Academy Award-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix and his fiancée, actress Rooney Mara are now proud parents of a baby boy named River, reported US Weekly. The couple have reportedly named their child after Joaquin's late brother, actor River Phoenix, who died in 1993 at the age of 23 due to drug overdose. According to the magazine, Russian filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky announced the good news during a Q&A session at the 2020 Zurich Film Festival on Sunday. The filmmaker, after the screening of Joaquin Phoenix-produced documentary Gunda, was explaining why the actor couldn't attend the film festival when he said, "He just got a baby, by the way, his name was ... a beautiful son called River, so he cannot promote it now," reported US Weekly.
A video of Victor Kossakovsky talking about Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara's baby at the Zurich Film Festival is also doing the rounds on the Internet. Take a look:
Viktor Kossakovsky , Gunda: He just had a baby Boy who's Called River. ( about Joaquin) pic.twitter.com/WuUISnuTsZ
— Max California's Lover (@Paula_FlorV) September 27, 2020
The magazine also confirmed in May that Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara were expecting their first child together. They quoted a source as saying: "Rooney is about six months along. Joaquin is great and has been accompanying her to appointments."
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara met on the sets of the 2018 film Mary Magdalene. They later started dating. The couple have even made public appearances together at several award shows, recent being Oscars 2020. Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara got engaged last year.
Joaquin Phoenix has won four Academy Awards for his performances in films Gladiator, Walk The Line, The Master and Joker. He is known for his performance in movies such as To Die For, Two Lovers, Her and You Were Never Really Here. Rooney Mara is the star of films like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Carol, Tanner Hall and Ain't Them Bodies Saints.
