WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.680 Welcome back to The Deep Dive, the only place 00:00:02.680 --> 00:00:05.780 where we take a monumental stack of sources and 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:08.759 distill a half -century of genius into one fascinating 00:00:08.759 --> 00:00:11.740 conversation, custom -built just for you. Today 00:00:11.740 --> 00:00:13.839 we are talking about an artist whose influence 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:17.660 is so pervasive, so transformative, that his 00:00:17.660 --> 00:00:21.199 name alone practically defines the peak era of 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:23.699 American cinema. We are, of course, talking about 00:00:23.699 --> 00:00:26.760 Robert De Niro. And we're talking about a verifiable 00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:28.820 legend here. I mean, if you look at the American 00:00:28.820 --> 00:00:31.559 Film Institute's 100 Greatest American Films 00:00:31.559 --> 00:00:34.920 list, De Niro shares a record that very few people 00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:37.539 realize. What's that? He is tied with only one 00:00:37.539 --> 00:00:39.640 other actor, James Stewart, for having the most 00:00:39.640 --> 00:00:42.880 films on that list. Wow. James Stewart. That's 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:45.420 incredible company. It is. And that statistic 00:00:45.420 --> 00:00:47.579 isn't just about successful movies. It's about 00:00:47.579 --> 00:00:50.380 his sustained contribution to what we define 00:00:50.380 --> 00:00:53.170 as essential American art. Okay, so let's unpack 00:00:53.170 --> 00:00:55.649 this. Our mission today is to move past the classic 00:00:55.649 --> 00:00:58.149 cinematic images and really get into the anatomy 00:00:58.149 --> 00:01:00.909 of his incredible journey. We'll be investigating 00:01:00.909 --> 00:01:03.289 that almost religious commitment he has to the 00:01:03.289 --> 00:01:05.609 craft, his legendary partnership with Martin 00:01:05.609 --> 00:01:07.950 Scorsese, which has now spanned nine feature 00:01:07.950 --> 00:01:11.069 films. An incredible run. His surprising and 00:01:11.069 --> 00:01:14.700 very lucrative pivot into comedy. And the remarkable 00:01:14.700 --> 00:01:17.859 complexity of his life outside of acting, balancing 00:01:17.859 --> 00:01:20.400 the roles of entrepreneur, influential public 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:23.519 figure, and family patriarch. Yeah, we're examining 00:01:23.519 --> 00:01:26.280 a career that spans seven decades, marked by 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:29.239 this relentless immersion and reinvention. He 00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:31.359 is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most 00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:33.760 influential actors of his generation. And the 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:36.760 list of accolades is just staggering. It really 00:01:36.760 --> 00:01:39.819 is. Two Academy Awards, multiple recent Emmy 00:01:39.819 --> 00:01:42.040 nominations, the Presidential Medal of Freedom 00:01:42.040 --> 00:01:45.159 in 2016, and just recently the honorary Palme 00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:48.459 d 'Or at Cannes in 2025. He didn't just star 00:01:48.459 --> 00:01:50.340 in great films. It feels like he willed those 00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:52.439 films into existence through sheer effort and 00:01:52.439 --> 00:01:54.500 transformative will. That's a great way to put 00:01:54.500 --> 00:01:55.980 it. So let's start where the journey begins. 00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:59.090 A surprisingly unconventional sort of of bohemian 00:01:59.090 --> 00:02:01.370 upbringing right in the heart of Manhattan. Right. 00:02:01.549 --> 00:02:05.310 He was born Robert Anthony De Niro in 1943, the 00:02:05.310 --> 00:02:08.110 only child of two abstract expressionist painters, 00:02:08.409 --> 00:02:11.590 Virginia Admiral and Robert De Niro Sr. So he 00:02:11.590 --> 00:02:14.389 grew up surrounded by art. A very unique cultural 00:02:14.389 --> 00:02:16.949 environment, yeah. His parents actually met at 00:02:16.949 --> 00:02:19.449 Hans Hoffman's painting classes, but their marriage 00:02:19.449 --> 00:02:22.520 was brief. How brief? They separated when Robert 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:24.719 was only two years old after his father announced 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:27.460 he was gay. Oh, wow. So that meant he was raised 00:02:27.460 --> 00:02:29.680 primarily by his mother. Primarily by his mother 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:32.340 in these vibrant, artistic communities of Greenwich 00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:34.599 Village and Little Italy. What's particularly 00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:36.539 poignant, according to the sources we looked 00:02:36.539 --> 00:02:39.080 at, is that despite that early separation, he 00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:41.439 remained actively close to his father his whole 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:43.360 childhood. He wasn't estranged at all. He was 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:45.620 just navigating two different worlds, really. 00:02:45.740 --> 00:02:48.360 You had the bohemian art scene with his father, 00:02:48.419 --> 00:02:51.699 and then this more grounded, working -class atmosphere 00:02:51.699 --> 00:02:54.219 of Little Italy with his mother. And it was in 00:02:54.219 --> 00:02:56.180 Little Italy where he picked up that fantastic 00:02:56.180 --> 00:02:58.919 kind of contradictory childhood nickname. Bobby 00:02:58.919 --> 00:03:02.080 Mills. Bobby Milk, yes, because of his noticeably 00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:05.400 pale complexion in a neighborhood full of, you 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:07.860 know, suntanned Italian kids. Right. And he did 00:03:07.860 --> 00:03:09.620 spend a lot of time with the local street kids. 00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:13.240 This immersion into the tough, practical street 00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:15.759 life apparently caused some disapproval from 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:18.099 his father, who worried about his son's artistic 00:03:18.099 --> 00:03:20.659 side. But those early friendships were profound, 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:23.240 weren't they? They connected him so deeply to 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:25.520 the neighborhood that would later form the backdrop 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:28.039 for so many of his greatest roles. Absolutely. 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:31.900 His formal education, though, was just as fragmented 00:03:31.900 --> 00:03:34.319 as his early life. He bounced around a bit. A 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:37.680 lot. He went through PS41, Elizabeth Irwin High 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:39.960 School, a very brief period at the High School 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:42.240 of Music and Art, and eventually McBurney School 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:44.639 and Rhodes Preparatory School. It was pretty 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:46.340 clear that traditional schooling just wasn't 00:03:46.340 --> 00:03:48.400 holding his interest. And the direction of his 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:51.780 life solidified very early on. And the motivation 00:03:51.780 --> 00:03:54.479 here is so key to understanding his later method 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:57.159 approach. Yeah, he found performing to be a crucial 00:03:57.159 --> 00:04:00.379 way. to relieve his intense shyness. So by age 00:04:00.379 --> 00:04:03.580 16, he drops out of high school completely. Gone. 00:04:03.659 --> 00:04:07.020 All in on acting. And his justification for that 00:04:07.020 --> 00:04:10.259 huge life decision was incredibly pragmatic, 00:04:10.439 --> 00:04:14.039 almost calculating. It was. He later recalled 00:04:14.039 --> 00:04:16.759 watching a television show around age 18 and 00:04:16.759 --> 00:04:19.439 thinking, if these actors are making a living 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:22.019 at it and they're not really that good, I can't 00:04:22.019 --> 00:04:24.279 do any worse than them. That's the kind of confidence 00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:26.439 that only comes from knowing you're willing to 00:04:26.439 --> 00:04:28.500 put in the work that other people just won't. 