Clearly he's the Godfather

Lily

B.R
Staff member
He was the man everyone was waiting for. Robert De Niro attended the Doha Tribeca Film Festival this week ahead of a screening of his latest movie, Stone.

The American actor, director and producer co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival in Manhattan, the festival which joined forces with the Doha Film Institute to create the event in Qatar.

"It's important to have ties like this culturally with this part of the world. It's very important for all the obvious reasons," said a grey-haired De Niro.

In the psychological thriller, De Niro and Edward Norton go head to head as a parole officer and an inmate in a spiritual war of wills.

Looking almost uninterested, verging on bored, De Niro then surprises when he breaks into smile part way through his sentences. Talking about preparing for the role, he said: "I worked with somebody who did what I'm supposed to be doing in the movie, and he was one of the main parts of my prep. But a lot of this movie is more psychological, and there's nobody you can talk about that but yourself. I worked in the prison, which was a big help, but it is that kind of movie which is all in your head."

De Niro received his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather Part II back in 1974, followed by a Best Actor Oscar win for Raging Bull in 1980.

Widely considered one of the greatest actors of his generation, his film roles include cabbie Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, soldier Michael Vronsky in The Deer Hunter, mobster David "Noodles" Aaronson in Once Upon A Time In America, mobster Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas, mobster Al Capone in The Untouchables, retired CIA Officer Jack Byrnes in Meet The Parents and Meet The Fockers and casino manager Sam "Ace" Rothstein in Casino.

So what's his most memorable role so far?

"That's such a huge question," he said, laughing before really trying to consider whether he had an answer. "I can't say, because there are so many things which are dear to my heart and were dear to my heart at a certain time in my life. One thing which is very dear to me, to say the least, are my kids. They're one of my greatest creations. My best work yet."

De Niro also gave a panel discussion about the next instalment in the Meet The Parents saga, The Little Fockers.



 
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