Rooney Mara Is Pregnant, Expecting 2nd Baby With Joaquin Phoenix

Rooney Mara is pregnant with her second child, debuting her baby bump on the red carpet.

Mara, 38, stepped out at the 74th Berlinale International Film Festival premiere of her film The Kitchen in Berlin, Germany, on Friday, February 16. While posing on the red carpet, Mara cradled her belly through her black strapless gown. Mara completed her look with a natural makeup look and tied her hair in a sleek bun.

The actress has not further addressed her second pregnancy. Us Weekly has reached out for comment.

Mara and fiancé Joaquin Phoenix, who got engaged in July 2019, are already parents to son River. Their firstborn, named after Phoenix’s late brother, arrived in summer 2020.

“River has enhanced their lives more than they’ve ever imagined and has brought them closer together,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2021. “They’re a very private couple and want River to have a normal, healthy upbringing.”

The insider further noted that Mara and Phoenix, 49, had “talked about having another baby” together.

“[They] are hoping for it to be sooner than later — within the next year or so,” the source explained. “Rooney feels very blessed to be so close with her sister Kate [Mara] that she’d like for River to have a special bond with his future sibling.”

Rooney had not publicly confirmed her pregnancy with River, which even surprised the costume designer for her movie Nightmare Alley.

“With Rooney, during each fitting, I was letting out her costumes a little bit more each time,” Luis Sequeira toldThe Wrap in June 2022. “And so I whispered to myself, ‘Oh, I think she’s pregnant.’”

Sequeira added, “A couple of days later I was called to her trailer. In my experience, when you get called to an actor’s trailer you think ‘Uh oh, what did I do wrong.’ But I walked in and she said, ‘I just have to tell you, please don’t tell anyone, but I’m pregnant.’ She even apologized because of how it was going to affect our fittings. So, of course, I’m a locked safe with information like that. But it was good to know.”

Rooney and Phoenix keep a low profile as a couple and as parents. They also don’t want to force River to follow in their footsteps if he doesn’t want to.

“Well, certainly I would hope that [he is vegan], but I’m not going to impose my belief on my child,” Phoenix told The Sunday Times in June 2021, specifically referring to his dietary restrictions. “I don’t think that’s right. … So I’m not going to perpetuate the lie, but I’m also not going to force him to be vegan. I’ll support him. That’s my plan.”