Robert De Niro Sees Leonardo DiCaprio's Relationship With Martin Scorsese Similar to His Own

Will Lerner
·Producer, Yahoo Entertainment

If you were going to associate acting legend and recent Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Robert De Niro with one director it would probably be fellow icon Martin Scorsese. As a guest on The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast, De Niro told host Scott Feinberg how the two came to know each other.

“When I was a kid, I would hang out in certain areas,” De Niro began. “Marty would hang out on a certain block … And we had some kids who would go between the two crews, if you will, so I was aware of him. I’d see him. We didn’t hang out together, but I’d see him.”

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver (Photo: Everett Collection)
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver. (Photo: Everett Collection)

The two then finally got acquainted at a dinner party and they were off to the races. Mean Streets, New York, New York, Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino, are all films the two collaborated on and The Irishman is soon to come. Feinberg asked how the relationship has evolved, and De Niro basically answered that he would’ve worked with Scorsese even more had it worked out.

“I also would’ve done The Departed if I wasn’t working on [The Good Shepherd],” De Niro shared. “I would have loved to do it with him. So those would have been things over the years, three projects, that I would have done with him: The Departed, Gangs of New York and [The Last Temptation of Christ].”

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro on the set of The King of Comedy. (20th Century Fox/Courtesy Everett) Collection)
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro on the set of The King of Comedy. (20th Century Fox/Courtesy Everett) Collection)

Nowadays, another actor has become closely associated with Scorsese: Leonardo DiCaprio. De Niro was asked if he see their relationship as being similar to the one he’s had. “Yeah, sure,” De Niro responded in the affirmative. “In certain ways. And that’s great. Leo loves Marty the way I do, so it’s great. I’d love for the three of us to do something.”

And finally, in case you were wondering about the increasingly reclusive Joe Pesci, De Niro said, despite reports of Pesci turning down a role in The Irishman, he’s still going to recruit him. “I’m trying to get him in, I hope I can,” shared De Niro. “I don’t know if it will happen. I don’t know, we’ve got to talk, very soon.”

How about another Hollywood friendship? Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone share details from theirs:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Khail Anonymous, on Twitter.