After spending 60 years in Hollywood, Robert De Niro admitted this week that he feels a bit guilty for not always being present for his family.
While talking with People, the acting icon touched on being a dad to seven children after having welcomed his youngest in his 80s. When asked if there was any advice he had to share, De Niro explained you just having to lean in and learn to manage everything – while also admitting that he was not always there for his kids when he felt he should be.
“I don’t know if there is a secret,” De Niro said. “It’s just managing it all.”
He further conceded: “There’s no way around not feeling a little guilty about not being there at times you should or you think you should.”
De Niro has seven kids in total, ranging from their 50s all the way down to a toddler born back in 2023. His oldest, Drena, is 54 and was adopted when the actor was married to Diahnne Abbott. The pair then later had their son Raphael, who is 49. The actor welcomed twins Julian and Airyn – who are both 30 – while with Toukie Smith. De Niro then married Grace Hightower and had two kids with her – Elliot, who is 28, and Helen, who is 14. Finally, the actor welcomed his daughter Gia back in 2023 with Tiffany Chen.
“It’s a new experience. It’s not like you’ve taken courses on it and stuff,” De Niro added about becoming a new father again. “You can, of course, but you don’t. You just jump in and you have the child and you got to … That’s it.”
De Niro has not slowed down his acting, either. He can next be seen alongside Adam Scott, Michelle Monaghan, Hamish Linklater and Michael Keaton in “The Whisper Man” this weekend, followed by “Focker-in-Law” opposite Ben Stiller and Ariana Grande this Thanksgiving.
“The Whisper Man” opens in theaters Aug. 28.