Robert De Niro

27:31Thanks. We try. Is there a question you have for him today? Something you'd want to know, big or small? Something that you think he wants to talk about? Also, what does he not like to talk about? He probably doesn't like to talk about, like, how did you gain weight and lose weight? I love it. I love this. Fantastic. You know? You just saved me 25 minutes of, you know. I mean, I feel like Bob doesn't even really like to talk about acting. You know, he's been famous for so long. So, you know, how do his kids look at him? Yeah. He shows his daughter, Helen, a lot of movies. And he goes to movies with Helen all the time.

28:22How old is Helen? About 14. So that would be a nice question. What have you and Helen watched lately that you've liked together? Yes, as opposed to he and Gia, who's three, and he goes off about Miss Rachel. Amazing. Maybe we can get Bob to talk about his favorite Miss Rachel moment. Um, that's a great question. Like, cause, cause I, I would like to know what he's watching and, and responding to. And, um, because you know, if you're a New Yorker, you know, it's about the present moment. Like this city moves fast and it keeps moving and things change and you have to stay present and current always.

29:02The one thing about Bob that I find so like amazing if you say if you said to him okay well on taxi driver on a bronx tale on silver linings i mean just almost on any movie like where uh you shot the movie on sixth avenue no no we really shot it on eighth avenue and it was the northeast corner and it was a little deli that's still there It used to be a Smilers and now it's like this. We were on the second floor and you couldn't, I mean, he goes into such, I mean, he has a photographic memory. There's certain things he doesn't remember, but he is like why he calls me sometimes. He'll like call me and then say, do you have anything you needed to, did you need to tell me?

29:54And I'm like, no, you called me. Oh, when I remember, I'll call you back. I mean, but he's, you know, he can pretty much tell you where things were shot up to the exact corner and what was on it and what's on it now. Oh, that's fantastic to know. That's really helpful. These are great questions and thank you for helping me prep for this interview. I'm a huge fan of yours and huge respect. So thank you. Thanks so much, Jane. Great talking to you. And I hope I see you soon. Thanks. Bye. Bye. I have to say, I know you don't love interviews. Thank you for doing this. I'm already worried that nobody told you that you were doing this today.

30:40Well, I looked on my schedule. I said, oh God. So, but I'm fine. You're like, how can we get out of this? No, because we're going to talk, but I know like you're, you know, you've described yourself as kind of a shy person at times. And I don't think you like to talk very much. Sometimes I don't, yeah. Well. What's the point? Okay, well, I'm going to ask you a favor. To talk a little more? Just a little bit more. I get paid by the word. If I don't get, if I don't meet my word count by the end of this interview, I'm screwed. I think it's really interesting that you've described yourself as a shy person and a shy kid because I think there's a lot of introverted people in this business, and I don't think people always assume that about people that are actors.

31:32Would you consider yourself an introverted person? In some ways, I am. Yeah, in some ways I am. Okay, you have to talk more than that. Depending on the situation. Okay, we need at least ten. Okay, let me have to know. I have to come up with something. We need at least ten more words every sentence. Yeah, okay, let's see. Okay. I have to fill the quota. Okay. Were you a shy kid? I was quiet at some time, but when I would have to speak up, I would. Yeah. And I think being an actor, it allows you, I used to say this and still say, it allows you to be other characters that you would normally not know at all.

32:12And this way it gives you a little taste of what they would be like and that experience would be like. without having really to pay a price, though you're aware of the price, whatever that character's price is. You know, when I'm around people who are quiet, because there is a difference between quiet and shy. Yeah. When I'm around people that are quiet, I mean, I notice that a lot is projected on them, and then also I feel like a responsibility to keep talking. Right. Does that happen to you a lot? You mean with me? Yeah. I don't mind that. I bet. Because you talk and I can just sit and listen.

32:47I have friends who like to talk a lot and we get along real well. Well, we're going to get along great because there's going to be a point in this interview where people are going to be listening to it and being like, Amy, please be quiet. But as preparing for today and, you know, we're talking about we're in New York City. You know, you're celebrating 25 years at Tribeca Film Festival. I feel like there's no other person that personifies the city more than you. It's like if the city was a person, it would be you. And I'm sure you've been told that, but it really is true. There is a directness and a sense of the present moment in you.

