Robert De Niro sat down with 'Haute Living New York' for their June 2024 cover story, where he spoke all about fatherhood.
Devoted dad! Robert De Niro sat down with Haute Living New York for their June 2024 cover story and talked about being a father to his seven children, Drena, 56, and Raphael, 47, whom he shares with ex-wife Diahnne Abbott; twin sons Julian and Aaron, 28, whom he shares with former girlfriend Toukie Smith; Elliot, 25, and Helen Grace, 12, whom he shares with ex-wife Grace Hightower; and Gia, 1, whom he shares with girlfriend Tiffany Chen.
"I'm lucky. I have had help doing it with the kids, with the babies, so that makes it easier, more manageable. [My newborn] is a little doll. There's nothing like it," the actor, 80, tells the magazine.
He continues, "The baby is so cute, and so innocent, and so lovable. Every little word that she says — or every little beginning of a word that she’s starting to say now — is very sweet and adorable. It's that simple."
"My girlfriend told me that she said a word close to 'dada' yesterday. I wasn't there, but she was looking for something yesterday, and she said the word," De Niro adds.
Beyond feeling fulfilled by fatherhood, the Oscar winner is inspired by his work.
"Oh yeah, of course I do [enjoy it]. … If you enjoy doing it and so on, then that's 80 percent of your motivation right there."
As for his legacy, he says, "I would hope that the movies that I've done — at least certain movies — would be remembered, especially the things I’ve done with Marty Scorsese, whom I’ve been lucky to work with so many times. That’s it. I try my best whatever I do, be it my kids or my career."
While the Taxi Driver star admits he has made mistakes along the way, he tries to remain positive and realistic.
"I've had regrets about some things, but nothing that's too regretful. That's life. … So, we take the ups with the downs, and happiness when it's there, but don't get too happy because there's always something around the corner that's going to want to dampen that. I always say, 'Well, let's not get too excited,'" he tells the publication.
When it comes to his current mindset: "I'm doing OK. I have a lot going on in my life. I just want to make sure everything continues to be OK, to stay on track, and to keep on moving."
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