Robert De Niro and Al Pacino Have an Epic Conversation | GQ

we all didn't Bob but he won't admit it what 10 years old [Laughter] maybe I am we met long before yeah yeah we met let me forget it 14th Street on 14th Street he and I we shared some friends together and while I was walking we're walking toward I think it was First Avenue or something and I saw Bob coming the other way and he happened to know the people I was with them they introduced us Bob is born in Manhattan as I am but I was born in on 86th Street and you were born downtown the village in the village and I found that at that that time the that was shortly after there was this real surge in Greenwich Village of all the cafes and coffee houses that did plays and poetry readings and stuff and the village was jazz we could have I mean that would go that I went to hear those readings I didn't read there but I know they they were pretty pretty often and I did plays there did you ever do play down there once well it's called best Bastiano cellar was there and what are you right on Waverly Place I didn't want a cappuccino cappuccino in Phase two that's placed at Woody Allen used he would do the bitter end never the bitter yeah yeah a lot of that stuff of the cafes were great because when you would you would do sixteen performances a week of a play and they have to each performance we passed the hand around that many perform so yes Jesus Wow how long was the play what they usually short short unless you're one act plays and then we pass that around that's how we ate that's great I really missed okay I okay but for me they would glorious I had a great time we've talked about this a lot yeah I see we almost did Glengarry Glen Ross together he was gonna play the Levine mo and we were really into it other things 1902 we're gonna do care I told who's gonna direct the the Glen Garry was there a director that we had well I don't remember that don't know it was you and I look at it do it we had no director we didn't have Jimmy Foley's finally didn't do it it was great but we were very close to doing it what else Papa Greenwich Village that was yeah there's another one going very close to doing and I remember we talked about we were on the street one night outside cafe central serving in Newark and I thought this is how I remember I could be wrong we were talking about Scarface and you considering who to do it what director and I was saying should really do it with Brian of the choices that you had I thought don't I thought I and then and I said if you don't do it I'm gonna do it because I want you know wanted to yeah you you they were gonna do Scarface Marty and and Bart they had they didn't do it yet they were playing like the idea of feeling about it and then I know I I was I I when I saw Scarface I I had in California I said I said call Marty Bregman was the producer and I said I think this is a this guy Palmeiras in this part was well I said I think it was great and I said I was just like to do him if I could and then and then he then he then he said darling and then I said he didn't know Scarface I said see the film I think we we can do it I didn't know that Marty and Bob were we're interested in just talking I think was all those you know was it what he got in a man bring him and Labette you know it was laments idea to do it on it was been Marty and and the met Tim that quite agree on where the thing should go and how it should be done and then Frank they they had a party and Brian came in and and that that was the I think that was the thing that took it off because the way Brian saw it and all of a sort and Marty saw it and I saw had this sort of you know this this kind of thing that was always pretty much more opposite of each other in certain areas and that's when Scarface came about it I I just thought I think I just felt Brian would be the best because he would be the least conventional of the choices of the others truth directors those own and I had work turned out that it was her that was very true yeah because he did have his own way of doing it that buts made it different you know and I really did take that film and so did Bregman by the way he thought he had that that feeling about it to larger than life just that little step up during the time of Godfather the way I understand it Francis wanted the hell and but every actor was up for it I I kind of knowing that he that I was that Francis wanted him I I thought of the sunny part of like that too and I even read forward for Francis but but he also wanted Jimmy Caan for that the way I understand yeah but everybody was up for the part and then Al had a thing in the gang that couldn't shoot straight that he had to lead when he left to do Godfather then they pulled me into I read for the part of it was a kid's salary part of it was the kid who's the from Calabria comes over the bike yes and I think gave me that part and that's how I was in them it was such a nice where all he played it so beautifully it's a great point artist I mean there's just so much I just saw the I just saw a casino the other you know and beautiful me but I guess the greatest probably no smaller the greatest performances on film film history is his Raging Bull beyond belief pretty much everything Bob does pretty much life everything I've seen 640 but Godfather 1 he was unique and special and I of course understood that Francis why Francis wanted out you know it's as an actor sometimes you what would upset you is if you someone does apart that you were up for and they use them for the wrong reasons and the person isn't really as good you want them to be good and so then you're happy okay well they somebody who's good a great entity said what what that's fine it's when they are not good you say it's a disappointment even weather that I couldn't have done it system it's a disappointment that they didn't direct it and have the ability to get a great performance or get an actor who would be up to what that care that part needed I remember once I was in a casting session and and I'm sure this was China I never even confirmed what Francis but I know he was talking to I don't know maybe it was Bob Evans or somebody and they would say he was talking about