What’s better than winning an Oscar? Becoming a father might be it. Ask, Joaquin Phoenix who has welcomed a baby boy, with his fiancee, Rooney Mara. The couple has named their baby boy, River, on Joaquin’s late brother and actor, River Phoenix. In 1993, River died from a drug overdose at the age of 23.
The news Joaquin and Rooney, celebrating the birth of their baby, came from an unlikely source. Russian director, Victor Kossakovsky, shared it during a Q&A at the 2020 Zurich Film Festival. The director was speaking after his documentary, Gunda premiered at the festival. Joaquin has served as an executive producer on his documentary.
Talking about, why Joaquin didn’t come to promote the film, he replied :
“He just got a baby, by the way, his name was … a beautiful son called River, so he cannot promote it now.”
Earlier in May, reports were rife that the couple is expecting their first child together. Well, now these reports have come true indeed. They had met each other in 2016, on the sets of Mary Magdalene. In the film, Mara played the lead while Joaquin played the role of Jesus.
That was the time when they beg and dating and in 2017, they made their debut as a couple on the closing ceremony of the 2017, Cannes Film Festival.
Last year in July, the two had got engaged. Joaquin, who was last seen as Joker, in Todd Phillip’s Joker(2019), won the Academy Award For Best Actor, for his wondrous performance in the film. The movie finally paid his due Oscar, after previously being nominated for Gladiator and The Master.
He will next star in Mike Mills, drama film, C’mon C’mon.