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:30.879 Exactly. And that brings us directly to the work 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:33.779 itself. His dedication to formal training was 00:04:33.779 --> 00:04:36.040 immense. This wasn't a case of waiting around 00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:39.000 to be discovered. No, he became a student. He 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:41.579 dedicated years to mastering the technique. And 00:04:41.579 --> 00:04:43.939 crucially, he studied at three major institutions, 00:04:44.199 --> 00:04:46.560 which gave him this broad, nuanced understanding 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:49.660 of acting methods. Which were? HB Studio, Lee 00:04:49.660 --> 00:04:52.459 Strasberg's famed actor's studio, and the Stella 00:04:52.459 --> 00:04:55.139 Adler Conservatory. Okay, now this is where the 00:04:55.139 --> 00:04:57.600 analytical depth really comes in. We hear method 00:04:57.600 --> 00:05:00.040 acting thrown around all the time, but De Niro's 00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:02.519 training specifically with Stella Adler is what 00:05:02.519 --> 00:05:05.279 set him apart. It really is. Strasberg famously 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:08.660 focused on effective memory using your own personal 00:05:08.660 --> 00:05:12.250 emotional recall. What did Adler give him specifically? 00:05:12.730 --> 00:05:15.209 Adler exposed him directly to the techniques 00:05:15.209 --> 00:05:17.990 of the Stanislavski system, but with a really 00:05:17.990 --> 00:05:21.009 different emphasis. Oh, so. Instead of digging 00:05:21.009 --> 00:05:24.500 into past trauma, which is sense memory. Adler 00:05:24.500 --> 00:05:27.399 taught psychological realism based on imagination 00:05:27.399 --> 00:05:30.259 and research. Ah, so it's external, not internal. 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:33.019 Exactly. It was about thoroughly investigating 00:05:33.019 --> 00:05:35.100 the circumstances, the culture, the sociology 00:05:35.100 --> 00:05:37.680 of the character. You create the emotional truth 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:40.379 externally and intellectually, which he would 00:05:40.379 --> 00:05:43.129 then realize physically. Wow. So that focus on 00:05:43.129 --> 00:05:46.649 external, detailed research like studying cab 00:05:46.649 --> 00:05:49.290 drivers or learning to box was a direct application 00:05:49.290 --> 00:05:51.709 of his training. Precisely. It wasn't just improvisation. 00:05:51.750 --> 00:05:53.730 It was calculated immersion based on rigorous 00:05:53.730 --> 00:05:56.089 investigation. And his inspirations, Montgomery 00:05:56.089 --> 00:05:59.149 Clift, Marlon Brando, James Dean, were all great 00:05:59.149 --> 00:06:01.709 method actors. They were, but he took that foundation 00:06:01.709 --> 00:06:04.089 and turned it into an external observational 00:06:04.089 --> 00:06:07.129 science. He was building this deep, diverse library 00:06:07.129 --> 00:06:09.709 of performance strategies. But those first steps 00:06:09.709 --> 00:06:13.699 were slow. From 1963 to 1973, he was just grinding 00:06:13.699 --> 00:06:17.279 out minor roles. Very minor. Encounter, Three 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:20.519 Rooms in Manhattan in 65, Les Jeunes Loups in 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:23.680 68. His career really gained crucial definition 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:25.920 through his early work with director Brian De 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:28.079 Palma. Right, the De Palma films. He appeared 00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:30.879 in Greetings in 68, The Wedding Party, which 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:33.199 was actually filmed way back in 1963 but released 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:37.079 later, and Hi Mom in 1970. And even then, the 00:06:37.079 --> 00:06:38.800 critics were picking up on something special. 00:06:39.100 --> 00:06:42.279 They were. And hi, mom. The critic Richard Brody 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:45.579 noted that De Niro brings unhinged spontaneity 00:06:45.579 --> 00:06:48.759 to his character. That's a fascinating early 00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:50.519 indicator of the intensity that would define 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:53.720 his most famous roles. But the true pivotal breakthrough 00:06:53.720 --> 00:06:56.360 before Scorsese came along was bang the drum 00:06:56.360 --> 00:06:59.759 slowly in 1973. Oh, yeah. He played Bruce Pearson, 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:02.120 a Major League Baseball player with Hodgkin disease. 00:07:02.670 --> 00:07:05.189 This role was praised instantly. It established 00:07:05.189 --> 00:07:07.209 him as one of the best young character actors 00:07:07.209 --> 00:07:08.990 in the business. And what's so telling about 00:07:08.990 --> 00:07:10.509 this performance, and it connects right back 00:07:10.509 --> 00:07:12.949 to his Adler training, is that anecdote about 00:07:12.949 --> 00:07:15.449 his preparation. The author of the original novel 00:07:15.449 --> 00:07:18.149 noted that De Niro learned only as much baseball 00:07:18.149 --> 00:07:24.769 as he needed for his role. He said, That's that 00:07:24.769 --> 00:07:26.509 professional isolation we were talking about. 00:07:26.529 --> 00:07:29.310 It was strictly compartmentalized research. And 00:07:29.310 --> 00:07:32.069 that seriousness... immediately caught the eye 00:07:32.069 --> 00:07:34.470 of Martin Scorsese. And their first official 00:07:34.470 --> 00:07:39.350 collaboration was Mean Streets. 1973. De Niro 00:07:39.350 --> 00:07:43.230 was cast as Johnny Boy Civello, a small -time, 00:07:43.350 --> 00:07:46.209 reckless criminal. And this was the definitive 00:07:46.209 --> 00:07:48.509 starting point of that Scorsese -De Niro synergy. 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:51.180 He demonstrated incredible seriousness, right? 00:07:51.579 --> 00:07:53.620 Isolating himself from the cast and crew to stay 00:07:53.620 --> 00:07:56.000 immersed. He did, even though he was given freedom 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:58.620 to improvise certain scenes with Harvey Keitel. 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:01.100 And critics recognized this intensity instantly. 00:08:01.300 --> 00:08:03.720 Roger Ebert praised his marvelous performance. 