Inside Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara's Relationship
Inside Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara's Relationship
Andrea Wurzburger, Emily KrauserThu, May 14, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC
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Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures 4th Annual Gala, in parternship with Rolex, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles on Oct. 19, 2024
Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty
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Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara met on the set of Her in 2012
The pair reunited in 2016 and began dating, later getting engaged in 2019
The actors share two children together
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara are one of Hollywood's most elusive, intriguing couples.
The pair met on the set of Her in 2012 but didn't begin dating until 2016, the same year they reunited on-screen to film Mary Magdalene. (The movie didn't hit theaters in the United States until 2019.)
After getting engaged in 2019, the pair welcomed son River in 2020. Mara announced her second pregnancy by showing off her growing baby bump at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2024, but they have yet to announce any details about their second child.
Though the longtime couple has never officially stated if they've tied the knot, Phoenix did make waves when he referred to the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo actress as his wife during a 2024 podcast appearance.
From meeting on a movie set to getting engaged, here is a complete timeline of Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix's relationship.
01 of 15
2012: Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara meet on the set of Her
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara attend the 'Her' photocall during the 8th Rome Film Festival at the Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Rome on Nov. 10, 2013
Credit: Elisabetta A. Villa/WireImage
Phoenix and Mara met in 2012 on the set of Her (2013), in which Mara played Phoenix's ex-wife.
Things weren't romantic right away for the costars. In fact, Phoenix told Vanity Fair in 2019 that he thought Mara didn't like him at all, but it turns out she was just shy.
"She's the only girl I ever looked up on the internet," he said. "We were just friends, e-mail friends. I'd never done that. Never looked up a girl online."
02 of 15
2016: Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara costar in Mary Magdalene
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara at a special screening of Mary Magdalene' at the National Gallery in London on Feb. 26, 2018
Credit: Dave J Hogan/Getty
The actors reunited on-screen when they costarred in Mary Magdalene, which they filmed in 2016. Mara played the titular role, while Phoenix portrayed Jesus.
"I was looking for something meaningful," Phoenix explained to T Magazine in 2017 on what drew him to the film. "I was looking for an experience. I was friends with Rooney."
The film wasn't released in the U.S. until April 2019, over a year after its February 2018 premiere in London.
03 of 15
May 28, 2017: Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara appear together at the Cannes Film Festival
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara react after the actor wins Best Actor for 'You Were Never Really Here' during the closing ceremony of the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, on May 28, 2017
Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
Phoenix and Mara made their first public appearance as a couple at the closing ceremonies for the Cannes Film Festival on May 28, 2017.
The pair sat together and interacted like a couple, holding hands and embracing after Phoenix won the festival's best actor award for his role in 2017's You Were Never Really Here.
"They were talking to one another nonstop," a source told PEOPLE at the time. "Small talk between them. Then they went for their car, and he's holding her hand like it was unconscious. Like it fits. They seem a totally natural and easy couple."
04 of 15
September 2017: Joaquin Phoenix reveals Rooney Mara has a thing for true-crime docs
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara at Michael Muller's 'Heaven,' presented by the Art of Elysium, in L.A. on Jan. 5, 2019
Credit: Rich Polk/Getty
In September 2017, the actor told T Magazine that he and Mara lived together in L.A.'s Hollywood Hills.
Although Phoenix did not share details on when the two started cohabitating, he revealed how they spend their downtime at home. According to the self-proclaimed homebody, he was usually asleep by 9 p.m. and up by 6 a.m. Activities in his daily routine included answering emails, meditating, "chilling" with his dog, taking karate classes and eating.
The Eddington actor also said that he and Mara binge-watched the Netflix true-crime documentary The Staircase because Mara wanted to, and he let the cat out of the bag that his favorite movie at the time was Disney's 2016 animated film Moana.
"I thought it was beautiful," he said, before changing his answer to The Lost City of Z.
05 of 15
2019: Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara get engaged
Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix walk the red carpet ahead of the 'Joker' screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Aug. 31, 2019
Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
The couple privately got engaged in 2019.
Rumors of an engagement sparked when Mara was photographed wearing a large diamond ring on her left hand. Representatives for Mara and Phoenix did not comment when asked about their relationship status.
06 of 15
June 2, 2019: Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara protest together during National Animal Rights Day
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara (center) lead a procession for National Animal Rights Day in L.A. on June 2, 2019
Credit: BG69/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Phoenix and Mara are both passionate activists, and in 2019, they joined a protest together on National Animal Rights Day.
The couple marched in West Hollywood while holding dead animals during the demonstration.
At the end of 2019, Phoenix was named PETA's Person of the Year for his animal-rights activism.
