Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara Have A Baby And Named Him After His Brother

Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara have welcomed their first child together. The new member of the family is a baby boy.

The bundle of joy is named after Joaquin’s late brother, River. The actor’s brother died tragically in 1993 from a drug overdose. Rooney or Joaquin had not confirmed their pregnancy, however, Rooney was spotted over the summer with a baby bump.

The good news was announced by Victor Kossakovsky at a Q&A session at the 2020 Zurich Film Festival. The news was announced after the screening of Gunda, a film Joaquin worked as an executive producer in. Victor apologized on the actor’s behalf as he was not present at the screening and revealed the news.

He said, “He just got a baby, by the way, his name was… a beautiful son called River, so he cannot promote it now.” Rumors about the baby being welcomed into this world a month ago are doing the rounds.

Joaquin comes from a family full of stars including sisters Rain, 47, Liberty, 44, Summer, 41, and his late brother River. His brother, River died at the peak of his career. He gave the world memorable roles in Stand By Me (1986), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho (1991).

The actor opened up about his brother in a rare interview with Anderson Cooper for 60 Minutes. He said they were removed from the entertainment world and didn’t watch entertainment magazines or shows. Joaquin said River was a substantial actor but they weren’t aware of it.

“Every Movie That I Made, There Was A Connection To River”

He said, “And so during that time in which you’re most vulnerable, there are helicopters flying over. There are people that are trying to sneak onto your land. Certainly, for me, it felt like it impeded on the mourning process, right?” The actor also revealed to Anderson that watching the film Raging Bull made him want to be an actor.

Joaquin said it awakened something in him and he could suddenly see it through River’s eyes. The actor added, “There’s a part in Raging Bull where De Niro meets a girl in between a chain-link fence. And he, you know, shakes her pinky and it’s like this just beautiful little detail, it’s this wonderful moment. And I think that in some ways is what I’m always looking for.”

The Joker actor further revealed that in every virtual movie that he has made, there is some connection to River. He said they have all felt his presence and guidance in their lives in numerous ways.

A source had revealed previously that the couple is six months along, after which Rooney stepped out revealing her baby bump during outings. The actress was spotted quite recently donning a denim jacket and a white t-shirt.

Joaquin and Rooney started dating in 2016 three years after their film, Her was released. The couple also starred together in Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, and Mary Magdalene, both of which premiered in 2018. Joaquin had revealed last October that he looked Rooney up on the internet. He said, “She’s the only girl I ever looked up on the internet. We were just friends, email friends. I’d never done that. Never looked up a girl online.”

The couple’s engagement was confirmed in July after Rooney was spotted wearing an engagement ring. A source also revealed in 2018 that the couple is in love but would not get married. The source added that they will never get married because they think it is too mainstream.

The insider added: “Joaquin transforms all his girlfriends into being holistic, vegan, spiritual and into saving the world.”