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:06.160 And perhaps most famously, Pauline Kael called 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:09.139 him a bravura actor, saying he doesn't just act, 00:08:09.220 --> 00:08:11.259 he takes off into the vapors. Takes off into 00:08:11.259 --> 00:08:13.379 the vapors. I love that. It's perfect, isn't 00:08:13.379 --> 00:08:15.120 it? Yeah. And Mean Streets was later selected 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:17.920 for the U .S. National Film Registry. a true 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:21.079 beginning of a legendary run. So after Mean Streets 00:08:21.079 --> 00:08:23.339 put him on the map, the next six years delivered 00:08:23.339 --> 00:08:26.000 a series of performances that not only changed 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:28.639 De Niro's career, but, I mean, they fundamentally 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:31.759 altered modern cinema. Without a doubt. And it 00:08:31.759 --> 00:08:34.340 started with his Oscar -winning turn as the young 00:08:34.340 --> 00:08:37.940 Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather 00:08:37.940 --> 00:08:41.559 Part II in 1974. It's a classic case of the right 00:08:41.559 --> 00:08:44.379 actor finding the right role at exactly the right 00:08:44.379 --> 00:08:47.299 time. He had actually auditioned for a role in 00:08:47.299 --> 00:08:48.779 the first Godfather, but didn't get it. Right. 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:50.720 He went off to do the gang that couldn't shoot 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:53.600 straight. Exactly. But Coppola remembered the 00:08:53.600 --> 00:08:55.980 intensity he brought and gave him the pivotal 00:08:55.980 --> 00:08:58.799 prequel role in part two. What's so fascinating 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:01.139 is the sheer commitment to cultural accuracy. 00:09:01.879 --> 00:09:04.860 He spoke mainly in several Sicilian dialects 00:09:04.860 --> 00:09:07.120 for the role. Yeah, we talk about method acting 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:09.679 as psychological immersion, but here it was linguistic 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:12.580 and cultural immersion. So how did that commitment 00:09:12.580 --> 00:09:15.379 affect the characterization of young Vito? I 00:09:15.379 --> 00:09:17.740 think it was crucial. By speaking almost entirely 00:09:17.740 --> 00:09:20.659 in Sicilian, he created this inherent distance 00:09:20.659 --> 00:09:23.399 and mystery for the audience. The character became 00:09:23.399 --> 00:09:26.320 defined by his environment, his struggle for 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:28.960 authenticity in a new country. It made the performance 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:33.299 feel both authentic and... Mythic. And the film 00:09:33.299 --> 00:09:35.799 was a massive success. De Niro won his first 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:38.139 Academy Award, Best Supporting Actor. And as 00:09:38.139 --> 00:09:40.600 the sources note, he holds the distinct honor 00:09:40.600 --> 00:09:43.360 of being the first male actor to win an Oscar 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:46.200 for a performance delivered primarily in an Italian 00:09:46.200 --> 00:09:48.500 language. And the other unique historical note. 00:09:48.700 --> 00:09:51.779 M and Marlon Brando. The first pair of actors 00:09:51.779 --> 00:09:54.379 to ever win Oscars for portraying the same fictional 00:09:54.379 --> 00:09:57.080 character. At just 31 years old, he'd secured 00:09:57.080 --> 00:09:59.000 a permanent place in the pantheon of Hollywood 00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:01.259 legends. Absolutely. But the performance that 00:10:01.259 --> 00:10:04.259 maybe defines his method era, the kind of total 00:10:04.259 --> 00:10:06.659 immersion only he seemed capable of at the time, 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:09.860 was his second major collaboration with Scorsese, 00:10:09.980 --> 00:10:14.139 Taxi Driver. 1976. playing the unhinged antihero 00:10:14.139 --> 00:10:16.980 Travis Pickle. This is the definitive case study 00:10:16.980 --> 00:10:19.700 for De Niro's method, right? Rooted in that Stella 00:10:19.700 --> 00:10:23.080 Adler school of research. 100%. The preparation 00:10:23.080 --> 00:10:25.080 wasn't just about weight loss, though he did 00:10:25.080 --> 00:10:28.120 lose 30 pounds. It was about adopting an entire 00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:30.990 lifestyle. Okay, detail the intense preparation 00:10:30.990 --> 00:10:33.830 here, because this is where his work just diverges 00:10:33.830 --> 00:10:36.049 from everybody else. Well, he took extensive, 00:10:36.149 --> 00:10:39.929 rigorous firearm training. He spent weeks immersing 00:10:39.929 --> 00:10:42.450 himself in the world of cab drivers, even working 00:10:42.450 --> 00:10:45.049 shifts in New York City. Which, given his growing 00:10:45.049 --> 00:10:47.889 fame after Godfather II, must have been a significant 00:10:47.889 --> 00:10:51.309 undertaking. A huge undertaking. And most importantly, 00:10:51.470 --> 00:10:55.110 to perfect Bickle's specific, detached, Midwestern 00:10:55.110 --> 00:10:57.669 accent and mannerisms, he spent time with members 00:10:57.669 --> 00:11:00.419 of a U .S. Army. So again, this wasn't about 00:11:00.419 --> 00:11:02.919 finding a traumatic memory. This was about building 00:11:02.919 --> 00:11:05.480 the character from the ground up through observation. 00:11:05.799 --> 00:11:08.340 Sociological and psychological observation. He 00:11:08.340 --> 00:11:11.159 transformed himself physically, vocally, and 00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:14.259 psychologically into a walking time bomb. The 00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:16.700 outcome was this iconic, career -defining performance. 00:11:17.100 --> 00:11:19.440 Got him a Best Actor Oscar nomination, and the 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:21.620 Washington Post called it his landmark performance. 00:11:22.019 --> 00:11:23.940 And of course, the most famous piece of improvisation 00:11:23.940 --> 00:11:26.259 in cinema history came from that film. You talking 00:11:26.259 --> 00:11:28.899 to me. He made that up on the spot. staring into 00:11:28.899 --> 00:11:31.659 a mirror. The American Film Institute ranked 00:11:31.659 --> 00:11:34.200 it as the 10th most memorable movie quote of 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:37.179 all time. It's a moment that just perfectly captures 00:11:37.179 --> 00:11:39.659 Bickle's desperate loneliness and his descent 00:11:39.659 --> 00:11:42.240 into insanity. And throughout the mid -70s, he 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:45.240 was a true cinematic world builder. Right after 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:47.679 Taxi Driver, he was in Bernardo Bertolucci's 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:51.179 massive historical epic 1900. That's the five 00:11:51.179 --> 00:11:53.639 -hour film covering Italian political conflicts 00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:55.860 through the lives of his character, a wealthy 00:11:55.860 --> 00:11:58.519 landowner, and Gerard Depardieu's peasant character. 00:11:58.740 --> 00:12:02.659 A huge, sprawling epic. Then came the last tycoon 00:12:02.659 --> 00:12:05.840 in 76, playing a powerful CEO where he lost 42 00:12:05.840 --> 00:12:08.340 pounds. And the director, Ilya Kazan, who had 00:12:08.340 --> 00:12:10.500 trained so many great method actors, observed 00:12:10.500 --> 00:12:12.799 something very specific about De Niro's process. 00:12:13.100 --> 00:12:15.600 What did he say? He noted that De Niro was, quote, 00:12:15.740 --> 00:12:18.620 more meticulous. Very imaginative. He's very 00:12:18.620 --> 00:12:20.860 precise. He figures everything out, both inside 00:12:20.860 --> 00:12:23.299 and outside. And then he said, everything he 00:12:23.299 --> 00:12:27.019 does, he calculates. In a good way, but he calculates. 