Joaquin Phoenix And Rooney Mara Welcome Their First Child Together
The two have been dating since 2016.
Getty A huge congratulations is in order for actor Joaquin Phoenix and his partner, Rooney Mara! The pair recently welcomed their first child together, and Russian filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky, who worked with Phoenix on the documentary, Gunda, revealed the name of their son during the 2020 Zurich Film Festival. "He just got a baby by the way,” said on Sunday, Sept. 27. “A beautiful son called River." While news of the couple's child may come as a shock to some, people everywhere are wondering what the status of Phoenix and Mara's relationship is.
Are Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara engaged?
In May of 2019, Mara stepped out to run errands around Los Angeles. Though she was dressed pretty casually, with a black T-shirt, sweater, and jeans, people couldn’t help but notice the giant diamond ring on her left hand!
I mean, would you look at the size of that thing? It certainly doesn’t look like a piece of jewelry you wear on a day out.
When did Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara start dating?
The pair were first romantically linked in 2016, when they starred in the film Mary Magdalene together. Before that, they appeared in the movie Her in 2013, but were just friends at that time. Phoenix was dating DJ Allie Teilz, while Mara was in a relationship with Charlie McDowell. Eventually, their romance budded, and though they’ve stayed mum on their private life, they have appeared in public together on many occasions.
The two made their red carpet debut at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, where Phoenix was nominated and won the Best Actor Award for You Were Never Really Here. That same year, they were spotted at a wellness retreat together. And later that year, Phoenix confirmed that the couple was living together in Hollywood Hills.
According to a source who spoke about their relationship early on, “They were talking to one another nonstop. Small talk between them. Then they went for their car and he’s holding her hand like it was unconscious. Like it fits. They seem a totally natural and easy couple.” How sweet is that?
Knowing how private Hollywood romances turn out, if we’re lucky, we’ll see headlines break about their secret wedding a few months from now!
Why did Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara name their son River?
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara named their son River to honor Phoenix's late brother, Riber Phoenix, who died of a drug overdose on Oct 31, 1993. Speaking candidly to Anderson Cooper about his late brother, Joaquin Phoenix said, "I feel like in virtually every movie that I made, there was a connection to River in some way. And I think that we've all felt his presence and guidance in our lives in numerous ways."
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.