33:25There's a, you know, New Yorkers are not necessarily overtly friendly, but they're secretly kind. Yeah, I'd say, yeah. Yeah. And there's a, like a ambition and drive that you've had throughout your entire career. And your history of being in New York, like, you know, I'm always fascinated by kids that grew up in New York. It just seems like a fairy tale. What was it like? What was your neighborhood like? What was it like when you were a young person? Could you describe it to me? Well, I grew up in the village and, you know, it was, I hung out in Little Italy for years. And that's how I know Marty, Scorsese.

34:12Even Marty was hung out with his other friends on another street, and I hung out with my friends. What street were you on and what street was he on? He was around Prince and Mott, I remember, and Elizabeth and where he lived. And I was on Kenmare and Mulberry or Broome sometimes in Mulberry. Well, I mean, it's really amazing. You grew up with two artist parents. Like, you know, both your parents were artists. Your mom was a poet and a painter. Your dad was a painter. Like, you were around. And a poet, too. And a poet, too. You were around art all the time. And I know art's still really important to you.

34:45When you were growing up in New York, do you remember that art scene? Like, did you ever meet Warhol? No. You never went to the factory? No. You ever see like a, I mean, in New York, you always see somebody walking past you. Did you ever meet a famous artist during that time in the 50s and 60s? No, I wasn't too much really into art. But it was because my father and mother, you know, he'd take me to a gallery that he was owed money from.

35:18And that was it. I mean, it wasn't, yeah. I mean, I know when I moved to New York, I saw Lou Reed walk down the street. And I remember thinking, okay, I'm in the city. Was there somebody that you used to see in the city and be like, that's like a quintessential New Yorker? No. When I was a kid, I saw Alan Arkin once. I think Alan was from, he was from New York, I'm sure. I'm not sure where, but maybe he was Long Island, but he's a New Yorker in spirit. He has my favorite line in Glengarry Glen Ross in the film when he says, shoes, boots, yes. You know that line? No, I mean. Yeah, well, I guess I know mammoth better than you is what we're finding out.

36:02I mean, I saw the original production with Bobby DuBal and John Savage and forgetting who else. Oh, John Savage. Incredible. You and I do have one thing in common, which is I think our first semi-professional productions of something was from a similar show. You were the lion, the cowardly lion in Wizard of Oz in fourth grade. When I was 10, yeah. Maybe, yeah. Okay. Right, and I was Dorothy around that time. And I'd like to know what you brought to the role of the lion. I don't know. I liked it. I said my lines, and that was the part I was given. Okay, okay. It's a funny part. Yeah. It's a good song.

36:52Yeah. Did you sing, too? I don't know. I didn't know. That part I didn't do. Yeah. It's been so long. I was 10. Yeah. The last question in that time frame that I wanted to ask you is, it felt like you knew from a very early age what you wanted to do. Yeah. All in all, I did. I was sort of drifting in that direction or gravitating in that direction. And do you find as you get older, I know I do, that it's one of the things you wish for anybody, especially your children, is just do whatever you want to do. Just know what you want to do. Know what you want to do and do it as well as you can. Yeah, totally.

37:26You know, and if you really like it, you'll try to do it as well as you can. You started out doing in the very early, in your early films, like a lot of comedy. Can you do a couple? Well, I did Greetings, Hi Mom with De Palma. And then another comedy we did was The Untouchables years later. You know a little thing about The Untouchables. Yeah. Do you know what I'm going to say? No. Maybe not. I don't think he worked with you actually, but there's a gentleman in The Untouchables, this guy named Dale Close, who says the titular line in the movie. He says, you think you're untouchable, don't you?

37:57So close, yeah. I think his scene is with Elliot Ness with Costner. And he was a Chicago actor. Yes. And he formed an improv theater that I studied at in Chicago. Are you from Chicago? Well, I grew up in Boston, and then I moved to Chicago after I graduated college and studied at Second City. Yeah, oh, great, yeah. And he had this like kind of new theater call at the time it was called ImprovOlympic. It was an improvisational theater. And Del is kind of one of his like brush with greatness claim to fame is he's in The Untouchables. Okay. Great movie. Yeah. I enjoyed doing it. I am. So there's Viola Spolin and Paul Sildon.