00:12:27.159 --> 00:12:29.740 That concept of calculation is so crucial. It 00:12:29.740 --> 00:12:31.840 affirms that his extreme method approach was 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:34.460 disciplined, not just some spontaneous emotional 00:12:34.460 --> 00:12:38.480 eruption. Exactly. Even when he took a left turn 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:41.539 with Scorsese for the musical drama New York, 00:12:41.620 --> 00:12:45.610 New York in 1977, the commitment was total. Right, 00:12:45.669 --> 00:12:47.690 to play the saxophonist Jimmy Doyle opposite 00:12:47.690 --> 00:12:50.049 Liza Minnelli. He actually learned to play the 00:12:50.049 --> 00:12:53.590 saxophone from the musician Georgie Old. And 00:12:53.590 --> 00:12:56.129 while the film wasn't a commercial hit, his performance 00:12:56.129 --> 00:12:59.409 earned him a Golden Globe nomination. So critics 00:12:59.409 --> 00:13:02.110 appreciated his willingness to stretch. He followed 00:13:02.110 --> 00:13:04.610 that up with another dramatic heavyweight, The 00:13:04.610 --> 00:13:08.610 Deer Hunter in 1978. playing a steelworker traumatized 00:13:08.610 --> 00:13:11.590 by the Vietnam War, leading to yet another Oscar 00:13:11.590 --> 00:13:13.870 nomination. Which brings us to the culmination 00:13:13.870 --> 00:13:16.970 of this hyper -method era, the role so physically 00:13:16.970 --> 00:13:18.769 demanding that we are still talking about it 00:13:18.769 --> 00:13:22.309 today. Raging Bull, 1980. His fourth Scorsese 00:13:22.309 --> 00:13:24.629 collaboration, portraying the turbulent middleweight 00:13:24.629 --> 00:13:27.029 boxer Jake LaMotta. And the physical transformation 00:13:27.029 --> 00:13:29.730 for this role isn't just a fun fact. It fundamentally 00:13:29.730 --> 00:13:32.230 changed how future actors approached physical 00:13:32.230 --> 00:13:34.799 immersion. It is the ultimate method commitment. 00:13:35.019 --> 00:13:37.919 To accurately portray LaMotta's decline, he learned 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:40.320 to box so effectively that he actually competed 00:13:40.320 --> 00:13:42.620 in three real fights in Brooklyn. And won two 00:13:42.620 --> 00:13:45.259 of them. And won two of them. But the real commitment 00:13:45.259 --> 00:13:48.480 came during the mid -production break. He famously 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:51.679 gained a staggering 60 pounds. Yeah, 60 pounds. 00:13:52.100 --> 00:13:54.899 Eating himself into a heavy, unrecognizable state 00:13:54.899 --> 00:13:58.039 just to authentically film the later life scenes 00:13:58.039 --> 00:14:00.659 of LaMotta as a bloated nightclub owner. And 00:14:00.659 --> 00:14:04.840 this wasn't CGI or prosthetics. This was... The 00:14:04.840 --> 00:14:07.639 Hollywood Reporter declared, De Niro is incredible 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:10.259 and makes the actor almost unrecognizable as 00:14:10.259 --> 00:14:13.090 himself. He had essentially redefined the limits 00:14:13.090 --> 00:14:15.549 of physical transformation for a role. And it 00:14:15.549 --> 00:14:17.789 resulted in the Academy Award for Best Actor, 00:14:17.889 --> 00:14:20.549 his second Oscar win. This was the peak, and 00:14:20.549 --> 00:14:22.710 the price of that peak we're about to see was 00:14:22.710 --> 00:14:26.350 incredibly high. So after the immense psychological 00:14:26.350 --> 00:14:29.230 and physical toll of Raging Bull, a film that 00:14:29.230 --> 00:14:31.970 defined him but also almost consumed him, the 00:14:31.970 --> 00:14:35.110 1980s saw a necessary change in strategy. He 00:14:35.110 --> 00:14:38.049 actively sought out comedic roles to prove his 00:14:38.049 --> 00:14:41.259 versatility and maybe to recover. from the relentless 00:14:41.259 --> 00:14:43.679 demands of his method, period. It wasn't laziness. 00:14:43.759 --> 00:14:46.019 It was self -preservation and a strategic career 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:49.580 expansion. Exactly. And this move started subtly. 00:14:50.039 --> 00:14:52.360 But the deliberate turn toward comedy began with 00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:55.100 his fifth collaboration with Scorsese, the king 00:14:55.100 --> 00:14:58.519 of comedy, in 1982. Playing the delusional, struggling 00:14:58.519 --> 00:15:01.559 stand -up Rupert Pupkin. And it's interesting 00:15:01.559 --> 00:15:03.399 that De Niro actually brought this script to 00:15:03.399 --> 00:15:06.879 Scorsese. This dark, prescient commentary on 00:15:06.879 --> 00:15:09.399 fame and obsession. Critics loved his performance. 00:15:09.539 --> 00:15:12.960 They saw this new, awkward side of his intensity. 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:16.419 But the movie? It bombed commercially. Grossed 00:15:16.419 --> 00:15:19.120 only $2 .5 million. It proved he could be funny. 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:21.960 but maybe not mainstream funny now yet. He kept 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:24.940 challenging himself, though. In 1984, he starred 00:15:24.940 --> 00:15:28.059 in Sergio Leone's sweeping historical crime epic 00:15:28.059 --> 00:15:30.259 Once Upon a Time in America, where he played 00:15:30.259 --> 00:15:32.480 the Jewish gangster David Noodles Aronson over 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:34.980 several decades. I remember the U .S. theatrical 00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:38.580 cut of that being a confusing mess. It was. But 00:15:38.580 --> 00:15:41.740 the full, original 229 -minute version received 00:15:41.740 --> 00:15:45.000 a 15 -minute standing ovation at Cannes. Critics 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:47.080 praised De Niro's impressive restraint and power. 00:15:47.450 --> 00:15:49.970 He was mastering controlled intensity now, not 00:15:49.970 --> 00:15:52.929 just the explosive outbursts. He even dove headfirst 00:15:52.929 --> 00:15:55.889 into science fiction in 1985 with Terry Gilliam's 00:15:55.889 --> 00:15:58.370 Brazil. A cult classic that earned its place 00:15:58.370 --> 00:16:01.190 in the Criterion Collection. He was actively 00:16:01.190 --> 00:16:03.490 diversifying his portfolio of these challenging, 00:16:03.710 --> 00:16:06.669 non -commercial roles. And in 1986, he returned 00:16:06.669 --> 00:16:09.509 to the stage for Cuba and his teddy bear. In 00:16:09.509 --> 00:16:12.789 film, 1987 saw him take on two really memorable 00:16:12.789 --> 00:16:15.509 supporting turns. Louis Cipher in the atmospheric 00:16:15.509 --> 00:16:18.529 horror Angel Heart. And of course, the utterly 00:16:18.529 --> 00:16:22.190 iconic Al Capone in Brian De Palma's The Untouchables. 00:16:22.509 --> 00:16:25.169 Now, regarding those supporting roles, the critic 00:16:25.169 --> 00:16:27.950 Pauline Kael actually accused him of being lazy 00:16:27.950 --> 00:16:30.230 for taking them on. She felt they didn't require 00:16:30.230 --> 00:16:32.830 his full method commitment. Right. Do you think 00:16:32.830 --> 00:16:35.590 that criticism was fair? Or was he just experimenting 00:16:35.590 --> 00:16:37.409 with different levels of engagement? I think 00:16:37.409 --> 00:16:39.870 it's the latter. De Palma defended him, saying 00:16:39.870 --> 00:16:42.669 he was experimenting with those characters. If 00:16:42.669 --> 00:16:45.250 we apply that lens of the Adler method calculated 00:16:45.250 --> 00:16:48.269 research, he was using these smaller roles to 00:16:48.269 --> 00:16:50.889 test different accents and physicalities without 00:16:50.889 --> 00:16:52.649 the six -month commitment of a raising bull. 00:16:52.730 --> 00:16:54.590 He was being efficient. He was efficiently applying 00:16:54.590 --> 00:16:57.090 his craft. And that efficiency paid off handsomely 00:16:57.090 --> 00:16:59.690 in 1988 with the buddy cop film Midnight Run. 00:16:59.830 --> 00:17:02.990 Opposite Charles Grodin. A commercial smash grossed 00:17:02.990 --> 00:17:06.859 $81 million worldwide. And critics universally 