{"id":554814,"date":"2026-04-28T09:46:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T09:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/554814\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T09:46:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T09:46:13","slug":"the-one-co-star-robert-de-niro-hated-working-with","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/554814\/","title":{"rendered":"The one co-star Robert De Niro hated working with"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Robert<\/p>\n

(Credits: Far Out \/ Gorup de Besanez)<\/p>\n

Tue 28 April 2026 6:30, UK <\/p>\n

Robert De Niro<\/a> is a man who inspires reverence in his fellow actors. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s been one of Hollywood\u2019s most respected stars since the 1960s, so it stands to reason that anyone working with him would be falling over themselves to make a good impression.\u00a0However, De Niro is also a method actor,\u00a0and that comes with its\u00a0own unique challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That reputation doesn\u2019t just come from his performances on screen, but from the intensity he brings to every role behind the scenes. De Niro has long been known for immersing himself completely in his characters, a commitment that can elevate a film but also create a very particular atmosphere on set, especially for those unaccustomed to that level of dedication.<\/p>\n

For those who ascribe to this most actorly of techniques, the method is\u00a0all\u00a0about inhabiting a character so\u00a0fully\u00a0that there is no easy off switch.\u00a0It often means staying in character between takes, requiring the cast and crew to only refer to you by\u00a0the name of your character, and generally losing all earthly perspective.\u00a0A movie set with one method actor is hard enough, but when you have two of them and their processes are slightly different, things can get testy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When those approaches don\u2019t align, it can quickly lead to friction. Different interpretations of the same craft can clash in subtle ways, turning what should be a collaborative process into something far more complicated, particularly when both actors are used to working on their own terms. <\/p>\n

\"Robert<\/a>(Credits: Far Out \/ Netflix)<\/p>\n

That is what happened when De Niro shared a spotlight with Joaquin Phoenix in Todd Phillips\u2019 2019 hit, Joker. The Raging Bull star was only in a handful of scenes playing a polished talk show host, but his conversation on live television with Phoenix\u2019s Arthur Fleck is one of the most uncomfortable and tense in the whole film. For the most part, De Niro and Phoenix understood each other\u2019s processes. They barely spoke except to introduce themselves and avoided small talk entirely. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t need to talk about anything,\u201d De Niro said<\/a> in an interview with Vanity Fair. \u201cWe just say, \u2018Do the work. Relate as the characters to each other.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

That seemed to work pretty well on both sides at that point in the production process, but earlier in the sequence of things, their relationship was not so understanding. When it came time for the cast to sit down and do a table read of the script, Phillips had to contend with Phoenix\u2019s utter refusal<\/a> to do anything of the sort and De Niro\u2019s utter insistence that it happen. <\/p>\n

\u201cBob called me and he goes, \u2018Tell him he\u2019s an actor and he\u2019s got to be there, I like to hear the whole movie, and we\u2019re going to all get in a room and just read it,\u2019\u201d the director recalled. \u201cAnd I\u2019m in between a rock and a hard place because Joaquin\u2019s like, \u2018There\u2019s no fucking way I\u2019m doing a read-through,\u2019 and Bob\u2019s like, \u2018I do read-throughs before we shoot, that\u2019s what we do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The happy medium was not at all happy. Phoenix mumbled his lines, disappeared into a corner to smoke, and refused to talk when De Niro asked him for a private word. \u201cHe felt sick after that read-through,\u201d Phillips explained. \u201cHe didn\u2019t like it\u201d.<\/p>\n

Finally, De Niro prevailed. They had their little chat, hashed out some issues, and set aside their differences. Phillips even reported that De Niro kissed his co-star on the cheek at the end. Whether the warm feeling was mutual is unclear, and given that the actors avoided speaking to each other when production got underway, De Niro probably didn\u2019t know either. In the film, they have a tense and brief meeting, so they may not have had to do much acting at all.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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