38:42Did you ever do that? But that's ahead of you. Yeah. That is ahead. That was a little ahead of me. Yeah. You know, Del Close used to talk about Nichols and May. Yeah. And that, like, Second City being formed. And back then there was a, I don't know if you ever were, like, there was a big kind of controversy about whether or not improvisation was its own art form or a tool. Sure. Did you ever do improv when you were? Well, improv in movies and with the palma, you know, and greetings and hi, mom. You kind of. Yeah. And other movies here and there. or you have the script, but you can go off it. As long as you make the points and don't get off on a tangent and stay in the right direction, it's okay.

39:26Do you like to get it as scripted first and then improvise? I know directors like to work on the noise. Well, I mean, some directors will tell you to improvise, give you the situation and tell you to improvise. I worked with a director who would, we'd sit down in the camper and go over what was written. Yeah. And then he'd say, well, what do you think about this? And it was kind of loose. He opened it up and it worked out. Yeah. I feel that way about improv. Sometimes it's exciting to be allowed to do it. And other times it feels like, oh, this is a little too loose. Yeah. Yeah. The one thing I don't like seeing is a movie that goes off in a direction and maybe the director likes what they're doing, but they let it go too far, too long.

40:15It goes off on another tangent and you forget what the situation is. And that's important. Or like everybody's speaking the same way. Yeah, exactly. We used to make a joke when we were doing this TV show that I was in, Parks and Recreation. We used to make a joke like, do you want us to do a take that's longer and less funny? Right. We'll give you that. Yeah.

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42:46Speaking of your work, Mean Streets, Deer Hunter, Goodfellas, The Godfather 2, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Cape Fear, Wag the Dog, King of Comedy, Analyze This. Silver Linings Playbook, Meet the Fockers. No questions, just great job. Thanks. I just want to ask you. You're very nice. Well, I have a hot take. You're the best actor of our generation. But I think there's just like so much to talk about in all those films. And I know they they're like, you know, so many of them are different parts of your life. Do you watch your old films ever? No, but I've always been wanting to watch all the movies I did from the latest one all the way down or the other way.

43:35So the earliest ones just go through them all. But it takes it's it's it's more easy. It's easier said than done. That would be like your own festival. Yeah, I just, you know, I make comments and somebody said, well, you know, I'll write a friend said, you know, I'll write. Oh, that's a great idea. I wasn't sure, but there's no downside to doing that. So just knowing I wanted to get a sense of what I've done where I, you know, and where I could go. What's missing in that, that I can make a choice of something different. That's interesting to look at your body of work and also to like visit old friends.

44:11I imagine what it must be like. Yeah. Yeah. Can I ask you about, so I won't get deep about, because again, we don't have the time, but, and we want to talk about what the present stuff that you're doing. But can I ask about one specific scene in one specific movie? Yeah. Okay. So Goodfellas, you know, a lot of people's, you know, top five favorite movies. It has stood the test of time. Incredible, incredible cast, incredible performance by you and so many people in that film. There's this wonderful scene with you and Lorraine Bracco where Lorraine is playing the wife of Ray Liotta and she's kind of worried that he's fallen out of favor with the rest of the organization.

44:53Right. And you, Jimmy, you kind of play like his patriarchal, what would you say? Like his mentor? Yeah, kind of his mentor. Yeah. And there's a scene where she comes to try to get some help from you and you ask her to walk down an alley to go get some Dior clothes for her. And it's just, it's a perfect example of real tension. Yeah. Can you tell me what you remember about shooting the scene that day? I think it's a perfect scene. Well, the thing that I was concerned about is just that as Marty was, as I remember, it's just that you don't know what he really is doing. Is he setting her up or not?

45:37So it's just making this, which happens in life, too, in that way. You know, same thing. God, it's okay. You know, just be very casual. And God knows what will happen to you. Could be nothing. It could be something. Did you make a decision as an actor to know what you thought was going to happen? I think I thought more that something would happen. Yeah. But my main thing is to act as if everything is good, you know, just go in, you know. It's such an incredible lesson in how to create suspense and tension and also to remind people that people don't often telegraph what they're going to do. No, not at all.

