83-year-old Robert De Niro spoke to People after Drena and Julian, among his 7 children, appeared in numerous productions. De Niro said he was not opposed to his children pursuing acting careers but noted that the profession was not as easy as people might think. He said being the child of a famous actor created additional pressure and that they had to prove their dedication and intense effort. He emphasized that the effort shown over time could become an advantage, but that there was no guarantee of success.
The two-time Oscar winner stars alongside Adam Scott in the Netflix film Fısıltı Adam (The Whisper Man), playing a father who is estranged from Scott’s character. In 2025, De Niro said children should be supported as long as they were not harming themselves or engaging in destructive behavior.
De Niro’s children are 54-year-old Drena, 49-year-old Raphael, 30-year-old twins Julian and Airyn, 28-year-old Elliot, 14-year-old Helen and 3-year-old Gia. The actor, whose relationship with Gia’s mother, Tiffany Chen, became public in 2021, worked with Chen on the 2016 production Stajyer. De Niro, whose son Raphael’s mother is Diahnne Abbott, adopted Drena. Julian and Airyn’s mother is Toukie Smith, while Elliot and Helen’s mother is Grace Hightower.
Why it matters
De Niro’s assessment suggests that being the child of a well-known parent can create not only professional opportunities but also constant pressure to live up to comparisons and prove oneself. This raises the question of whether the achievements of people who began their acting careers through family connections should be judged solely by their surname. The remarks show that parental support is viewed not as unconditional approval, but as an approach contingent on children refraining from destructive behavior. De Niro’s portrayal of a father whose relationship with his children is troubled in the new film also sets the stage for viewers to draw a further comparison between his real-life approach to parenthood and his role on screen.