Brian Williams, De Niro square off during interview session
By Jake Coyle, Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --At the Tribeca Festival, Brian Williams attempted a challenge: interviewing Robert De Niro.
Williams sat down with the actor Saturday as part of Tribeca’s “Directors Series” talks. De Niro is a famously difficult interview, but Williams was eager for a chance to face-off with a personal idol.
He was warned of De Niro’s sphinx-like reputation. Introducing the event, Jane Rosenthal, who co-founded Tribeca with De Niro and has long been his producing partner, said she was surprised at Williams’ request.
“Great idea, but have you seen Bob’s interviews?” said Rosenthal, recalling her reply.
The NBC News anchorman said that he wanted to interview De Niro “as a fan.” While De Niro often answered Williams’ questions with typical recalcitrance, the two managed a good conversation with only an occasional sigh from Williams.
At one point, Williams’ attempts for a more conversational interaction broke down when De Niro stymied him. “Did I answer the question?” asked De Niro, when there hadn’t been one.
But the two still had common ground. Asked if he watches his old movies when they air on TV, De Niro said he doesn’t.
“I don’t do that, Brian. I watch the news and I watch the ‘Today’ show,” said De Niro, drawing a laugh from the crowd. “I’m very set in my ways.”
De Niro said it was actually TV that helped inspire him to be an actor.
“I used to look at television and say, ‘Well, if that person can do it, then I can certainly do it,” recalled the 67-year-old actor.
And De Niro said TV is again frequently on his mind when he’s filming.
“Whenever I have a big dramatic scene, I always think: ‘What are they going to do with this on ‘Saturday Night Live’?” said De Niro, who has hosted the sketch comedy show and spent much of his later years making comedies.
The Tribeca Film Festival, which is celebrating its 10th incarnation, runs through May 1.
“Overnight Success” Has Been More Than A Decade In The Making For Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson
Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson, two of the stars of Netflix's whodunit "The Perfect Couple," have news for you if you want to call them breakouts: They've been working in this business for more than a decade.
Fahy made her TV debut in 2009 in an episode of "Gossip Girl." Hewson's first big film role was in 2011's "This Must Be the Place." They do concede, however, that it's recent TV roles โ "The White Lotus" for Fahy and "Bad Sisters" for Hewson โ that have led to new frontiers of opportunity.
Susanne Bier, who directed "The Perfect Couple," says both Fahy and Hewson are "going to be big stars."
"They certainly have proper, profound star quality, Both of them in very different ways," Bier says. "Both are incredibly creative, incredibly smart, and also have a impressive insight as to who they are. You can be a great actor or actress and not necessarily really know who you are yourself. And they do."
Hewson, 33, whose dad is U2 front man Bono, may have grown up in a famous family but she's now in demand in her own right. She will next be seen in a second season of "Bad Sisters, " out in November. She's in Noah Baumbach's next film, alongside Adam Sandler, George Clooney and Riley Keough. She's also been cast in Steven Spielberg's next production and is set to star opposite Murray Bartlett in a racing series for Hulu.
Fahy, 34, is in production on a limited series with Julianne Moore and Milly Alcock called "Sirens," written by Molly Smith Metzler ("Maid") for Netflix. She also has two films in the can with Josh O'Connor ("The Crown," "Challengers") and Brandon Sklenar ("It Ends With Us").
The two actors spoke candidly about this phase of their careers. This interview has been condensed for clarity and... Read More