00:17:06.859 --> 00:17:09.819 loved seeing this lighter side of him. The Washington 00:17:09.819 --> 00:17:12.420 Post wrote that he reduced himself in scale here, 00:17:12.500 --> 00:17:14.779 too, and it's a relief to see him drop the great 00:17:14.779 --> 00:17:18.019 actor mantle. They said he hadn't seen this fresh 00:17:18.019 --> 00:17:21.779 since Mean Streets. So that film truly legitimized 00:17:21.779 --> 00:17:23.880 his ability to carry a commercial comedy with 00:17:23.880 --> 00:17:27.160 wit and pace. It absolutely did. And that successful 00:17:27.160 --> 00:17:29.480 pivot set the stage for his celebrated return 00:17:29.480 --> 00:17:32.400 to Scorsese in the early 90s, where he balanced 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:35.630 comedy with profoundly serious drama. The period 00:17:35.630 --> 00:17:38.769 of 1990 to 1991 is just arguably unparalleled 00:17:38.769 --> 00:17:41.190 in terms of quality. First up, Goodfellas. His 00:17:41.190 --> 00:17:43.990 sixth Scorsese collaboration, playing Jimmy Conway, 00:17:44.069 --> 00:17:46.369 and his performance there was praised for its 00:17:46.730 --> 00:17:49.029 riveting restraint. Which is a wonderful description 00:17:49.029 --> 00:17:51.009 for a character who can kill without changing 00:17:51.009 --> 00:17:53.849 his expression. And Goodfellas later became the 00:17:53.849 --> 00:17:55.950 ninth De Niro film inducted into the National 00:17:55.950 --> 00:17:58.410 Film Registry. But immediately following that 00:17:58.410 --> 00:18:01.529 visceral crime drama, he gave us the deeply empathetic 00:18:01.529 --> 00:18:03.869 performance in Awakenings opposite Robin Williams. 00:18:04.029 --> 00:18:06.410 Earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination. And 00:18:06.410 --> 00:18:08.970 Oliver Sacks, the author of the book, was astonished. 00:18:09.049 --> 00:18:11.990 He noted that De Niro did somehow feel his way 00:18:11.990 --> 00:18:14.089 into being Parkinsonian in this uncanny way. 00:18:14.269 --> 00:18:17.039 The commitment was still there. but it was directed 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:19.779 toward portraying profound vulnerability. Then 00:18:19.779 --> 00:18:22.099 the intensity returned with A Vengeance in Cape 00:18:22.099 --> 00:18:26.460 Fear in 91, his seventh Scorsese film. His portrayal 00:18:26.460 --> 00:18:28.880 of the psychopathic rapist Max Cady was terrifying. 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:31.799 It led to another Best Actor Oscar nomination. 00:18:32.539 --> 00:18:35.420 Newsweek lauded him, saying he dominates the 00:18:35.420 --> 00:18:38.220 film with his lip -smacking, blackly comic, and 00:18:38.220 --> 00:18:41.380 terrifying portrayal of psychopathic self -righteousness. 00:18:41.579 --> 00:18:43.680 So these three films, Back to Back Gangster, 00:18:43.799 --> 00:18:47.019 Disabled Patient, psychopath, showed a versatility 00:18:47.019 --> 00:18:49.380 that was only hinted at before. It was an incredible 00:18:49.380 --> 00:18:51.759 run. This decade also saw him move behind the 00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:54.960 camera. In 1993, he directed and starred in a 00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:57.859 Bronx tale based on Chaz Palminteri's play. And 00:18:57.859 --> 00:18:59.539 he was praised for his impressive sensitivity 00:18:59.539 --> 00:19:02.380 as a director, particularly in handling the themes 00:19:02.380 --> 00:19:05.819 of racism and violence with prudence. Directing 00:19:05.819 --> 00:19:07.740 gave him a new level of control over the narrative. 00:19:08.190 --> 00:19:10.769 He also co -starred that year with a very young 00:19:10.769 --> 00:19:13.869 Leonardo DiCaprio in This Boy's Life. And if 00:19:13.869 --> 00:19:16.049 we're keeping count, we had the eighth Scorsese 00:19:16.049 --> 00:19:19.430 film in 1995 with Casino. A complex study of 00:19:19.430 --> 00:19:22.529 greed and betrayal in Las Vegas. But 1995 delivered 00:19:22.529 --> 00:19:26.170 a truly historic cinematic moment in a non -Scorsese 00:19:26.170 --> 00:19:29.250 film, Heat. The critically acclaimed crime thriller 00:19:29.250 --> 00:19:32.349 was the first time De Niro and Al Pacino actually 00:19:32.349 --> 00:19:34.789 appeared on screen together. And that is the 00:19:34.789 --> 00:19:36.630 crucial distinction we need to emphasize. They 00:19:36.630 --> 00:19:38.910 were both in The Godfather. Father Part II, but 00:19:38.910 --> 00:19:40.769 because of the dual timeline, they never shared 00:19:40.769 --> 00:19:43.910 a scene. Never. In Heat, their famous coffee 00:19:43.910 --> 00:19:46.049 shop scene finally brought them face to face. 00:19:46.190 --> 00:19:48.029 The anticipation must have been palpable. Oh, 00:19:48.069 --> 00:19:50.549 it was huge. The Chicago Tribune wrote that De 00:19:50.549 --> 00:19:53.170 Niro and Pacino redeem everything, representing 00:19:53.170 --> 00:19:55.549 a high post -war tradition for movie actors, 00:19:55.730 --> 00:19:59.250 exploring the darker strata of machismo. It was 00:19:59.250 --> 00:20:02.410 a masterclass in controlled yet intense confrontation. 00:20:03.150 --> 00:20:04.970 Before we move on to the next phase, we have 00:20:04.970 --> 00:20:07.430 to pause for this nugget of trivia. It proves 00:20:07.430 --> 00:20:09.789 that the serious method actor who gains 60 pounds 00:20:09.789 --> 00:20:13.029 is also a genuinely restless, eccentric, creative 00:20:13.029 --> 00:20:18.309 mind. Yes. In 1996, De Niro co -produced a surreal 00:20:18.309 --> 00:20:20.809 point -and -click puzzle video game. A video 00:20:20.809 --> 00:20:23.289 game. Called Nine The Last Resort. Wait, I need 00:20:23.289 --> 00:20:25.569 to know more about this. Robert De Niro, the 00:20:25.569 --> 00:20:28.170 man who perfected the dead -eyed stare of a mob 00:20:28.170 --> 00:20:31.210 boss, helped create a surreal puzzle game. He 00:20:31.210 --> 00:20:34.009 did. It was set in this bizarre, spooky hotel 00:20:34.009 --> 00:20:36.930 filled with strange, often grotesque characters. 00:20:37.250 --> 00:20:39.750 It was a project born from his meeting with the 00:20:39.750 --> 00:20:42.440 director. Buzz Hayes, who worked at Lucasfilm. 00:20:42.519 --> 00:20:45.380 And how did it do? It was completely niche. It 00:20:45.380 --> 00:20:47.759 didn't perform well at all. Hayes described it 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:50.849 as just... Kind of a quiet landing. But it confirms 00:20:50.849 --> 00:20:52.789 that De Niro was willing to attach his name and 00:20:52.789 --> 00:20:55.650 creative energy to literally any medium that 00:20:55.650 --> 00:20:58.130 offered a chance to explore unusual narratives. 00:20:58.369 --> 00:21:00.509 The contrast between that high art commitment 00:21:00.509 --> 00:21:02.789 and the pursuit of a weird little video game 00:21:02.789 --> 00:21:05.509 is just wonderful. It really is. As the 1990s 00:21:05.509 --> 00:21:07.869 ended, De Niro's comic transition moved from 00:21:07.869 --> 00:21:10.589 a strategic experiment to his dominant, most 00:21:10.589 --> 00:21:13.150 recognizable public face. And this phase was 00:21:13.150 --> 00:21:15.450 immensely successful commercially, starting with 00:21:15.450 --> 00:21:18.480 the political satire Wag the Dog in 1990s. co 00:21:18.480 --> 00:21:21.019 -starring Dustin Hoffman. The timing of Wag the 00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:23.920 Dog was just uncanny, wasn't it? It was. The 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:27.140 film, about manipulating media during a political 00:21:27.140 --> 00:21:30.119 scandal, got this massive unforeseen publicity 00:21:30.119 --> 00:21:33.359 boost when the real -life Clint Lewinsky scandal 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:36.720 broke just a month after its release. Roger Ebert 00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:39.200 even named it one of his 10 best films of 97. 