year-old said. "I was excited for it and you obviously have some idea of what it might be and how it cool it might be. Nothing compares to the actual feeling. It's so wild."

Tom, who started dating Kaley in April 2022, said he's even managed to find joy in the not-so-pretty moments.

"Even if she's fussy or you haven't slept as much," he continued, "when holding Matilda and she makes those little noises and coos, your heart just melts."

In fact, being a new dad has turned Tom into a bit of a homebody. 

"All I want to do is sit at home with Kaley and the baby and never leave the house," he expressed. "It's a miracle. We're so happy."

As far as what has shocked Tom most about the process, well, it's good news on that front, too, as he said, "The biggest surprise for me right off the bat was how comfortable I felt."

However, the Outer Range star admitted that he wasn't always so confident.

"The only experience I've ever had with infants or newborns in the past: My brother has two beautiful girls," he said. "I got to be around them and other family members. But I was always one of those guys like, 'Ooh, I don't know if I want to hold the baby. I don't want to break it. That seems too small.'"

But it didn't take long for Tom to find out that he's a natural. 

"I dove right in and I felt like I immediately understood how to hold her and how to support her little head," Tom gushed. "I was changing all the diapers in the hospital. Kaley got a kick out of that. It was amazing in a surprising and beautiful and magical way how intuitively I felt like I understood how to take care of this baby and what she needed."

Check out superstar dad Tom in Love & Death—in which he plays accused axe murderer Candy Montgomery's (Elizabeth Olsen) attorney Don Crowder—when it premieres April 27 on HBO Max.

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