LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Robert De Niro is most definitely enjoying his time as a father! ‘The Irishman’ star welcomed his daughter Gia with girlfriend Tiffany Chen on April 6 and shared his experience.
“It’s always good and mysterious and you don’t know what the hell is going to happen,” he told The Guardian, adding “They surprise you.”
Robert De Niro acknowledges the importance of having help for his newborn
Talking about the challenges parenthood throws at one, the 80-year-old said, “It doesn’t get easier. It is what it is. It’s OK. I mean, I don’t do the heavy lifting. I’m there, I support my girlfriend. But she does the work. And we have help, which is so important.”
De Niro revealed about his new child while promoting his movie 'About My Father' in May. During an interview, he corrected the host, "I know you have six kids," said CBS Morning’s Gayle. Robert De Niro quickly said, "Seven, actually." Then he said, "I just had a baby."
Shortly after that, on 'CBS Mornings,' host Gayle revealed the baby's name, Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro. De Niro has two children from his first marriage, Drena, 51, and Raphael, 46. Julian and Aaron, 27, are twins he shares with Toukie Smith. He also has Elliot, 25, and Helen Grace, 11, with Grace Hightower, whom he married in 1997 and divorced in 2018, reports MEAWW.
Robert De Niro is enjoying all aspects of being a parent
When asked which aspect he enjoys the most about raising a child, the actor said, “All of it! With a baby it’s different to with my 11-year-old. My adult children. My grandchildren. It’s all different.”
He then explained, “Well, I don’t talk to the adult children the way I talk to my baby or the way I speak to my 11-year-old though she’s pretty smart.”
De Niro also subtly touched upon aging and one of his to-do things include ‘...to stay alive.’ The ‘Raging Bull’ star was asked if he often things about it.
“Of course I think about it, at my age,” he responded, quickly adding “You think about it at your age, why wouldn’t I think about it at my age?”
“It’s not going to stop me, but you think about it,” he further said.
‘The Deer Hunter’ actor continued, “I’m aware of it. You think more about time. Every summer, every new season, everything, you say, ‘Well, I’m going to use these few months of the summer to be with my kids, my family.’ I can’t wait until the next – I don’t know what’s going to happen. So each thing becomes more important. Everything I do, time-wise, is important. Whatever I’m thinking about doing in two years, I’d better think about doing it now.”
The interviewer asked whether he enjoys being older and the actor responded by saying, “I don’t mind. I have no control over it. What am I going to do? I might as well give in and go with it."
