While promoting the 2023 Tribeca Festival, De Niro opens up to ET about being a father again.
At 79 years old, Robert De Niro surprised many when he recently revealed he is a father of a newborn daughter named Gia, whom he had with his 45-year-old girlfriend, Tiffany Chen. And the longtime actor is not the only one in Hollywood with unexpected baby news, with his former co-star, Al Pacino, also set to become a dad again at 83 years old.
While Gia marks De Niro's seventh child, Pacino's baby with 29-year-old girlfriend Noor Alfallah will be his fourth. And when asked by ET's Rachel Smith while promoting the 2023 Tribeca Festival if he had an opportunity to congratulate Pacino, De Niro said, "Not yet. I just heard about this… [But] good for him."
As for being a father again himself, De Niro revealed that it has added a little spring to his step. "Well, it helps," he said, noting that, "I don't do the heavy lifting, I will admit, but I try. Not that I haven't done it many years ago, but I'm trying my best."
That said, having a newborn is "great," he shared. "She's just [this] adorable, young little innocent thing. Just amazing."
While it seems both De Niro and Pacino's baby news is purely a coincidence, it comes amid a viral online debate over who Twitter users thought was hotter: a young Robert De Niro or a young Al Pacino. The question was prompted by journalist Ashley Reese, who posted a poll to her Twitter account in May.
Although the results of her survey were split, it seems like Twitter can't settle the debate, with many still arguing for their preferred version of the two stars.
Of course, ET went straight to the source and asked De Niro what he thought. "Oh, you want me to give you my opinion?" he replied when asked about who was hotter, him or Pacino. "I don't know, what am I gonna say? It's 50/50," he then said, settling the debate once and for all.
And while the two stars reunited during the 2022 Tribeca Festival to reminisce about their 1995 thriller, Heat, De Niro will be revisiting another one of his classics, A Bronx Tale, during this year's event as the film celebrates its 30th anniversary.
To close this year’s festival, there will be a special screening of A Bronx Tale on Saturday, June 17. After the film, De Niro as well as Jane Rosenthal, who produced the film and co-founded the annual New York City event, and Chazz Palminteri will participate in a live conversation to discuss making the coming-of-age crime drama.
While reflecting on the film, which he directed, De Niro said he had a lot of memories from his time on set. "I thought the actors were terrific," he said before revealing that he's excited to watch the film "with a big audience and just get their reaction because it's been a while since [I've seen it]."
In addition to the special screening of A Bronx Tale, the festival will feature 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries. There will be 93 world premieres, one international premiere, eight North American premieres, one U.S. premiere and six New York premieres.
The 2023 Tribeca Festival takes place from Wednesday June 7 to Sunday, June 18.
RELATED CONTENT:
