Robert DeNiro Debates Autism's Link To Vaccines | TODAY

we're back at 8:45 the tribeca film festival was first launched to help revitalize lower Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks tonight it kicks off with a celebration of its 15th year Oscar winner Robert DeNiro and producer Jane Rosenthal co-founded the festival and they're with us this morning good morning guys good to see you so this did start Robert as you well know as a response to 9/11 as getting the city back up on its feet downtown and now here you are 15 years later when you started it did you imagine it as an ongoing festival or something that was just for that moment in time well you would like to think that it would go on be part of the New York part of the tradition part of the fabric of the city and it looks at this point like it could be and so that's great we had no idea that we weren't sure with anything at this point ever happy but we're all happy after 15 years Jane it does feel like an institution it's one of the film festivals that you hear mentioned that's important that's got to exceed even your wildest hopes back then it certainly has and I'm actually happy that I'm not interested in an institution because of it but it's it's been really extraordinary and we're so thrilled that this year we can kick off with a story about the Met Gala and a winter we also have other films that are gonna be screening at the Whitney and at the Guggenheim about Elizabeth Murray and Mario continent so as a new New York institution we're bringing in some of the you know bedrocks of New York we were just talking Robert about how democratize filmmaking has become over these 15 years people with an iPhone or a laptop can put together a movie you guys are doing something with snapchat I know you want to explain step by step about snapchat world we'll do that later we know you're but snapchat but it is remarkable how somebody with a phone can make a short film in 2006 we were actually one of the first festivals to screen a film that was made on a Nokia phone okay and it was actually amazing how it looked when it was projected because it had this tension it felt like a cinema birthday like a Russell Nene film so we've always been about technology and about pushing the boundaries with technology as long as you can tell a good story so technology is great but if you can't tell a good story and forget it there was a bit of controversy some headlines at the beginning of this year's festival when it was announced that this film called VAX twould be screened at the festival later the festival pulled it was it because of the backlash were surprised that people reacted the way that they did I was shooting a movie I was in the middle of a lot of stuff I think the movie is something that people should see there was a backlash which I haven't fully explored and I will but and I didn't want it to start affecting the festival in ways that I couldn't see but definitely there's something to that movie and there's another movie called trace amounts and these were there there's a lot of information about things that are happening with the CDC the pharmaceutical companies there's a lot of things that are not said I as a parent of a child who has autism I'm concerned and I want to know the truth and I'm not anti vaccine I want safe vaccines when you get it some people can't get a certain type of shot and they can die from it you know even penicillin so why should that not be with vaccine which it isn't so you said you went public for the first time saying that your 18 year old son does have autism that have been a very private thing for you and part of the reason you wanted this film shown was to start that conversation absolutely do you believe you'll now have a role in that conversation going flexibly yes because the thing is that the shut it down there's no reason to it if you're scientists let's see let's hear everybody doesn't seem to want to hear much about it it's shut down and you guys are the ones that should be the investigating do the investigating I think the film was controversial because people felt that the filmmaker had been discredited he I'm not so sure about at the end of the day even him Jane that well done with the end one thing it wasn't it was the weren't sponsors or donors that were threatening to pull out in Film Festival it was our filmmakers and we're known for having amazing documentary films you can take a look at our lineup whether it's what we're starting with tonight or some other documentaries that are you know equally controversial that we have at the festival so is our filmmakers that part that we're pulling out there's another of and we're going to talk about that but there was another there's another amazing film that was done by Roger Ross Williams that won the Audience Award at Sundance called life animated about autism and it's it's a really beautiful film about the Susskind family and it's a beautiful film but it's another thing it's the result of it's not about it's not questioning how people some people got autism how the vaccines are dangerous if not given a dangerous to certain people who are more susceptible and they don't nobody seems to want to address that or they say they've addressed it and it's a closed issue but it doesn't seem to be because there are many people who will come out and say no I saw my kid change like overnight I saw what happened and I should have done something and I didn't so that there's more to this than than meets the I believe is that is that the experience you had Robert something changed overnight it my wife says that I don't remember but I might my child is autistic and every kid is different but there is something there there's something there that people aren't addressing and for me to get so upset here today on the Today Show with you guys means there's something there that's all I wanted was the movie to be seen people can make their own judgment but you must see it and other there are other films other things that also just document and show you know it's not such a simple thing do you regret pulling it now and some part of me does and part of me says let me let it go for now and I'll deal with it later in another way but because I didn't want the festival to be affected in a way because it was like a knee-jerk reaction and especially from the filmmakers frankly that I thought I you know the other filmmakers who were in the past whoever they weren't I didn't I didn't want you to want to ask yeah but now I will Robert it is nearly consensus in the scientific community that there's no link there do you believe that's not true idol I believe it's much more complicated it's much more complicated than that there there is a link and they're saying there isn't but there's certain things there's a the obvious one is thimerosal which is mercury-based preservative but there are other things there that I don't know I'm not a scientist but I know because I've seen so much reaction about justjust let's find out the truth let's just find out the truth I'm not you know I'm not anti-vaccine as I say but I'm pro safe vaccine and there are some people who cannot take a vaccine and they have to be found out and and warned that you just don't give a kid a bunch of shots and then something happens that some parents and even it's documented say I knew I shouldn't have done it I knew I shouldn't have done it I talked to the doctor and he's a doctor I should listen I should listen I did it the next day the you know imagine how the parent feels the worry is that people who hear those words and wonder about it will then not have their child's vaccinated which has led to a higher incidence of things like mom's enemies I don't know if those statistics are accurate I'm not the one to say but I would question even that there's a kind of a hysteria a knee-jerk reaction let's see as I say everyone should have the choice to take vaccines some places becoming mandatory but it does benefit the big drug companies well funnily I take that if you want to start to look at facts and statistics one of the things that you do need to look at in this movie vast is the contradictions of facts and statistics right off the top with without what's stated with what what the rise is with graph is and then people saying something different so you need to read the reviews of read the reviews of that movie make your own decision clearly the festival has about 100 other movies that are in the festival this was only going to be screened once they've certainly had their voice and their their time and there's amazing films about other issues of social impact whether it's the criminal justice system an amazing film called the return another film about Herbalife whistleblower story another film about drone warfare national bird which is it really asks a lot of questions about how we go to war certainly the festival is about having conversation and there's also some fun films too family Fang with Jason Bateman and Nicole Kidman so we've got a lot for you at the festival I was coming and by the way also highlighted by the 40 year anniversary of taxi driver website yeah yeah I'm I'm I'm very curious and interested to go and see meet everybody who's in it Martine Jodie and Paul Schrader and it'll be it'll be interesting cast reunion thank you so much thank you guys congratulations hello today fans thanks for checking out our YouTube channel subscribe by clicking that button down there and click on any of the videos over here to watch the latest interviews show highlights and digital exclusives

