Robert De Niro complains his stardom can have a 'negative impact' on his nepo babies in their acting careers

Robert De Niro fully supports his kids who follow his famous footsteps into acting, but he acknowledged it takes major commitment and comes with a lot more pressure.The two-time Oscar winner, 83, who stars in the Netflix movie The Whisper Man, now streaming, told People: 'I'm okay with it, it's just not as easy as you would think.'De Niro, who bashed President Donald Trump in a rambling rant in June, has seven children with four different women: Drena, 54, and Raphael, 49, with Diahnne Abbott; 30-year-old twins Julian and Airyn with Toukie Smith; Elliot, 28, and Helen, 14, with Grace Hightower; and Gia, three, with Tiffany Chen.Two of his brood, Drena and Julian, have ventured into show business. 'It’s a commitment,' said De Niro. 'And you have to show, especially if you're a kid in a situation like mine… people, no matter what [the kids] say, how they behave, what they do, they're saying: "Show me".'And if you don't look like you're really sincere about it and busting your a** and working hard, it'll have a negative impact.' Robert De Niro fully supports his kids who follow his famous footsteps into acting, but he acknowledged it takes major commitment and comes with a lot more pressure. Above, De Niro attending the New York premiere of Netflix's The Whisper Man on August 24 Of his seven children, Drena, 54, and Julian, 30, have ventured into show business. Above, DeNiro pictured with his kids at The Vatican in Rome, Italy in November 2025He added: 'If you really can, over time, cumulatively impress people that you really are sincere about it and will go the distance, then it'll work the other way 10 times.'De Niro stressed that the 'most important thing is to work hard because you really want to do it. And you really are committed.' Drena has a number of credits including roles in A Star is Born (2018), The Intern (2015), Joy (2015), Great Expectations (1998) and Wag the Dog (1997).She's also ventured into directing and production, working on the short documentary Girls & Dolls (2001) and producing HBO’s Remembering the Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr., about De Niro's dad, who was an artist.Julian, meanwhile, has flexed his acting prowess in the miniseries Zero Day (2025), The First Lady (2022), in which he played a young Barack Obama, and In Dubious Battle (2016).In 2023, the young actor made his Broadway debut in The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window.But it's no secret that being a nepo baby goes hand-in-hand with public scrutiny and the constant pressure to prove one's own talent, even in an era where there are more opportunities.'I remember when I was younger, there were less opportunities,' De Niro remarked in his new interview.'There’s one or two or three independent films, then the studio films, plays off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway. There wasn't that much. And now, there's so much more, it seems, but it still is just as difficult for people to get jobs as actors as is.' Drena has a number of credits including roles in A Star is Born (2018), The Intern (2015) and Joy (2015) De Niro's eldest - who he has with first wife Diahnne Abbott - is seen with the actor on the set of Godfather 2 in the early 70s 'It's not easy… It's hard, and you have to work hard to get somewhere. And even then, there's no guarantee,' De Niro said of his kids becoming actors In The First Lady (2022), Julian played a young Barack Obama. Above, Julian attending the TV movie's Los Angeles premiereBut De Niro said even hard work and total commitment may not be enough to find success.'It's not easy… It's hard, and you have to work hard to get somewhere. And even then, there's no guarantee,' he added.Last year, the Goodfellas actor explained he believes the most important thing a parent can do for their kids is to always back their decisions, regardless of whether or not they agree with them.'The main thing is to support your kids,' he told Entertainment Tonight. 'As long as they're not hurting themselves, doing anything destructive or anything like that, you have to support them - period.'Even if you don't go with it - you have to support them. And they have to know that you support them. Always.'De Niro previously told of how he 'somehow makes it work' when it comes to juggling his career with raising a toddler.'Yeah, she's great! She came on the Zero Day set a few times, I shot that last year,' he said of Gia, his youngest child. 'You make it work, somehow. Sometimes I have her on the set with my girlfriend. I'm lucky, I have a camper.'As he explained to The Sunday Times magazine, he 'tries his best' to be a good dad and to meet his children's different needs. De Niro never ceases to work and plays Adam Scott's dad in the Netflix movie The Whisper Man with Michelle Monaghan'Oh God, they would all have a different answer. Family is so complex. I try my best, that's all. I hope they'll be happy,' he added.Asked the key to fatherhood, he previously told People: 'I don't know if there is a secret. 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 noted that becoming a parent for the first time requires just being able to 'jump in' and adapt to new life circumstances.'It's a new experience. It's not like you've taken courses on it and stuff. You can, of course, but you don't. You just jump in and you have the child and you got to... That's it.'