00:21:39.579 --> 00:21:42.420 Then came the back -to -back, defining comedic 00:21:42.420 --> 00:21:46.269 smashes. Analyze this in 1999. Opposite Billy 00:21:46.269 --> 00:21:49.309 Crystal. A massive worldwide hit earned him a 00:21:49.309 --> 00:21:52.170 Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a comedy. 00:21:52.309 --> 00:21:54.750 But the true commercial shift, the moment De 00:21:54.750 --> 00:21:56.789 Niro became a household name for a whole new 00:21:56.789 --> 00:22:00.539 generation, was Meet the Parents in 2000. playing 00:22:00.539 --> 00:22:03.099 the intensely intimidating former CIA operative 00:22:03.099 --> 00:22:06.019 Jack Burns. And the sources say he was encouraged 00:22:06.019 --> 00:22:08.140 to take this role by his producing partner, Jane 00:22:08.140 --> 00:22:10.779 Rosenthal, specifically because he had been actively 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:13.420 seeking these mainstream comic roles. That encouragement 00:22:13.420 --> 00:22:16.799 resulted in a massive commercial success, $330 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:19.799 million globally. It was the moment he proved 00:22:19.799 --> 00:22:22.039 he could make audiences laugh just as easily 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:24.460 as he could make them terrified. However, this 00:22:24.460 --> 00:22:27.339 success introduced a critical paradox. The sources 00:22:27.339 --> 00:22:29.440 highlight that despite the commercial triumph, 00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:33.400 a critical consensus began to emerge. His career 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:36.640 started to slump in the early 2000s, often focusing 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:39.339 on roles that lacked the dramatic intensity or 00:22:39.339 --> 00:22:42.390 meticulous preparation of his past work. This 00:22:42.390 --> 00:22:45.190 period, spanning nearly 15 years, is often covered 00:22:45.190 --> 00:22:47.789 quickly, but we need to analyze why this shift 00:22:47.789 --> 00:22:50.309 occurred and persisted. Was it just commercial 00:22:50.309 --> 00:22:53.549 fatigue or something else? I think it was a complex 00:22:53.549 --> 00:22:56.049 combination of commercial pressure and artistic 00:22:56.049 --> 00:22:59.700 choice. He continued directing. releasing his 00:22:59.700 --> 00:23:02.079 second film, the spy thriller The Good Shepherd, 00:23:02.180 --> 00:23:05.299 in 2006. Which was ambitious but got mixed reviews. 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:07.819 Yeah, it was often cited for its slow pace. He 00:23:07.819 --> 00:23:09.680 was praised for creating a stirring personal 00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:12.480 tale, but the film didn't resonate broadly. And 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:14.839 while he continued to have financial hits like 00:23:14.839 --> 00:23:17.299 voicing a character in Shark Tale and the sequels 00:23:17.299 --> 00:23:19.440 Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers, the critical 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:21.839 hits were sparse. The sequels, especially the 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:24.019 Fockers franchise, made huge amounts of money, 00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:27.049 but critics were brutal. One noted he was stuck 00:23:27.049 --> 00:23:29.150 in self -parody mode for the umpteenth time. 00:23:29.329 --> 00:23:32.450 You also see films like God Sent in 2004, which 00:23:32.450 --> 00:23:35.130 earned an abysmal 4 % approval rating on Rotten 00:23:35.130 --> 00:23:37.430 Tomatoes. Right. The problem wasn't his performance. 00:23:37.730 --> 00:23:39.950 It was often the quality of the projects he was 00:23:39.950 --> 00:23:42.619 choosing. It suggests a conscious decision to 00:23:42.619 --> 00:23:45.839 prioritize commercial viability over the taxing 00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:48.539 artistic demands of his method past. In fact, 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:50.559 the sources point out that he turned down a role 00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:52.940 in Scorsese's critically acclaimed A Departed 00:23:52.940 --> 00:23:56.160 in 2006 to focus on directing The Good Shepherd. 00:23:56.380 --> 00:23:58.839 And that choice, prioritizing a passion project 00:23:58.839 --> 00:24:02.220 over a guaranteed Scorsese critical hit, really 00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:04.480 highlights the complexity of his artistic navigation 00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:07.519 during that era. The slump was real, but the 00:24:07.519 --> 00:24:10.400 cinematic gods had plans for a major, definitive 00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:13.559 resurgence starting around 2012. With David O. 00:24:13.559 --> 00:24:15.740 Russell's Silver Linings playbook. This film 00:24:15.740 --> 00:24:17.940 was a crucial turning point. It earned him his 00:24:17.940 --> 00:24:20.859 first Oscar nomination in over 20 years for Best 00:24:20.859 --> 00:24:22.900 Supporting Actor. And critics immediately picked 00:24:22.900 --> 00:24:25.539 up on a change in tone and energy. They noted 00:24:25.539 --> 00:24:28.240 he was effortlessly endearing and relaxed on 00:24:28.240 --> 00:24:31.059 screen. It was a return to respected, nuanced 00:24:31.059 --> 00:24:33.720 drama, but with a lighter touch than the intense, 00:24:33.859 --> 00:24:36.640 brooding roles of the 70s. Since then, his comeback 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:38.940 has been marked by high profile quality work 00:24:38.940 --> 00:24:41.980 across mediums. He portrayed Bernie Madoff in 00:24:41.980 --> 00:24:45.339 the HBO film The Wizard of Lies in 2017, which 00:24:45.339 --> 00:24:48.259 earned him a primetime Emmy nomination. He also 00:24:48.259 --> 00:24:51.599 fully embraced modern political satire. receiving 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:53.680 an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Robert 00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:56.299 Mueller on Saturday Night Live. And in 2019, 00:24:56.500 --> 00:24:59.279 he starred in the commercially massive and Oscar 00:24:59.279 --> 00:25:01.819 -nominated Joker, playing talk show host Murray 00:25:01.819 --> 00:25:04.359 Franklin. A character who directly referenced 00:25:04.359 --> 00:25:07.700 the toxic fandom themes of his earlier Scorsese 00:25:07.700 --> 00:25:10.740 film, The King of Comedy. But the true highlight 00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:13.140 of this resurgence, the moment that confirmed 00:25:13.140 --> 00:25:15.440 the legend was back, was the grand reunion with 00:25:15.440 --> 00:25:19.180 Martin Scorsese. The Irishman, 2019, their ninth 00:25:19.180 --> 00:25:22.279 feature film together. A slow, reflective mob 00:25:22.279 --> 00:25:25.359 drama co -starring Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. And 00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:27.440 the critical acclaim was deafening. The Daily 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:29.400 Telegraph called his performance sensational. 00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:32.000 It was praised for focusing on the weight of 00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:35.400 age, regret, and betrayal. A far cry from the 00:25:35.400 --> 00:25:37.359 youthful, energetic violence of their earlier 00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:39.980 work. It just confirmed the enduring magic of 00:25:39.980 --> 00:25:42.680 that partnership. And their collaboration continues 00:25:42.680 --> 00:25:46.039 to define his current era. In 2023, he took on 00:25:46.039 --> 00:25:49.079 his latest Oscar -nominated role in Scorsese's 00:25:49.079 --> 00:25:51.480 Killers of the Flower Moon. Playing the chilling 00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:54.539 William King Hale, the ruthless cattleman behind 00:25:54.539 --> 00:25:57.059 the Osage Indian murders. And this performance, 00:25:57.319 --> 00:25:59.599 earning him a Best Supporting Actor nod, was 00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:03.200 widely lauded as one of De Niro's best, evoking 00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:06.339 a figure of beguiling surface -level charm that 00:26:06.339 --> 00:26:09.039 simultaneously cloaks bottomless indifference. 