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Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro will mark their tenth feature-film collaboration with Killers of the Flower Moon. The former dished on their relationship that dates back over 60 years.
“Well, with Bob De Niro, it's a formative relationship. It goes back to when we were 16 years old,” Scorsese told the Hindustan Times. “But we'd lost track of each other. I didn't know he wanted to act and he didn't know I started directing. When we did Mean Streets (1973), we were reintroduced to each other by Brian De Palma.”
An earned trust
He continued talking about their developed trust. “By doing Mean Streets and Taxi Driver (1976) together, we found that we were drawn to the same subject matter, same psychological and emotion conflicts in people, in characters, and in ourselves,” Scorsese added. “A certain trust was developed. I resisted Raging Bull for several years for certain reasons, but he really insisted that it'd be good for me.
“He's the only one alive now who knows where I come from, as kids, as young people. So the keyword is trust, fearless, and less vanity. He's concerned about the make-up and how the character looks, but not about beauty and trying to make him look better with special lighting. He says if the camera is on my back and someone else's face makes it look better, do that,” Scorsese continued.
“He was very powerful at that time, after he won the Academy Award for The Godfather [Part] II (1974). But even then, we always had the danger of the studio taking away the film from you. No such thing as the final cut for me at that point of time. Inevitably, the actor would comply with the studio. This guy wouldn't do that, he [will] stay with you. And so I had that as a power. He was protective of me and the film,” Scorsese concluded.
Martin Scorsese will release Killers of the Flower Moon on October 20. Robert De Niro plays William King Hale, uncle of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio). The film also reunites De Niro and DiCaprio who previously starred in This Boy's Life, Marvin's Room, and Scorsese's short, The Audition.
Killers of the Flower Moon will be released on October 20.
