Balancing the demands of a legendary Hollywood career with the responsibilities of parenthood is no small feat, and even screen icons grapple with the heavy toll it takes. For an actor who has spent decades portraying larger-than-life characters on the big screen, the sacrifices required by a demanding professional life often come at a personal cost. This cost may compound over the years with guilt.

Reflecting candidly on the realities of raising a family in the spotlight, Robert De Niro recently opened up about the lingering weight of paternal regret in a recent interview.

Despite his decades of Hollywood expertise, Robert De Niro claims that there is no ideal way to juggle work and fatherhood. The 83-year-old actor talked candidly about juggling his demanding acting career with raising seven kids, acknowledging that even after years of parenting, some remorse is inevitable. In an interview with PEOPLE, De Niro acknowledged that there is no simple parenting manual.

“I don’t know if there is a secret,” De Niro told the outlet. 

“It’s just managing it all. And there’s no way around not feeling a little guilty about not being there at times you should, or you think you should,”  he added.

De Niro has children from multiple partnerships. When he was married to his former wife, Diahnne Abbott, he adopted his eldest daughter, Drena (54). Later, the couple welcomed their son, Raphael (49). De Niro dated actress Toukie Smith after his divorce from Abbott, and the two of them had twin sons, Julian and Airyn (30). 

In 1997, he wed Grace Hightower, with whom he had two children: a daughter named Helen (14) and a son named Elliot (28). De Niro and his girlfriend Tiffany Chen welcomed their seventh child, a 3-year-old daughter named Gia, in 2023. Out of all his children, only Julian and Drena followed in their father’s footsteps and decided to become actors. And if De Niro's revelation in the PEOPLE interview is any indication, the nature of their father's time-consuming profession might be the reason.  

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On the work front, Robert De Niro is currently busy promoting his new venture, Netflix’s The Whisper Man.

The 83-year-old two-time Oscar winner plays the estranged father of Adam Scott's character in the upcoming Netflix film The Whisper Man, whose son is abducted. Robert De Niro is no stranger to themes of fatherhood and fathers trying their hardest, even though the film is a thriller about apprehending a serial killer at large.

The movie is set to release on Netflix on August 28 and also stars Michelle Monaghan, Hamish Linklater, Michael Keaton, Owen Teague, and Acston Luca Porto in key roles. De Niro will next be seen in the fourth installment of his beloved comedy Meet the Parents, titled Focker-in-Law, set for a November 25 release.

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What do you think of Robert De Niro’s admission of the “dad guilt”? Do let us know.