Now that is what I call an unwanted sequel!
Because Al Pacino, at an impressive age of 83, seems poised to join his former The Godfather II co-star Robert De Niro and become a new dad later in life.
Yes, the octogenarian – who has never been married – is expecting a child with his film producer girlfriend Noor Alfallah, already eight months pregnant and she herself (brace yourself) TWENTY-NINE.
And this comes just weeks after we learned that De Niro – a younger, more bubbly 79 – has fathered a new daughter with partner Tiffany Chen, a 45-year-old martial arts instructor.
It’s clear that the decorated actor couple – whose friendship spans more than five decades – has never been able to stop competing both on and off screen.
Protected icon status in Hollywood. Account. Win a plethora of glittering Oscars. Account. Cash in the big money. Account. Become new fathers just when you should be finalizing the details of your will. Errr – check!
Perhaps their luscious, leggy lovers made them offers they just couldn’t refuse.
Or maybe they lost their glasses and misread the script. But I’m sorry guys, godfathers shouldn’t be the ones who have the kids!
At an impressive age of 83, Al Pacino seems poised to join his former The Godfather II co-star Robert De Niro and become a new dad later in life. (Pictured: Stars together on 1974 movie poster).
Yes, the octogenarian – who has never been married – is expecting a child with his film producer girlfriend Noor Alfallah (pictured), eight months pregnant and only 29 herself.
And this comes just weeks after we learned that De Niro – a younger, more bubbly 79 – has fathered a new daughter with partner Tiffany Chen (pictured), a 45-year-old martial arts instructor.
Already a six- and three-time dad respectively, it’s not like Robert and Al have missed out on the great joys of parenthood.
In fact, their eldest children are full grown adults at 51 and 33 (both slightly older than their respective partners, by the way).
Last month I wrote on DailyMail.com that, unlike the lavish celebrations of De Niro’s celeb friends, I found it all rather creepy—and not a little bit sad.
And that’s because the harsh reality for geriatric dads like De Niro, and now Pacino, is that they’ll barely live long enough to be remembered by their new babies.
Sure, they can afford a sitter or ten to help with the heavy lifting (De Niro is reportedly worth $500 million; Pacino $120 million). And of course, maybe there’s something sweet about the old couple being able to take an afternoon nap with their little ones at the same time.
But no fortune, no matter how great, can help you live forever.
And as TMZ, which broke the news of Pacino’s imminent baby, wrote on Tuesday, “Pacino would be 101, God willing, when the kid turns 18.”
Let’s not forget that this is a man who is probably lucky to have seen 80 after his struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, which he has since overcome.
This is also a man who has spoken openly about the lasting impact of his own father selfishly abandoning him when he was two: “It’s the missing link… Having kids helped a lot.” I consciously knew that I didn’t want to be like my father. I wanted to be there.’
Yet this week People magazine hailed Pacino as the newest member of the ridiculously dubbed “Hollywood’s Older Dads Club.”
Already fathers six and three times respectively, it’s not like Robert and Al have missed out on the joys of parenthood. In fact, their eldest children are adults aged 51 and 33 – incidentally both slightly older than their respective partners. (Pictured: Pacino, center, with Alfalla, left).
And the harsh reality for geriatric dads like De Niro (right) and now Pacino (left), is that they’ll barely live long enough to be remembered by their new babies.
As TMZ, which broke the news of Pacino’s imminent baby, wrote on Tuesday, “Pacino would be 101, God willing, when the kid turns 18.” (Pictured: Alfallah).
Apart from De Niro, there are also former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who had his fourth child at the age of 89, and Mick Jagger, who had his eighth at the age of 73 (and who also had a wild affair with Noor Alfallah, incidentally). , being the future mother of Pacino’s child, in 2017).
Is there something in LA’s water? Did I miss the starting gun at the cock swing contest?
When you think about Robert and Al getting down to business, it’s like imagining Statler and Waldorf from The Muppet Show naked. It’s just wrong.
It’s also rather depressing – because it sheds light on some rather uncomfortable hypocrisy when it comes to the care of women who become mothers at an older age.
Take this equation for example:
Sex and the city star Kim Cattrall last month on the news of De Niro’s new baby on the cusp of his 9th decade: “God bless him!”
But what did London-based reproductive sciences professor Joyce Harper tell a left-wing British newspaper after Naomi Campbell dared to have a child — reportedly via surrogate — at age 50?
“Celebrity pregnancies later in life give women false hopes about what is actually possible.”
What the sanctimonious Prof failed to point out, however, is that as men age, the risk of harmful DNA damage in their sperm increases dramatically. (And we’re told – not that anyone wanted to know – Pacino’s child used to be naturally conceived).
Several US government-backed studies have shown a higher incidence of autism, schizophrenia, and even childhood leukemia in babies born to older fathers.
Is there something in LA’s water? Did I miss the starting gun at the cock swing contest? (Pictured: De Niro with Chen).
When you think about Robert and Al getting down to business, it’s like imagining Statler and Waldorf from The Muppet Show naked. It’s just wrong. (Pictured: De Niro’s new daughter, Gia).
There is a rather uncomfortable hypocrisy when it comes to the care of women who become mothers at an older age. (Pictured: Alfallah).
While a 2018 Stanford University study found that father’s age can even affect the mother’s health during pregnancy, particularly her risk of developing diabetes. Although, of course, there’s no suggestion that De Niro’s or Pacino’s babies and partners suffered any medical complications.
Being older “never gets easier,” De Niro admitted in an interview last month. While Pacino some 20 years ago—then still a youthful 62 years old—bemoaned how exhausting newfound fatherhood is: “You gotta be in shape, man! I go out to dinner and I talk to a very interesting person and I fall asleep!’
What has changed now?
Sometimes, guys, that great idea for a sequel – like the much-panned Godfather Part III – is best left on the cutting room floor.
