From 'The Godfather: Part II' to 'Zero Day': Robert De Niro reflects on his legendary career
Robert De Niro reflects on his legendary career
Robert De Niro stars in his first-ever television series, Zero Day, now streaming on Netflix.
CHICAGO - Robert De Niro, one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors, is stepping into television for the first time with Zero Day, a new Netflix series.
The show follows a former U.S. president, played by De Niro, as he investigates the truth behind a devastating cyberattack on America.
In an exclusive interview with FOX 32 Entertainment reporter Jake Hamilton, De Niro reflected on some of his most famous film roles, including The Godfather: Part II and Taxi Driver.
De Niro on Becoming Vito Corleone
The backstory:
De Niro won his first Academy Award for playing a young Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II, a role originally portrayed by Marlon Brando. To prepare, he used a reel-to-reel recorder to study Brando’s performance.
We took a reel to reel recorder and just recorded the Brando scenes, and that's what i worked with. I took those and kept them with me for the whole movie. It was just to study where I could fit in things, how he did things, how I could do them similarly," said De Niro.
The Lasting Impact of "You Talkin' to Me?"
De Niro also discussed the legacy of his famous Taxi Driver line: "You talkin’ to me?"
While the phrase has become one of the most quoted lines in film history, De Niro admitted he didn’t realize its impact at first.
"I was driving at night in Culver City and this car with a bunch of kids pulls up next to me and says, 'You talkin' to me?'" he recalled.
Where to Watch:
Fans can see De Niro take on a new kind of role in Zero Day, now streaming on Netflix.