Robert De Niro and his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, welcomed their daughter, Gia, last year.
Robert De Niro is sharing heartfelt moments about celebrating his daughter Gia's first birthday.
Speaking with ET's Rachel Smith alongside producer Jane Rosenthal about the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival, De Niro expressed the sheer happiness Gia brings into his life.
"Yes, she did. She had a little cake, it was very nice, sweet," De Niro confirmed when asked about Gia’s first birthday celebration and her first cake. Reflecting on his youngest daughter, he added, "Well, she's pure joy, there's nothing about her, there's no judgment, there's no anything, she just is what she is and it's just pure joy for god sakes."
De Niro, who turns 81 this summer, is not letting age slow him down. He emphasized his commitment to staying active, stating, "I mean, I try to keep active in everything and yeah, what else am I gonna do?" When the notion of retiring to take up golf was suggested, De Niro humorously dismissed it, saying he’s not good at golf and prefers to stick to acting.
In May, De Niro and his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, welcomed Gia -- their first child together and his seventh. The happy couple's baby girl made her television debut in July on CBS Mornings.
De Niro’s large family also includes his adult children Drena, 52, and Raphael, 47, with ex-wife Diahnne Abbott; 28-year-old twin sons, Aaron and Julian, with former girlfriend Toukie Smith; and son Elliot, 25, and daughter Helen, 12, with ex-wife Grace Hightower.
The celebration for Gia came amid preparations for the 2024 Tribeca Festival, scheduled for June 5-16 in New York City. This year’s festival, co-founded by De Niro, Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2002, will open with a documentary about Diane Von Furstenberg.
Additionally, De Niro will be honored with De Niro Con on the festival’s final weekend, showcasing over 300 items from his illustrious career and offering fans unique activations.
Reflecting on the festival’s legacy, De Niro and Rosenthal admitted they never expected it to last over two decades. "I mean, I only thought we were doing it that one time just to bring people back downtown, but I didn't realize we'd sign multi-year deals with a lot of our sponsors at the time. Anyway, here we are," Rosenthal said.
She added, "We were started because of the act of terrorism in our city and in our country and we took artists' voices, our voices, passionate voices and showed different points of view from around the world that we have given platforms to so many emerging and diverse voices."
In October, De Niro told The Guardian that raising a child "doesn't get easier," but his partner makes things easier.
"You never know what's going to happen," De Niro said of being a parent. "They surprise you."
"It is what it is. It’s OK. I mean, I don’t do the heavy lifting," De Niro admitted. "I'm there, I support my girlfriend. But she does the work. And we have help, which is so important."
The two-time Oscar winner admitted that he still loves fatherhood.
"Of course I do... [I enjoy] all of it!" he noted. "With a baby it's different to with my 11-year-old. My adult children. My grandchildren. It's all different."
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