46:15I mean, you never telegraph, Bob. Can I call you Bob? Yes.

46:23I should have started. I mean, never, there's never, we never ever see you ever doing that. Even you're never indicating. It's just, and it's one of the millions of examples of that, I think, in that scene. Well, it's important to not, you know, indicating and acting is indicating. And so you say to an actor who's, you just watch a scene or something, not in a negative, critical way, but you can't, you don't indicate or you are indicating. So it's better not to, you know, in life, people don't do that. They just do. They're very good actors, people in life. And it's life and it's real. And the way you behave, it could be life dependent.

47:10For me, it was a great example of a woman's intuition. She has an intuition there that's very strong. Yeah. That she listens to that saves her life. Yeah, exactly. And then she comes home and says, I don't know. And she's starting to kind of gaslight herself a little bit. Like, I don't know. I just got scared, you know. And it's, I think, a beautiful journey for her character of, like, what's real. Yep. When you do a scene like that, what is Martin Scorsese's, like, how do you know you got it? What does he say? I can't remember. It's been a while. But I think Marty, you know, basically said, you know, you're going to go.

47:51She wants to go in. You want her to go in there. And I forget what's set up. But the whole thing is to show the ambiguity. We don't know. We don't know. We see it very possibly something could happen. But at the same time, it couldn't. So that's part of the whole reason the scene is done or one piece of it. Do you like when a director says, we got it? I don't hear it too much. We got it. What? Really? Well, it's okay. It's good. You just like when they go, it's okay. We got it. Well, you could say we got it, I guess, but it depends on the scene and what it is. You like when they say, like, it's good.

48:31We're good. We're good. It's good. We're good. We're good. Yeah. But low key. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, just. And you know that, say, Marty. Marty says he's happy. We talk. We got this piece. We got that. He'll say, yep, yep, we're good. Yeah, yeah. It's okay. Yeah, yeah. And that happens in a second and, like, you just mumble that to each other. Are you suspicious of people that are like, I guess I'm projecting, but I'm a little suspicious sometime when people are too, like, I don't know, when they're flattering me. Sure. Well, you know, it's funny. I don't mind when a director or somebody tries to tell you very good or certain types of – that's good.

49:27Because it's like when I was – I did The Last Tycoon with Elliot Kazan, and we came out of a looping stage, and he said, you know, that was great. because he was like, that was really, you know, just got it. I said, well, thanks. I feel good, even though I'm not sure you really meant it, but I'm happy with you. He got a little offended. He thought I didn't believe him. I said, no, no. I said, the effort is the most important thing. You know, it's like telling your child when they do something, they show you something. Isn't that nice? That's great. You know, oh, boy, I'm so proud of you. You know, it's real.

49:59You believe it. It is. That's right. It's true. I know what you mean. And it's a fine line, though. It's a fine line in that moment. But as a director, you must also feel the urge sometimes to take over if somebody's not a strong captain. Well, I don't like to be in that situation. Right. You don't put yourself in that situation. I don't put myself. If I'm in, I'm in with the director. There may be certain things, but I trust them and trust me and I'm not going to mess with them and play games. You know, we have an objective to achieve and we're there working together. that we don't want to waste time with any nonsense.

50:38And the other thing in the many years of incredible work that you've done, again, which we could talk about forever, what are some skills that you had to learn for parts that you still maintain or retain? Well, I practiced a lot with the saxophone in New York, New York, but I never kept it up, and I regretted that because I did work very hard on it. I did everything phonetically, but it's the skill that you can't take away. I mean, that's real. So I just wish I had made it something that I would practice even a half an hour every day to keep. I feel that way about like instruments. I can't. It's so embarrassing.

51:22I can't play in it. Can you play any other instruments? No. I wanted to play the piano, but one thing to want to play it is another thing to do it. I know. The piano feels like an instrument. when you sit down at it, you think, I'll be able to play this. Yeah. And then you can't. No, I wish. My mother tried to make me take piano lessons when I was five, and I had no interest in it. It was drudgery. Yeah. I wish I wasn't smart about it. Yeah, I do regret not being able to play an instrument. Well, there's still time, Bob. There is. There is. Right? Sure. Okay. And then do you ever use TikTok? Because I want to show you something.

