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.
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More