Airyn De Niro, the 29-year-old trans daughter of Robert De Niro and Toukie Smith, has opened up about her decision to transition. The actress was interviewed by Them about their identity, with De Niro calling herself a "late bloomer" who was ridiculed about her weight while growing up.
Airyn also pointed to Halle Bailey's portrayal of Ariel in The Little Mermaid remake as inspiration for her to come out as transgender. Airyn's parents, who never married, dated from 1988 to 1996. Airyn and her twin brother, Julian Henry De Niro, were born via in vitro fertilization and delivered by a surrogate mother in 1995.
Speculation about Airyn's sexuality was raised via tabloids earlier this year, surprising the actress, who didn't grow up in the spotlight.
"Obviously no parent is perfect, but I am grateful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight," she told Them. "They wanted it very private. They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible."
De Niro and Smith have always accepted their daughter, who originally came out as a gay man in high school before transitioning. But Airyn recalled physical differences between her and other relatives.
"I always grew up a bigger-bodied person," she shared. "Everybody else in the family [was] relatively thin or fit; I was not, so I sort of stood out like a sore thumb and there wasn’t anybody in my family that could relate to that experience."
Airyn began hormone replacement therapy last November, noticing the successes of other trans women and wanting to be an influence to individuals like her.
"Trans women being honest and open, especially [in] public spaces like social media and getting to see them in their success… I’m like, you know what? Maybe it's not too late for me," she said. "Maybe I can start."
Airyn continued, "I think stepping into this new identity, while also being more proud of my Blackness, makes me feel closer to them in some way."
Elsewhere in the interview, Airyn revealed that she auditioned for the role of Jules Vaughn in Euphoria, which went to Hunter Schafer. Airyn now looks to broaden the expectations of how transgender women of color can appear.
"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 a Hunter Schafer," she said. "A part of me has always wanted to model and sort of follow my mom’s footsteps. Honestly, if I could be on the cover of Vogue with her or recreating one of her pictures, that would be a dream come true."
De Niro has seven children and two ex-wives, Diahnne Abbott and Grace Hightower. The two-time Oscar winner is currently dating Tiffany Chen.