Martin Scorsese is an iconic filmmaker largely considered to be one of the greatest artists cinema has ever known. For his efforts, he’s also the recipient of a vast array of awards. Aside from all of that though, he’s also a loving father to three daughters, the youngest of which he welcomed at the age of 56. He’s not the only person in Hollywood to have children later in life, as his longtime collaborator, Robert De Niro, did as well. Now, like De Niro, Scorsese is sharing how he feels about having had a child at that stage of his life.
The now 81-year-old Mean Streets helmer’s youngest child is 24-year-old Francesca Scorsese, who he shares with his fifth and current wife, Helen Morris. “Marty,” who occasionally opens up about aspects of his personal life, discussed parenthood while appearing on Sirius XM’s This Life of Mine, which is hosted by James Corden. As the director told Corden, he was “gifted” with that pregnancy after he met Morris. He then went on to recall (via People) the night his little girl was born, and it honestly sounds a bit stressful:
It was extraordinary and by that point, I was 56 and it was a different perspective on life. It suddenly became the most important thing, her and this little one that was coming. We didn't know whether it was a girl or boy and then in the middle of the night, five weeks early, she came and I saw a lot of panicking and moving around.
As he went on to explain that because his daughter was born earlier than expected, he and his wife weren’t sure if she’d survive. Thankfully, though, she ultimately made it through. Mother and father were also able to cradle their baby girl. And, based on how the Oscar winner described a nurse handed him the little bundle of joy for the first time, he’ll never forget it:
Then they handed me this little package and she opened her eyes and saw me I guess, or maybe. We don't know what kids could, what the newborn could really see. Suddenly everything that led up to that, I mean, yes. My other daughters, we were younger, we were stronger, you know? This was like some special blessing of some kind. It suddenly changed all the values, what I thought was important in life.
So how exactly has fatherhood treated him as he’s in his later years? Well, Martin Scorsese conveyed that he’s been enjoying it, and that’s been especially evident over the past year or so. He and Francesca have been making waves with viral TikTok videos that highlight cinema trivia and their general father-daughter shenanigans. One memorable clip featured a montage of Martin being a dad and, in another post, he recalled The King of Comedy being dubbed a flop. These social media activities seem to be a strong way for the two to bond, and, as the Wolf of Wall Street director further explained, he wants to make the most of his time with his daughter:
I'm 80 now, so you only have a certain amount of time left. That time has got to mean something. Try my best to be there and to guide and show as much love as possible, but you know, I still make movies, you know, so the best thing you can do is sort of include them in like I did with my mother for example and my father. I put them in my films. You know, they had retired and so I said, 'Come and work with us.'
His sentiments are just as sweet as those of Robert De Niro, who welcomed a baby at 79 back in 2023. It's a somewhat unusual situation that’s apparently brought upon some interesting dynamics for the De Niro family. However, the Raging Bull icon is happy that his other kids and grandkids can appreciate baby Gia, who he shares with his partner, Tiffany Chen.
As someone whose parents had him a little later than others, I can certainly understand and appreciate the joy that Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro feel when it comes to their kids. People who are raised by somewhat older parents understand that in the long run, they may not get as much time to spend with their folks as other people do. However, as Scorsese so astutely mentioned, it’s all about making the most of it, and I’m glad he’s still relishing it.
You can stream the longtime movie-making duo’s latest effort, Killers of the Flower Moon, which is now streamable with an Apple TV+ subscription.