Channel: TODAY

Views: 1,055,004

Keywords: Today, Today Show, Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Natalie Morales, domestic news, international news, weather, interviews, politics, money, media, entertainment, sports, breaking news, food, health, home, parents, style, concerts, pets, shopping, Robert DeNiro, Robert DeNiro Interview, Robert DeNiro TODAY, Vaxxed, Anti-Vaccine, Anti-Vaxxers, Autism, Autism Vaccines, Vaccines Link Autism

Id: FJ7iPn39i08

Length: 9min 20sec (560 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 13 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/Mange-Tout]

I really hate it when a celebrity I like turns out to be an anti-vaxxer. It causes me to lose all respect for them. For example, I don't care how hot Jenny McCarthy is/was, because every time I see her now it just makes me want to puke.

[u/hadees]

He wants the impossible. Vaccines, by necessity, are always going to have a risk. You are injecting something into a human to cause an immune response.

Also poison is in the dose, just because something is toxic in large amounts doesn't mean in small amounts it isn't a safe preservative.

[u/wickedsteve]

"Let's just find out the truth." WTF? We already did. There is no secret or hidden truth here, just ignorance.

[u/fuzzylogic22]

I had hoped he was just one of those "open minded" people and that the backlash caused him to reconsider not just the film, but his open mindedness. Apparently... not.

[u/wickedsteve]

Raw potatoes are more toxic than marijuana. I'm not anti-potato. I am for safe potatoes. Let's find out the truth. I have a son who can count to potato.

[u/PerineumPincher]

"Penicillin can cause allergic reactions.. . Why aren't we careful with vaccines the same way"

Well dumass we are and have been for years. People who are immunocompromised for whatever reason or have a contraindication do not receive live vaccines. Alternatives are found. Other patients don't get them either for various reasons.

[u/actuallyserious650]

Amazing how his original statement on the video was that he was "just starting a conversation," and now it's obvious that he's hardcore antivax. There's a reason we don't take the starting a conversation/just asking questions gambit at face value.

[u/itshonestwork]

This is why you shouldn't fucking idolise jumped up drama students. That's all he is. That's all any of them are.

[u/psufan5]

His integrity is following the same path as his acting career - Down the shitter.