“ I am thankful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight . ”
You knowRobert De Niro. He’s the Oscar-winning star of some of the mosticonic moviesever, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. And while we’re very familiar with so many of his characters, Robert’s personal life is another matter.
The 81-year-old has been married twice and is the father of7 children, ranging in age from 57 to 2. Despite having such a famous father, Robert’s adult children have mostly opted to live low-key lives. But now, his 29-year-old daughter Airyn is leaning into the spotlight on her own terms.
For context, Robert shares Airyn and her twin brother, Julian, with Toukie Smith, whom hedatedfor almost a decade from 1988 to 1996. The twins have always been very private; however, in a new interview withThem, Airyn opened up about “stepping into [her] new identity” as a trans woman.
“There’s a difference between being visible and being seen,” she said. “I’ve been visible. I don’t think I’ve been seen yet.” The new interview comes less than two months after the Daily Mail published photos of her “new look” during an outing with her dad in NYC. Discussing this particular report, Airyn said: “I actually didn’t find out about the Daily Mail thing until like a week after it was posted… Not only did they get information wrong about me…They just sort of reminded me that people really don’t know anything about me.”
So, introducing herself to the world, Airyn got real about her struggles growing up as a “late bloomer” and feeling conflicted about her identity. “I was always told I was too much of something or not enough of something growing up: Too big, not skinny enough. Not Black enough, not white enough. Too feminine, not masculine enough,” she said. “It was never just, ‘You’re just right, just the way you are.’”
In the Daily Mail report, Airyn was referred to as a “nepo baby.” Reflecting on this, she shared some rare insight into her “normal” upbringing. “I wasn’t brought up having a side part in one of dad’s movies or going to business meetings or attending premieres. My dad was very big on us finding our own sort of path… I would want [success] to happen on my own merit,” she said. “Obviously, no parent is perfect, but I am grateful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight. They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible.”
Airyn — who is an aspiring actor, model, and mental health counselor — began hormone therapy last November, inspired by other trans women being “honest and open” in public spaces. “I’m like, you know what? Maybe it’s not too late for me. Maybe I can start,” she recalled. “I think a big part of [my transition] is also the influence Black women have had on me. I think stepping into this new identity, while also being more proud of my Blackness, makes me feel closer to them in some way.”
“I’d want to hopefully be an inspiration for at least one other person like me who is Black, who is queer, who’s not a size extra small,” she said. “I’d want to see more trans women, more Black women who are maybe bigger-bodied or don’t fit the mold of super thin or heroin chic. I want queer people of color and bigger-bodied people to have an Alex Consani. I want queer people of color and bigger-bodied people to have aHunter Schafer.”
Good for you , Airyn ! ! you’re able to read her fullTheminterview here .
