Robert De Niro Worked As A Regular Man In New York, Switched His Career For $28M Movie
Prominent actor Robert De Niro is often acknowledged for his impeccable acting and collaborations with filmmaker and actor Martin Scorsese. He is undoubtedly amongst the influential Hollywood actors of his generation due to his self-determination to give life to all the characters he portrays. When he was cast in a challenging role, he went to great lengths to immerse himself in the character and stunned everyone.
Robert De Niro switched his career for this role
The significant trait for being a great actor includes getting into the skin of the fictional character and adapting its story as your own. Robert De Niro flawlessly justifies the trait. When he was offered the role of a taxi driver in Martin Scorsese’s classic movie Taxi Driver. He took the role as a challenge and committed to showcasing the raw emotions of a regular man living in New York City. In order to fit into the role of taxi driver, De Niro learnt to drive a cab and took up the new job by working strenuously around 12-hour shifts at a New York cab firm. He would also pick up and drop off passengers when he had spare time.
Robert De Niro plays a hot-headed, resentful Vietnam War veteran in Taxi Driver
The 80-year-old actor took real-life inspiration for his reel character of Travis Bickle, who is a night shift taxi driver trying to cope with his troubled life due to chronic insomnia and loneliness. He witnesses the dark side of the corrupted big city life, meeting crime lords and pimps on the way. Travis Bickle’s tragic past as a Vietnam War veteran has made him a bitter person who loses his cool frequently.
The New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission took to X (formerly called Twitter) and posted a copy of Robert De Niro’s expired driving license. Sharing the throwback picture, NYC TLC triggered the memory lane for the 1970s era and captioned the post, “You talkin’ to me? Anyone recall getting picked up by Robert De Niro while he researched his famous role in ’76”? #tbt
You talkin’ to me? Anyone recall getting picked up by Robert De Niro while he researched his famous role in '76? #tbt pic.twitter.com/kn9szc4Yb3
— NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (@nyctaxi) May 22, 2014
Taxi Driver is accoladed with four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor, and was an instant commercial success by winning the hearts of the critics.
The movie cast also included Cybill Shepherd, Albert Brooks, Harvey Keitel, and young Jodie Foster in notable roles.
De Niro to produce and star in this upcoming series
Acclaimed actor Robert De Niro is all set to produce and star in Netflix’s upcoming 6-episode thriller. The limited series, co-created by Eric Newman and Noah Oppenheim, is a conspiracy thriller, which revolves around dark secrets and hidden truths of conspiracy theories. Speaking to Netflix Eric Newman expressed his gratitude for starring Robert De Niro.
“As a life-long fan of American cinema, no actor looms larger for me than Robert De Niro; To have him as a producing partner and star in this show is beyond our wildest dreams”.
Zero Day will soon be available to watch on Netflix. However, the exact date for release is yet to arrive.
De Niro last appeared in Savage Salvation and Killers of the Flower Moon in the years 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Currently, De Niro is occupied in several upcoming TV series and movies.
Source: Netflix and New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission/Twitter