certain actors and I won't even say - they were over and they were like so wrong for the part like he said but I know so no he's great and they've just been in a hit movie at that time so it's classic if I told you the names it's a guy but I remember Francis being very nice and diplomatic with the powers that be that you know well no they can't not really in this Anatomy this justice Francis was kind of very open in front of you I was just an act of reading for it so that's you know that's the absurd part of it would they'll push somebody who's totally wrong for it and I'm sure Francis was under a lot of pressure for them to go against whatever he would want to do just for because it's the flavor of the month of the year and he stuck without you know I thought we would get together and and rehearse and Bob said no I don't think it's a good idea and he was he was right because they never saw each other before and it was a simple scene and so when we came to shoot that was the time we met up and acted together for the first time you're looking to become a phonologists you're looking to go back you know I chased down some crews guys just looking a up get busted back at you we must have worked some crews I've worked all kinds you see me doing thrill-seeker liquor store holdups were born to lose tattoo on my chest no I do not right I am never going back then don't take down scores I do what I do best that takes course you do what you do best trying to stop guys like me I love that scene you know and I was looking forward to us doing it eventually I always loved the way it was written the whole thing was great for us and the two cameras which is always nice it was good it's so great to be working with them actually working with them now like most films you know they go through a lot of a lot of levels and this started years ago I remember sitting with Marty and Bob you know in a hotel in LA talking about it and that was like about five or six years before before it happened yeah when you and I we walked over her body was in the hotel we had a meeting really good and and and I kept thinking he was gonna come about sooner or later it but I knowing about this stuff because you know you you you wouldn't you experienced with it you know that it's gonna it's gonna go to various incarnations and it'll finally find its way and it did finally who's always go you know Marty was doing another project I mean I had something out we are it's something but he had he was the driving force had to wait for him to be ready being the director it takes more time doing one movie and once once when I was passing through London he was doing what's the movie with a 3d that he did with a Hugo yeah and so we talked and he was just it was there and I I said well I'm gonna I want to get your permission and then I got your permission and then Joe Pesci's that may be from time to time we talked about it because I'm very suspicious about that and since it was so far off we didn't have a date because everybody wants to know when the date the start they would be said Marty I'll Joe do you guys mind if I say it or any of us can say from time to time can I say that are we able to say that everybody's comfortable with that because in me it would mean that times I've always superstitious you say it and then it doesn't happen that's happened to me but I felt this one was one that we should put it out there and even though things were still loose about commitment to time you know we had ups and downs of how who's gonna finance it and then finally Netflix came and made it easy for all of us and it was a good thing because I feel obviously because it could do it we could do it and not be anxious about the budget and the technical stuff that had to be done which Marty needed to have the ability to do that with a bit of freedom so that the not to be too haggling about this and that so it was a good good thing and also I think the other thing was that you you put together the reading put together reading of them of the film and we had about 50 people with every with photographic and that Pesci and some of the players yeah some of the actors you and you had Manu and one body hurry I would almost Bobby Cannavale II yeah he was the father was there poor on them a lot of people who like a lot of times I do then because you know outs got me out to it I said for example if we're considering doing a part or something say how about having a reading with the director and not necessarily the actors we're gonna be in it some will be in it or maybe but it's just a loose thing and everybody understands that yeah just sit around have a reading to kind of lift it off the page a little bit and that reading could mean that you will commit or not commit it or whatever but just a way of another sort of way of inching closer to the project so he started me on that you get a sense of the project I've taken something I'll see it because I read I read aloud pretty woman you know with the young Julia Roberts hmm and would Garry Marshall got a group of us together and I was I was actually filming something five and I went and we read it and you could tell I mean I could tell after the reading of this is gonna be a good this is gonna be a hit picture he just knew and this girl was phenomenally I mean I just saw him Gary with when did you get this girl and and so you really got a sense of it and that was just proved you know that's instinct was was correct so you do learn a lot from it I didn't do the picture did they offer to you yeah I offered it to me I think one of the things that we shared which was really helpful was we we would talk to each other occasionally about our lives because our lives have changed you know pretty radically from with all of a sudden being well-known and stuff so we would share that with each other and it was very comforting and at certain times yeah and we get he knows a lot about me out there and I know a lot about him and so cuz were you would think they you know and it was really quite a few times Bob has helped me out you

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Id: j4QAA8Fwy1c

Length: 17min 0sec (1020 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 20 2019