00:26:09.220 --> 00:26:12.099 It was a return to that calculated, immersive, 00:26:12.359 --> 00:26:14.859 dramatic power we hadn't seen consistently since 00:26:14.859 --> 00:26:18.359 the 1990s. And even in his 80s, his pace is incredible. 00:26:18.779 --> 00:26:20.960 Looking ahead, he is set to star in the Netflix 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:23.700 series Zero Day and the mob drama The Alto Knights. 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:26.380 The lesson here is clear. The dedication hasn't 00:26:26.380 --> 00:26:29.029 faded, even if the roles have shifted. Moving 00:26:29.029 --> 00:26:31.130 beyond his work on screen, De Niro has quietly 00:26:31.130 --> 00:26:33.430 built a considerable business and cultural empire 00:26:33.430 --> 00:26:35.809 strategically rooted in the Tribeca neighborhood 00:26:35.809 --> 00:26:38.029 of Manhattan. The community where he spent his 00:26:38.029 --> 00:26:40.609 youth. This Tribeca empire is a major part of 00:26:40.609 --> 00:26:44.089 his legacy. In 1989, he co -founded Tribeca Productions 00:26:44.089 --> 00:26:46.869 with Jane Rosenzal. And what many forget is the 00:26:46.869 --> 00:26:49.589 context of their biggest venture, the Tribeca 00:26:49.589 --> 00:26:52.369 Film Festival. The festival, co -founded in 2002, 00:26:52.750 --> 00:26:55.789 was a direct cultural response to the tragedy 00:26:55.789 --> 00:26:59.440 of 9 -11. Its original mission was to revitalize 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:01.859 lower Manhattan after the devastating attacks 00:27:01.859 --> 00:27:05.019 by bringing in community, commerce and art. It 00:27:05.019 --> 00:27:06.940 quickly became a major international cultural 00:27:06.940 --> 00:27:09.319 event for New York City, demonstrating his deep 00:27:09.319 --> 00:27:11.900 civic commitment. And his interests stretch deeply 00:27:11.900 --> 00:27:15.380 into high -end hospitality. He owns or co -owns 00:27:15.380 --> 00:27:17.920 several successful ventures in Tribeca, starting 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:20.759 with the Tribeca Grill in 1990. And most famously, 00:27:20.900 --> 00:27:23.059 his global partnership in the Nobu restaurants 00:27:23.059 --> 00:27:25.900 and hotels. The scale of Nobu is what's astonishing. 00:27:26.200 --> 00:27:29.099 It's a global luxury brand spanning dozens of 00:27:29.099 --> 00:27:32.039 locations. For an actor so famous for his method 00:27:32.039 --> 00:27:34.579 intensity, his greatest financial legacy might 00:27:34.579 --> 00:27:36.619 be co -running one of the most successful international 00:27:36.619 --> 00:27:39.569 hospitality brands ever conceived. It showcases 00:27:39.569 --> 00:27:41.730 his business acumen and his ability to partner 00:27:41.730 --> 00:27:44.490 effectively. Moving to his personal life, De 00:27:44.490 --> 00:27:47.309 Niro has an expansive, complex family, spanning 00:27:47.309 --> 00:27:49.470 several decades in relationships, making him 00:27:49.470 --> 00:27:51.650 one of the oldest fathers on record. We should 00:27:51.650 --> 00:27:53.789 probably slow down here and appreciate the timeline 00:27:53.789 --> 00:27:56.289 and the themes of fatherhood he has navigated. 00:27:56.369 --> 00:27:58.809 He has been married twice. His first marriage 00:27:58.809 --> 00:28:02.390 was to actress Diane Abbott from 1976 to 1988. 00:28:02.789 --> 00:28:05.250 They had a son, Rafael, who now works in New 00:28:05.250 --> 00:28:08.029 York real estate, and he adopted Abbott's daughter, 00:28:08.150 --> 00:28:10.619 Drina, from a previous relationship. After their 00:28:10.619 --> 00:28:12.900 divorce, he was in a relationship with model 00:28:12.900 --> 00:28:17.400 Tookie Smith from 1988 to 1996. During this relationship, 00:28:17.579 --> 00:28:22.180 they had... And it's notable that the sources 00:28:22.180 --> 00:28:24.339 specifically confirm the twins were conceived 00:28:24.339 --> 00:28:27.359 by in vitro fertilization and delivered by a 00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:29.480 surrogate mother. His family story has always 00:28:29.480 --> 00:28:31.900 been modern and expansive. And there's a recent 00:28:31.900 --> 00:28:33.960 development that connects his private life to 00:28:33.960 --> 00:28:36.319 his public persona. His daughter Erin came out 00:28:36.319 --> 00:28:39.980 publicly as a trans woman in April 2025, and 00:28:39.980 --> 00:28:42.480 Robert publicly supported her, stating, I don't 00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:44.559 know what the big deal is, just a clear, simple 00:28:44.559 --> 00:28:47.019 affirmation of acceptance. He married his second 00:28:47.019 --> 00:28:50.180 wife, Grace Hightower, in 1997, separating in 00:28:50.180 --> 00:28:53.420 2018. They had two children, son Elliot and daughter 00:28:53.420 --> 00:28:56.619 Helen, born via surrogate in 2011. And the sources 00:28:56.619 --> 00:28:59.019 note that Elliot is autistic. And De Niro has 00:28:59.019 --> 00:29:01.779 been very public about the complexities of parenting 00:29:01.779 --> 00:29:04.359 an autistic child. And of course, the most recent 00:29:04.359 --> 00:29:09.299 news. In April 2023, at the age of 79, he welcomed 00:29:09.299 --> 00:29:11.859 his seventh child, a daughter named Gia, with 00:29:11.859 --> 00:29:14.299 his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen. Officially making 00:29:14.299 --> 00:29:16.500 him one of the oldest fathers on record. It's 00:29:16.500 --> 00:29:18.380 a powerful illustration of fatherhood spanning 00:29:18.380 --> 00:29:21.160 half a century. Tragically, the family also experienced 00:29:21.160 --> 00:29:24.720 profound loss in 2023 when his grandson, Leandro 00:29:24.720 --> 00:29:27.099 De Niro Rodriguez, the son of Greena, died at 00:29:27.099 --> 00:29:30.339 age 19. From combined drug intoxication involving 00:29:30.339 --> 00:29:33.700 fentanyl and cocaine, De Niro released a statement 00:29:33.700 --> 00:29:36.200 expressing profound distress over the loss. That 00:29:36.200 --> 00:29:38.660 expansive family life often intersects directly 00:29:38.660 --> 00:29:40.680 with his role as a public figure, leading to 00:29:40.680 --> 00:29:42.819 sometimes complex or controversial headlines. 00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:45.220 Right. Take the issue of his political alignment. 00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:48.500 He has always been engaged lobbying against Bill 00:29:48.500 --> 00:29:50.880 Clinton's. impeachment in 1998. More recently, 00:29:51.000 --> 00:29:53.220 he has been an extremely outspoken critic of 00:29:53.220 --> 00:29:55.799 Donald Trump, calling him a buffoon and warning 00:29:55.799 --> 00:29:58.799 that he risks becoming a vicious dictator. And 00:29:58.799 --> 00:30:01.519 this political visibility had very real world 00:30:01.519 --> 00:30:05.339 consequences. In 2018, an explosive device was 00:30:05.339 --> 00:30:07.559 discovered targeting him at the Tribeca Grill, 00:30:07.720 --> 00:30:10.240 similar to devices sent to other high profile 00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:13.000 political figures. Another fascinating public 00:30:13.000 --> 00:30:15.079 incident involved the intersection of his public 00:30:15.079 --> 00:30:17.880 responsibility and his private role as a father. 