Robert De Niro Updates: Robert De Niro is one of the finest actors to have ever lived. He did not achieve this label with talent alone but also with his dedication to every role he plays.
When one thinks about the greatest actors of the century, Robert De Niro always makes it to the list. In a career of almost six decades, De Niro has worked in some classic films and given some iconic performances. His partnership with legendary director Martin Scorsese is considered one of the best duos in show business.
De Niro did not achieve the label of a legendary actor with talent alone. He is known for his dedication to his roles. He gives his all to the projects he is committed to. Being a perfectionist, he can go to any length to make sure his characters are believable and his performance is on point. The following list contains some of the most impressive things Robert De Niro has done to prepare for his films.
Let’s Have a Look At Robert De Niro Movies
10. He Spent Three Months In Sicily To Prepare for His Role of Vito Corleone in ‘The Godfather’
CNNThe Godfather is a classic, starring the acting legend Marlon Brando. Robert De Niro auditioned for the role of Sonny Corleone in the first installment of The Godfather but the role eventually went to James Caan. However, De Niro was cast in The Godfather Part II, as a young Vito Corleone. He did a marvelous job with the role as he took it very seriously. To understand the character, he went to the length of spending three months in Sicily learning the language, the accent, and the mannerisms from that region of Italy. The role won him his first Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
9. He Put on 60 Pounds for ‘Raging Bull’
The Hollywood ReporterRaging Bull is the biopic of boxer Jake LaMotta. To get in the role, De Niro started a program of diet and bulking exercises to put on 60 pounds of weight. His performance in Raging Bull won him his second Academy Award, this time for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
8. He Also Took Boxing Lessons
His role in Raging Bull required him to take boxing lessons. He received these lessons from Jake LaMotta himself. Even though the training wasn’t easy, De Niro became so good at it, that LaMotta complimented that he boxes like a professional.
7. He Worked As a Driver for his Movie Taxi Driver
In Taxi Driver, De Niro played the role of Travis Bickle, a war veteran who has insomnia and to tackle it takes up the job of a nighttime taxi driver. To understand his character and to get into the role, Robert De Niro worked as a cab driver for a few weekends before the filming of the movie started.
6. He lost 30 pounds
His character in Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle was suffering from mental health and financial problems. De Niro lost 30 pounds of his weight to get into the character to make Travis Bickle look realistic.
5. He had his teeth modified for his role in ‘Cape Fear’
LooperDe Niro played the role of Max Cady in the 1991 film Cape Fear. De Niro’s portrayal of Max Cady is one of his most unsettling performances. Cady is a convicted rapist who is out to seek vengeance against the lawyer who sent him to prison. De Niro decided to alter his physical appearance to get in the mind of his character. He got some expensive dental work done on him to grind down his teeth to make him look more menacing. However, he got them altered once the movie was done.
4. He followed an intense workout routine for Cape Fear
Max Cady is an insane and disgusting sex offender with a bulky physique and tattoos all over. To get into the role, De Niro had to go through a strict workout routine and he managed to bring down his body fat to 4%. He also got into a carbohydrate diet to get the energy for his rough workout sessions.
3. He used the role reversal technique to prepare for ‘The King of Comedy’
IndieWireThe role reversal technique consists of the actor viewing the world from the perspective of the character they are playing. In The King of Comedy, De Niro played the role of Rupert Pupkin, an up-and-coming comedian who wants to be famous. He is obsessed with Jerry Lewis and in his obsession starts stalking him. To get into his character, De Niro turned the tables on his own stalkers. He made them feel the same way he feels when they become too insistent on autographs.
2. He observed comedians closely
For his role in King of Comedy, De Niro decided to learn about comedians by observing them. He plays a comedian in the film and therefore, to play his character he needed to learn how to perform as a comedian. To do that, he went to a lot of stand-up comedy shows to watch different comedians and learn about comedic timing, the length of their sets, and about every general aspect of comedy.
- He traveled around the country to research for ‘The Deer Hunter’
In The Deer Hunter, Robert De Niro played the role of a mill worker who goes off to the Vietnam War. De Niro did one of the most thorough researches for this role. He traveled around the United States, learning about steel mills in different places and learning about the lives of the workers and what their shifts are like. This sort of dedication and research has never been done by any other actor.
