Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix at the premiere of ‘You Were Never Really Here’ in April 2018 in New York.Photo: Todd Williamson/January Images/Shutterstock
Joaquin PhoenixandRooney Maramight be two of the biggest names in Hollywood, but the couple leads a very private life when it comes to their son, River.
Since they began dating in 2016, Phoenix and Mara have primarily kepttheir relationshipunder wraps — save for a handful of red carpet appearances and rare interviews. The couple first met in 2012 on the set of the sci-fi dramaHer, but Phoenixthought Mara despised him.
Four years later, theycostarred in 2016’sMary Magdaleneand started dating. They made their red carpet debut as a couple at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, and later that year, Phoenix revealed he and Mara wereliving together.
The pairprivately got engagedin 2019 beforewelcoming their first child togetherin 2020. River was named afterPhoenix’s brotherwho died in 1993.
Mara always envisioned becoming a mother, having grown up with three siblings. “I love it. I love it so much,” she said on herLaunchLeftpodcastabout motherhood. “I think it’s the best thing in the world.”
Here’s everything to know about Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara’s son, River.
He was born in 2020
Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix attend the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in January 2020 in Beverly Hills, California.Frazer Harrison/Getty
Neither Phoenix nor Mara publicly acknowledged the pregnancy: The couple made rare red carpet appearances earlier that year — at theGolden Globes in January 2020andthe Oscars a month later— with no mention of a child.
He is named after Phoenix’s late brother
Joaquin Phoenix with his late older brother River Phoenix cooking at their home in Los Angeles, California, circa 1985.Dianna Whitley/Getty
Their son’s name honors Phoenix’s older brother River, who died on Oct. 31, 1993.River, who starred in films includingStand By Me,Running on EmptyandMy Own Private Idaho, was 23 when he died from a drug overdose.
Phoenix has spoken about his brother’s lasting impact on his life, specifically as it pertains to acting. In September 2019, a year before his son’s birth, Phoenix paid an emotional tribute to his late sibling while accepting the TIFF Tribute Actor Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
“When I was 15 or 16, my brother River came home from work and he had a VHS copy of a movie calledRaging Bulland he sat me down and made me watch it,” he said, perVariety. “And the next day he woke me up and he made me watch it again. And he said, ‘You’re going to start acting again, this is what you’re going to do.’ "
Phoenix continued, “He didn’t ask me, he told me. And I am indebted to him for that because acting has given me such an incredible life.”
He referenced his brother again at the 2020Academy Awardswhile accepting the award for Best Actor for his role inJoker.
“When he was 17,my brother wrote this lyric,“Phoenix saidabout River, who was a singer-songwriter. “He said, ‘Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.’ "
His birth fueled Phoenix and Mara’s advocacy
“As new parents, it’s unbearable to imaginewhat it would feel like to have our child taken awayfrom us for a day, let alone years,” the couple wrote. “But that’s the very situation those 545 children and their parents have been living through.”
They felt it important as Americans to continue the dialogue about “the policy of family separation.” Phoenix and Mara also touched on what a conversation with River would be like about the situation.
“How will it feel to explain to our son, when he asks us about this time and how we treated scared, defenseless children, some of whom may never see their parents again?”
They concluded, “For the sake of our nation’s character, I hope we will be able to tell him that America unequivocally rejected this cruelty and demanded that our representatives did everything in their power to find those missing parents.”
He opened up his mom’s heart to a “new life”
Rooney Mara walks the red carpet at the ‘Joker’ screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival in August 2019 in Venice, Italy.Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty
While celebrating her firstMother’s Dayin May 2021, Mara revealed that becoming a mother to River had “opened her heart.” The candid admission about how parenthood had changed the actress came in a heartfelt letter written forFarm Sanctuary’s Mother’s Day campaign, which was shared with PEOPLE.
In the letter, Mara also spoke about mothers in the animal world. She highlighted three “extraordinary” animals —Henrietta turkey,Jackie cowandCynthia goat— who survived dire circumstances and beat the odds while still sharing their affection with others.
The letter concluded, “As I celebrate my first Mother’s Day, I hope you will join me in honoring all of the inspiring moms and maternal figures who’ve made a difference in your life. With love, Rooney Mara.”
Phoenix hopes his son will be a vegan
Phoenix, who has beena longtime vegan, hopes his son will follow a similar path — but won’t force him. In a 2021 interview with the U.K. newspaperThe Times, the Oscar winner revealed that he would let River make informed lifestyle choices.
“Well, certainly I wouldhope that [he is vegan], but I’m not going to impose my belief on my child. I don’t think that’s right,” Phoenix said.
Instead, the actor — who is vocal about animal rights and climate change — plans to educate River from a young age on the realities of the food system.
“I’m not going to tell him that it’s okay to read books about all the wonderful little farm animals … and not tell him that that’s what a hamburger is,” he continued.
Phoenix added, “So I’m not going to perpetuate the lie, but I’m also not going to force him to be vegan. I’ll support him. That’s my plan.”
He has spent time on set with Mara
Mara’s first acting role after giving birth to River was in Sarah Polley’s 2022 filmWomen Talking. TheNightmare Alleystar spoke about her experience as a working mom withPhoenix’s sister RainonLaunchLeftin January 2023.
“This was sort of my first job that I had done as a mother, and soit was a really important experience for mebecause I wasn’t really sure if I could work, if I can do both,” Mara shared. “I still don’t know, but Sarah [Polley] made it possible on this, that we were working 10-hour days.”
“I was able to get advice fromClaire [Foy]and Sheila [McCarthy] and Judith [Ivey] and all these moms that I was working with, and River was there on set all the time, in the green room,” she said. “It was a very idyllic situation, it probably won’t happen like that again.”
Though Mara doesn’t expect to replicate the working environment ofWomen Talking, she does plan to continue to be selective in the roles she takes on — allowing her to spend as much time with River as possible.
“I’m so lucky that I have the choice to get to be with him most of the time,” she continued. “I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m just going to work once a year if something feels right and other than that, this is what I’m doing.’ Most people don’t have that option.”
Phoenix and Mara are raising him in a “creative household”
Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix attend an event for ‘Her’ movie in November 2013 in Rome, Italy.Tullio M. Puglia/Getty
Though Phoenix and Mara both work in Hollywood, she revealed their home doesn’t revolve around movies because of their schedules.
“It doesn’t feel like a two-actor house because I didn’t work for the first three and a half years we were together,” Mara said onLaunchLeft. “Basically, since we’ve been together, I only worked one or two times and one was really small and short.”
However, that doesn’t mean they don’t expose River to their craft.
“It feels like a creative household, we’re constantly talking about creative things,” she added.
He is going to be a big brother
Phoenix and Mara are currentlyexpecting their second child. TheWomen Talkingstar revealed her pregnancy on the red carpet at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2024.
source: people.com