00:30:18.460 --> 00:30:21.259 The 2016 controversy involving the documentary 00:30:21.259 --> 00:30:25.240 Vaxxed. This is a complex situation. He initially 00:30:25.240 --> 00:30:27.640 defended the inclusion of the controversial documentary, 00:30:27.980 --> 00:30:30.380 which was based on the discredited claim linking 00:30:30.380 --> 00:30:33.039 vaccines and autism in the Tribeca Film Festival 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:35.960 lineup. Citing his autistic son, Elliot. Right. 00:30:36.039 --> 00:30:38.180 He felt it was a film people should see to spark 00:30:38.180 --> 00:30:40.650 debate. So he was acting as a concerned father, 00:30:40.829 --> 00:30:43.490 but also as a gatekeeper of a major cultural 00:30:43.490 --> 00:30:46.609 festival. How did he resolve that ethical conflict? 00:30:46.789 --> 00:30:48.869 After consulting extensively with organizers 00:30:48.869 --> 00:30:51.750 in the scientific community, he ultimately withdrew 00:30:51.750 --> 00:30:53.630 the film, respecting the scientific consensus. 00:30:53.910 --> 00:30:56.690 However, he later publicly expressed regret for 00:30:56.690 --> 00:30:59.130 excluding it, stating he still felt the topic 00:30:59.130 --> 00:31:02.029 needed public exposure. A tough, nuanced position 00:31:02.029 --> 00:31:04.769 where he was attempting to balance personal advocacy 00:31:04.769 --> 00:31:07.859 with professional integrity. He has also navigated 00:31:07.859 --> 00:31:11.759 legal issues. In 2006, he received Italian citizenship 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:14.660 despite opposition from the Sons of Italy, who 00:31:14.660 --> 00:31:16.960 argued that his extensive portrayals of criminals 00:31:16.960 --> 00:31:19.880 damage the image of Italian -Americans. There 00:31:19.880 --> 00:31:23.039 is also the highly publicized property tax dispute 00:31:23.039 --> 00:31:25.980 over his Gardiner estate. His trust sued the 00:31:25.980 --> 00:31:28.380 town to reduce the tax assessment. The lawsuit 00:31:28.380 --> 00:31:30.920 became public, causing negative press, which 00:31:30.920 --> 00:31:33.339 reportedly distressed De Niro as he was unaware 00:31:33.339 --> 00:31:35.839 the lawsuit had even been filed by his accountants. 00:31:35.859 --> 00:31:38.839 It was quickly settled. Very quickly. And finally, 00:31:38.880 --> 00:31:41.460 we note the 2023 lawsuit where his production 00:31:41.460 --> 00:31:43.400 company was ordered to pay damages to a former 00:31:43.400 --> 00:31:45.859 employee who claimed harassment, though De Niro 00:31:45.859 --> 00:31:48.339 was personally found not liable for gender discrimination. 00:31:48.859 --> 00:31:51.019 It shows that his business interests are subject 00:31:51.019 --> 00:31:53.539 to the same high stakes scrutiny as any large 00:31:53.539 --> 00:31:56.259 corporation. Yet none of these public complexities 00:31:56.259 --> 00:31:59.200 diminish his towering legacy. He has accumulated 00:31:59.200 --> 00:32:02.119 honors spanning the globe in the decades. The 00:32:02.119 --> 00:32:04.779 Golden Lion, the AFI Life Achievement Award, 00:32:05.039 --> 00:32:07.200 Kennedy Center Honors, Presidential Medal of 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:09.740 Freedom, SAG Life Achievement Award. The list 00:32:09.740 --> 00:32:12.759 just goes on. And Leonardo DiCaprio, a subsequent 00:32:12.759 --> 00:32:15.319 protege of Scorsese and now his frequent co -star, 00:32:15.480 --> 00:32:18.809 presented him with that SAG award. citing him 00:32:18.809 --> 00:32:21.829 as a lifelong inspiration. John Naughton of GQ 00:32:21.829 --> 00:32:24.369 magazine probably summed up his artistic contribution 00:32:24.369 --> 00:32:27.990 best, stating that De Niro redefined what we 00:32:27.990 --> 00:32:31.130 can expect of an actor. And De Niro himself provided 00:32:31.130 --> 00:32:33.390 the ultimate window into his acting philosophy. 00:32:33.970 --> 00:32:37.329 He described his motivation like this. To totally 00:32:37.329 --> 00:32:39.430 submerge into another character and experience 00:32:39.430 --> 00:32:42.089 life through him without having to risk the real 00:32:42.089 --> 00:32:44.470 -life consequences, well, it's a cheap way to 00:32:44.470 --> 00:32:46.250 do doing things that you would never dare to 00:32:46.250 --> 00:32:49.079 do yourself. That powerful quote just encapsulates 00:32:49.079 --> 00:32:51.279 the psychological risk and transformation he 00:32:51.279 --> 00:32:53.579 undertook for half a century. Defining the boundaries 00:32:53.579 --> 00:32:55.720 of performance by inhabiting those boundaries 00:32:55.720 --> 00:32:58.420 himself. And as a delightful final note on his 00:32:58.420 --> 00:33:00.980 sheer cultural reach, the English girl group 00:33:00.980 --> 00:33:03.779 Bananarama released a fan song in 1984 called 00:33:03.779 --> 00:33:06.160 Robert De Niro's Waiting. Which hit number three 00:33:06.160 --> 00:33:08.880 on the UK singles chart. The man literally became 00:33:08.880 --> 00:33:11.859 a romantic artistic ideal that transcended cinema 00:33:11.859 --> 00:33:14.779 to become pure pop culture. To summarize this 00:33:14.779 --> 00:33:17.130 incredible deep dive. Robert De Niro's career 00:33:17.130 --> 00:33:19.589 is defined by the monumental scale of his commitment, 00:33:19.789 --> 00:33:23.029 the relentless early method work, the mastery 00:33:23.029 --> 00:33:25.650 of foreign languages and obscure skills, the 00:33:25.650 --> 00:33:28.269 physical transformations, all anchored by his 00:33:28.269 --> 00:33:31.210 strategic successful pivot into mainstream comedy 00:33:31.210 --> 00:33:34.210 and his enduring collaboration with Martin Scorsese. 00:33:34.599 --> 00:33:37.539 He stands as both a cultural icon and a major 00:33:37.539 --> 00:33:40.539 industry entrepreneur, responsible for revitalizing 00:33:40.539 --> 00:33:42.539 an entire neighborhood through the Tribeca organization, 00:33:43.099 --> 00:33:45.660 balancing artistic control with commercial viability. 00:33:46.059 --> 00:33:48.720 His legacy isn't just in the awards, but in the 00:33:48.720 --> 00:33:50.880 precedent he set for immersion, pushing every 00:33:50.880 --> 00:33:53.539 boundary of performance. We've explored his commitment 00:33:53.539 --> 00:33:55.960 to external research, his expansive family life, 00:33:56.059 --> 00:33:57.700 and his willingness to use his public platform 00:33:57.700 --> 00:34:00.420 to navigate complex social issues. Knowing that 00:34:00.420 --> 00:34:03.079 his work inspired that fan song, Robert De Niro's 00:34:03.079 --> 00:34:05.779 Waiting. Back in 1984, the final provocative 00:34:05.779 --> 00:34:08.599 thought we leave you with is this. When a performer 00:34:08.599 --> 00:34:11.139 has achieved such complete mastery and transformation 00:34:11.139 --> 00:34:14.340 in every genre, what kind of completely unexpected 00:34:14.340 --> 00:34:16.880 cinematic experience are you waiting for next 00:34:16.880 --> 00:34:19.599 from an actor who has repeatedly transformed 00:34:19.599 --> 00:34:22.179 the very definition of performance across seven 00:34:22.179 --> 00:34:24.260 decades? And if you want to physically connect 00:34:24.260 --> 00:34:26.860 with that work. Remember that De Niro recognized 00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:30.280 the historical value of his process. He donated 00:34:30.280 --> 00:34:32.780 his extensive collection of film materials, scripts, 00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:35.639 and props, including the notes detailing the 00:34:35.639 --> 00:34:38.500 creation of those famous method rolls, to the 00:34:38.500 --> 00:34:40.460 Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas 00:34:40.460 --> 00:34:43.480 at Austin. That archive is a treasure trove of 00:34:43.480 --> 00:34:45.940 cinematic history waiting to be explored. Go 00:34:45.940 --> 00:34:48.019 check it out. And thank you for joining us for 00:34:48.019 --> 00:34:49.820 this deep dive into the transformative career 00:34:49.820 --> 00:34:51.760 of Robert De Niro. We'll see you next time.