They make it work. Rooney Mara and her fiancé, Joaquin Phoenix, have “a very unconventional relationship,” a source exclusively tells Life & Style. The A-list couple, who are expecting their first child, go from being “totally obsessed” with each other to having “periods where they prefer to be separate.” 

According to the insider, Rooney, 35, and Joaquin, 45, “are such unique individuals” that they manage to “work together in a weird way.” 

The Social Network actress and Oscar winner are “super private,” assures the source and likely won’t be “divulging many details” about their baby. However, the soon-to-be parents are both “really happy.” 

Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix
John Locher/AP/Shutterstock

After Rooney’s sister, Kate Mara, welcomed her child with husband Jamie Bell in May 2019, the Carol starlet “has been open to motherhood,” adds the insider. “She saw how it totally changed Kate’s life and how in love Kate is with her daughter.”

In addition to starting a family, Rooney and Joaquin are focusing on wedding planning. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a small ceremony ASAP, maybe even just the two of them,” says the source. 

After meeting on the set of Her in 2012, the talented duo didn’t make their romance official until five years later at the Cannes Film Festival. In July 2019, Joaquin and Rooney quietly got engaged. 

In early 2020, the pair made their rounds through the awards show circuit together, where Joaquin won the Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG Award for his reprised role in the Joker

Many of his acceptance speeches were emotional and touched upon subjects like climate change and veganism, both passions he and Rooney share. 

“They are extremely spiritual and are animal-rights activists,” a separate source told Life & Style in February. “They were both vegans before they even met, which is a good thing because I don’t think Joaquin could marry a meat-eater.”

The powerful connection between Rooney and the Puerto Rico native “saved” Joaquin, the insider noted. “She is the love of his life — she gets him unlike any other woman and he feels comfortable enough to open up to her.”

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