Joaquin Phoenix ‘welcomed his first child with Rooney Mara a month ago… and named him River’

Joaquin Phoenix has reportedly welcomed his first child with fiancée Rooney Mara, a baby boy named after his late brother River Phoenix.  

Director Victor Kossakovsky spilled the beans at the 2020 Zurich Film Festival after a screening of the film Gunda, on which Joaquin served as executive producer.  

He slipped in the news during a Q&A over the weekend, after he was asked how he got the new dad involved in the film: ‘He just got baby by the way… A beautiful son called River.’ 

Joaquin, 45, and Rooney, 35, have not officially announced the birth of their firstborn, but they never confirmed their pregnancy in the first place.

Baby makes three! Joaquin Phoenix has reportedly welcomed his first child with fiancée Rooney Mara, a baby boy named after his late brother River Phoenix (pictured in February, 2020)

He comes from a family of actors, including sisters Rain, 47, Liberty, 44, Summer, 41, and his late brother River, who tragically died of a drug overdose in October of 1993, at the age of 23. 

River died at the peak of his career, with memorable roles in Stand By Me (1986), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho (1991) already under his belt.

Joaquin recently opened up about River’s legacy in a rare interview with Anderson Cooper for 60 Minutes.

The Joker actor said: ‘We were so removed from kind of the entertainment world. We didn’t watch entertainment shows. We didn’t have the entertainment magazines in our house. 

Cat’s out the bag: Director Victor Kossakovsky spilled the beans at the 2020 Zurich Film Festival: ‘He just got baby by the way… A beautiful son called River’ (pictured in January, 2019)

Not confirmed: Joaquin, 45, and Rooney, 35, have not officially announced the birth of their firstborn, but they never confirmed their pregnancy in the first place (pictured in May, 2017)

Baby bump: A source told Page Six in May that the couple was approximately six months along, soon before she revealed her baby bump during outings (pictured in August, 202)

New mom: The Carol actress was most recently spotted last week, sporting a denim jacket and white t-shirt, sans baby bump (pictured in September, 2020)

‘I mean, River was a really substantial actor and movie star, and we didn’t really know it. 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?’

He also told Cooper how River showing him the film Raging Bull made him want to be an actor: ‘I think it just… awakened something in me. And I could suddenly see it through his eyes.

‘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.’

Joaquin added: ‘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.’    

Brotherly love: Joaquin comes from a family of actors, including his late brother River, who tragically died of a drug overdose in October of 1993, at the age of 23 (pictured in 1985)

Leading man: River died at the peak of his career, with memorable roles in Stand By Me (1986), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho (1991) already under his belt

Undying legacy: Joaquin recently opened up about River’s legacy in a rare interview: ‘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’ (pictured in March, 1989)

A source told Page Six in May that he and Rooney were approximately six months along, soon before she revealed her baby bump during outings.  

The Carol actress was most recently spotted last week, sporting a denim jacket and white t-shirt, sans baby bump.

Rooney began dating her Her (2013) costar in late 2016, and they later starred together in Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot and Mary Magdalene, both of which premiered in 2018.

He told Vanity Fair last October that he thought she ‘despised’ him the first time they met: ‘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 animal rights advocates live in the Hollywood Hills with their two dogs Soda and Oskar, and their engagement was confirmed last July, a few months after she was first spotted wearing her engagement ring. 

Famous family: Rooney also comes from a famous family, her sister Kate Mara, 37, starring in Fantastic Four (2015), House of Cards (2013-2014) and Pose (2018) (pictured in October, 2019)

Moms together: Kate welcomed her own firstborn, a daughter (whose name has not been revealed), last May with husband Jamie Bell, 34 (pictured in July, 2019)

A source previously told Us Weekly in July of 2018 that the couple was ‘so in love’ but wouldn’t get married: ‘They’re never going to get married because they think marriage is too mainstream.

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

Rooney also comes from a famous family, her sister Kate Mara, 37, starring in Fantastic Four (2015), House of Cards (2013-2014) and Pose (2018).

Kate welcomed her own firstborn, a daughter (whose name has not been revealed), last May with husband Jamie Bell, 34, who also shares a son, seven, with ex-wife Evan Rachel Wood, 33.

Happy family: Rooney and Joaquin live in the Hollywood Hills with their two dogs Soda and Oskar, and their engagement was confirmed last July, a few months after she was first spotted wearing her engagement ring (pictured in January, 2020)