Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix's relationship: From how they met to baby news
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara have reportedly welcomed a baby boy.
The couple, who met in 2012, are said to have named their newborn son River – a moving tribute to Phoenix’s brother who tragically died at the age of 23 in 1993.
The news was apparently confirmed at the Zurich Film Festival when an executive producer was quizzed on why Phoenix, 45, was not promoting new film Gunda.
While the couple tend to keep matters of their relationship low-key, Phoenix, and 35-year-old Mara have one of Hollywood’s most enviable marriages, with the pair regularly looking loved-up at numerous A-list events together.
Here’s the full timeline of the happy couple’s relationship.
2012: They meet on a film set
The pair were first introduced when they work together on Spike Jonze’s Her, which tells the futuristic tale of a man (played by Phoenix) who falls in love with an operating system (Scarlett Johansson). Mara starred as Phoenix’s ex-wife.
Phoenix has since explained he was enamoured from Mara from the get-go, looking her up online and emailing her while they were working together.
“She’s the only girl I ever looked up on the internet,” he told Vanity Fair in 2019. “We were just friends, email friends. I’d never done that. Never looked up a girl online.”
While he initially believed that Mara “despised him” while working on the film, he then explained to the publication that she was just shy, and actually harboured feelings for him too.
2016: They start dating after filming together again
Having been friends for several years, the pair became closer after filming 2016 film Mary Magdalene, with Mara playing the titular role and Phoenix playing Jesus.
Speaking about the role, Phoenix told the New York Times Style magazine: “I was looking for something meaningful. I was looking for an experience. I was friends with Rooney.”
After production wrapped, the pair “started dating”, according to W Magazine.
2017: The pair go public at Cannes
Mara and Phoenix made their relationship red-carpet official when they sat together at the Cannes Film Festival, packing on the PDA with public embraces and hand-holding.
Phoenix’s New York Times Style interview, written by American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis, also revealed he was living with Mara in the Hollywood Hills, with the pair keeping their relationship extremely low-key.
The couple usually are asleep by 9pm and enjoy true-crime Netflix docs, wit the pair watching The Staircase at Mara’s insistence.
2019: Phoenix and Mara 'announce their engagement'
Us Weekly confirmed the news the pair were due to tie the knot after Mara was spotted wearing a large diamond ring on that finger.
Describing the pair’s relationship, a source told the publication: “They don’t really like to go out.
“They mainly just like to be with each other as the two of them. They’re in their own bubble.”
And while the happy twosome are “so in love”, the source continued there was no rush to walk down the aisle just yet.
“They think marriage is too mainstream,” the insider added.
2019: The pair go on the Joker press tour together
With Phoenix wowing audiences with the hotly-anticipated release for supervillain Joker, Mara joined her man on the promotional tour for the movie, attending Joker’s official premiere, its debut at the Venice Film Festival (where Joker won Best Film) and the Toronto Film Festival.
2020: Mara and Phoenix take awards season
Joker saw Phoenix sweep awards season, being nominated for Best Actor for his powerhouse performance.
The couple appeared to be in good spirits at the Golden Globes where Phoenix takes the trophy for Best Actor, and brought gothic glamour to the Oscars red carpet.
2020: Baby reports
Gossip magazine Page Six reported the couple were now expecting their first child together, with a source reporting that Mata had been spotted out wearing “baggy clothing”.
Although the couple have always shied away from the limelight, the twosome were even more low-key than usual due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic seeing several countries placed on lockdown.
2020: The couple welcome their son River
A number of reports suggested Phoenix and Mara welcomed a baby last month, with Gunda director Victor Kossakovsky saying Phoenix couldn’t promote the film as he just welcomed baby River.
River was also the name of Phoenix’s older brother, who was a household name for roles in Stand By Me and My Own Private Idaho, before he died of a drug overdose aged just 23.
The couple are yet to confirm the news officially themselves.
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