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Joaquin Phoenix reveals that he and Rooney Mara have secretly married

The Hollywood stars welcomed their first child in 2020

joaqun rooney
Eve Crosbie
TV & Film Writer
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Congratulations are in order for Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara! It appears that the Hollywood couple, who welcomed their first child together in 2020, have quietly tied the knot.

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In a recent interview, the Joker actor referred to Rooney as his "wife" but did not share any more details about when or where their nuptials took place.

WATCH: Joaquin Phoenix pays emotional tribute to late brother River during Oscar speech

Chatting to Italian magazine Best Movie about his BAFTA-nominated film C'mon C'mon, Joaquin, 47, revealed that it was Rooney, 36, who encouraged him to take on the role.

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He said: "He [director Mike Mills] invited me to his house and we started discussing why he wanted to make this film with me and eventually I listened to my wife, who is always right, and I agreed."

joaquin phoenix rooney mara event© Photo: Getty Images

The couple have been dating since 2016

Elsewhere in the chat, Joaquin also made a rare comment about their 18-month old son while discussing what it was like to work with Woody Norman, his teenage C'mon C'mon co-star.  "I let Woody guide me, he taught me a lot, I hope my son can grow up with his sensitivity," he said. 

Joaquin and Rooney, who have been together since 2016, quietly welcomed a little boy in September 2020 but, in a similarly lowkey fashion, did not share the news publicly until many months later. 

MORE: Joaquin Phoenix pays tribute to late brother River

It is believed that they have named their son River after Joaquin's late brother River Phoenix, who tragically died in 1993 from a drug overdose.

The two stars met when they worked together on the 2013 Spike Jonze film Her; however, they didn't start dating until three years later when they reunited on the set of Mary Magdalene. They confirmed their engagement in July 2019.

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