07 of 15
Aug. 31, 2019: Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara arrive by boat at the Venice International Film Festival
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara arrive at the 76th Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Aug. 31, 2019
Credit: Ernesto Ruscio/GC Images
At the 2019 Venice International Film Festival, the pair made a grand entrance by boat for the world premiere of Phoenix's film Joker(2019). Phoenix wore a tux for the big occasion, while Mara stunned in a white Givenchy gown that gave off very Audrey Hepburn vibes.
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Joker would later win the festival's big prize, the Golden Lion, for best film.
08 of 15
Sept. 9, 2019: Joaquin Phoenix says "I love you" to Rooney Mara after receiving TIFF honor
Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix at the 92nd annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in L.A. on Feb. 9, 2020
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty
After winning the inaugural TIFF Tribute Actor Award at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2019, Phoenix used his acceptance speech to honor his late brother River Phoenix and thank his fiancée for her support.
"One last thing — somewhere here, I don't know where, is a filthy dragon, and I want to rip its wings off and fasten a blanket and sleep with it forever," he said. "I love you. Thank you."
09 of 15
Feb. 9, 2020: Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara make their Oscars red carpet debut
Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix at the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in L.A. on Feb. 9, 2020
Credit: VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty
The pair stunned on the 2020 Academy Awards red carpet, which marked the pair's Oscar debut.
Phoenix would go on to win Best Actor for his performance in Joker. In his speech, he spoke passionately about bettering the world: "I think that's when we're at our best, when we support each other ... when we help each other grow, when we educate each other, when we guide each other towards redemption. That is the best of humanity."
After Phoenix's big win, the couple visited Monty's Good Burger in L.A.'s Koreatown neighborhood to celebrate with plant-based burgers.
10 of 15
2020: Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara welcome their first child together
Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix at the 92nd annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland in L.A. on Feb. 9, 2020
Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty
The couple welcomed their first child, son River. He was named after Phoenix's late brother, who died in 1993.
Russian filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky, with whom Phoenix worked on the dialogue-free documentary Gunda, confirmed the name of the couple's baby during an appearance at the 2020 Zurich Film Festival.
"He just got a baby, by the way," Kossakovsky said while speaking at the festival. "A beautiful son called River."
Mara later confirmed River's name when she mentioned her son in a Mother's Day 2021 campaign for Farm Sanctuary.
11 of 15
Oct. 24, 2022: Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix Are Cast in The Island>/em> Together
News broke that Mara and Phoenix would star in Oscar winner Pawel Pawlikowski's thrillerThe Island.
Inspired by true events, the film follows a 1930s couple who choose to live on a remote island until their lifestyle inspires "a tabloid newspaper sensation."
The night before they were set to shoot in May 2023, production was halted indefinitely, Deadline reported.
12 of 15
Jan. 3, 2023: Rooney Mara Talks About Parenting with Joaquin Phoenix
On her LaunchLeft podcast, Mara opened up about parenting with Phoenix while speaking to guest Rain Phoenix, the Napoleon star's sister.
Mara admitted she was "lucky" to have the option to stay home with her son.
"I'm so lucky that I have the choice to get to be with him most of the time. That I'm like, 'Oh, I'm just going to work once a year if something feels right and other than that, this is what I'm doing,' " she said. "Most people don't have that option."
The Carol actress also explained that she never expected to raise children with another actor.
"It doesn't feel like a two-actor house because I didn't work for the first three and a half years we were together," Mara said. "Basically, since we've been together, I only worked one or two times, and one was really small and short. It feels like a creative household, we're constantly talking about creative things."
13 of 15
Feb. 16, 2024: Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix are expecting baby No. 2
Rooney Mara at the 'La Cocina' premiere during the 74th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin at Berlinale Palast in Berlin on Feb. 16, 2024
Credit: Dominique Charriau/WireImage
Mara announced her second pregnancy by cradling her growing baby bump on the red carpet at the Berlin Film Festival in Germany.At the time, representatives for Mara and Phoenix did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. As of April 2026, they had not formally announced their second child's birth, name or sex.
14 of 15
Sept. 29, 2024: Joaquin Phoenix sparks marriage rumors when he calls Rooney Mara his "wife"
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara at the 2024 Academy Museum Gala at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in L.A. on Oct. 19, 2024
Credit: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
During an appearance on the Talk Easy with Sam Fragosopodcast, Phoenix sparked marriage rumors when he referred to Rooney as his "wife." He did not clarify whether or not the couple had gotten legally married.
15 of 15
Sept. 3, 2025: Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara step out at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara attend the red carpet for 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Sept. 3, 2025
Credit: Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty
Phoenix and Mara made a rare red-carpet appearance during the 2025 Venice International Film Festival, where they attended the premiere of The Voice of Hind Rajab.
The couple had recently joined the documentary as executive producers, working on the project alongside the likes of Brad Pitt, Alfonso Cuarón and Jonathan Glazer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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