Joaquin Phoenix and his fiancée Rooney Mara put on unified front when they arrived
in Venice, Italy, on Monday.
The 49-year-old Napoleon star and the 39-year-old Social Network actress pictured in the tourist destination's airport
ahead of the high-profile Venice Film Festival.
They were spotted getting around the picturesque city in one
of its iconic water taxis.
Joaquin was set to make a major appearance ahead of the premiere of his dark comic book film
Joker: Folie à Deux.
Fans and critics are getting a look at the film after
the actor made himself persona non grata among independent filmmakers when he
dropped out of acclaimed director Todd Haynes' untitled gay romance
just five days before production was to begin.
Joaquin Phoenix, 49, and his fiancée Rooney Mara, 39, put on unified front when they
arrived in Venice, Italy, on Monday. They were pictured at
the airport before heading to a water taxi
The two were set to attend the Venice Film Festival,
where Phoenix's highly anticipated sequel Joker: Folie à Deux
is premiering
The couple appeared to be joined by their youngest child, whose name has not yet
been publicly revealed.
Rooney held the little iqos original one close to her
in a striped blanket that was wrapped around her shoulders.
The loved-up couple were dressed casually for their arrival in Venice.
Joaquin looked cool and relaxed in a plain black T-shirt that highlighted his toned arms,
which he paired with black track pants rolled up at the hems.
He matched them with tall black socks and low-key gray sneakers.
The Academy Award winner wore his graying hair in a
messy mop contrasting his black glasses, and he also
had on a black backpack.
Rooney had on a black blouse and a long black jacket while wrapping her
blanket around her torso over it.
She kept things simple with high-waisted blue jeans and black flats.
Her brunette locks were tied back in a bun, and she covered up with black oval-shaped sunglasses.
The Her costars have been together since 2016, and they share two young children together.
They welcomed their first child, River — named after Joaquin's late brother River Phoenix
— in August of 2020, and Rooney gave birth to their second child in June of this year,
but few details have been revealed about the younger
child.
Joaquin was focusing on his likely blockbuster Joker:
Folie à Deux following the controversy over his departure from an indie romance drama just five days before
it was to begin production.
The shocking move left director Todd Haynes and indie superproducer Christine Vachon scrambling to find
a replacement for the lead role, which was ultimately unsuccessful due to
the extraordinarily short time before filming.
Vachon later called the experience a 'nightmare,' but she defended the film from critics who claimed only a gay actor should have been cast in Phoenix's role.
She reminded the writers of rude social media comments that Phoenix was the person who
brought the project to her and Haynes, meaning he couldn't be separated from the film.
Vachon also defended her production company's record of hiring
actors in the LGBTQ community, and she said that the criticism was only making
the 'terrible situation even worse.'
Phoenix and Top Gun: Maverick actor Danny Ramirez, 31, were to play onscreen lovers in the 1930s-set
film, which was said to include 'explicit sexual content.'
Joaquin looked cool and relaxed in a plain black T-shirt that highlighted his toned
arms, which he paired with black track pants, gray sneakers and a black backpack
Rooney had on a black blouse and a long black jacket with high-waisted jeans and
black flats. She had a black blanket wrapped around her that apparently
contained her youngest child
The couple were seen being helped onto a water taxi as
they headed to their hotel
Phoenix was promoting Joker 2 just weeks after dropping out of
director Todd Haynes' untitled 1930s-set gay romance just
five days before filming was to start in Mexico; Haynes (R) is
pictured with the film's producer, Christine Vachon, at the Cannes Film
Festival in 2021
Phoenix was intimately connected to the production,
as he reportedly developed the movie's screenplay with Haynes and Jon Raymond.
A source claimed to Variety that the star dropped out amid trepidation over the film's graphic sex scenes.
However, others disputed that characterization and noted that he played a major role in getting
the film into production in the first place.
Phoenix has reportedly suffered from cold feet on multiple previous projects that he ultimately continued with.
Venice Film FestivalRooney MaraJoaquin Phoenix