52:04do you know what a thirst trap is no okay so it's basically like hot pictures of people but tiktok loves you and they make videos of you of you of of um you in different movies and can i show you yeah yeah yeah it's gonna make you feel great oh good i mean i feel like these are these are to make people feel good and this one is specifically for you, but look at this. It's usually sexy music. Look.

52:47These are young pictures of you and young kids making this. Kids doing it. Yeah. Wow. Look, look at you. Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. Listeners, Bob is staring at this as it look. Yeah. I don't know. I guess just good job of being so handsome. Oh, thanks. Let's talk about some comedy stuff because we met, I think, for the first time, or at least in my mind for the first time, although I'm sure in various early times when I moved to New York, I probably, you know, followed you down the street without you knowing, but at SNL 2002, you've hosted three times. Yes. You obviously have done it more than once because you liked it.

53:34What do you like about doing it? What I like about it is that it's so fast, it doesn't give you time to think. Yeah. And you've got to change, get into different costumes, this and that, boom, boom, boom, boom. They've got the cards for you. It's so fast. Yeah. You can not worry about failing, if you will, whatever that means, and just have fun with it. Yeah. I have a real image stuck in my mind of Donna, the woman who pulls you around and changes you. Yeah. Yeah, right. Is she still there? Yeah. Oh, wow. She's incredible. Yeah, yeah. She's kind of the one that should write the book. She knows.

54:08I know. She's seen everybody naked. Exactly. And she, I remember us doing, it was my second year. I started in 2000. That show after 9-11 was my first SNL. Oh, wow. And you hosted, I think, first in 2002. You were being pulled by Donna while you were dressed as Siegfried, I think, from Siegfried and Roy. Oh, okay. Do you remember that? No, but you should look at those episodes. Better not to look back. Yeah, probably not. Maybe when you go back over your canon of work, just skip that. Let that, keep that up. and one thing I'll say is like you know you are a person that people like to do impressions of is that weird?

54:55no I mean it's kind of flattering Alec Baldwin does really good impressions great impressions of you and the one that he did he was on I forget what talk show he was on and he was saying commenting on the Godfather reunion with me and Al and Bobby Duvall and Francis and Talia Shire and Jimmy Cahn and everybody. And he said, did you see that? And he said, you know, they're talking to De Niro and Al. They're talking. He's just making, the way he makes fun of you, it's just hysterical. Even how we're all mumbling. You don't know what the hell we, he can't understand what we're saying. Well, you have, what I love about, what I love about you, Bob, is when you're laughing and when you're upset, it looks like the same face.

55:44Okay. It's kind of, you're a quiet laugher. No. Right? Would you say? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, sometimes if it's, I would have a more boisterous laugh. It depends. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, okay. We're almost done. We're at 40. Oh, Cassie. We're at 45.

56:09I like you. I like to know how long things are going to take. So we're almost done. Okay. So here we go. So I feel like a lot of your career has been defined by lasting partnerships, people that you've met and continue to work with. And I think it is a sign often of like somebody's character that they maintain friendships and partnerships throughout their life. You talked a little bit about Martin Scorsese and the ways that you guys have, you know, it's really something that you grew up around the corner from each other. Mean Streets was based on people that you knew. What is it like to have a friend in this business for this long?

56:50I think it's great. And I would always say it's kind of amazing that Marty and I were aware of each other. We had a mutual friend who passed away, but he was, may he rest in peace, he was, I did a movie called Alto Nights and I, he, Marty and I did this, uh, well, he, there's a documentary about him. It was at Lincoln Center. When they wrote the script, Nick Pileggi wrote this. I said, how do you know about this place called the Alto Nights? Uh, he said, well, I, I, I, you know, I was a crime reporter down there and a reporter and I knew this, that social club was, I said, that's a place I used to hang out in when I was a kid.

57:31And so my friend, one of my friends, Butch, he remembered things that I had forgotten, what went on there and stuff like that. So it was interesting. And they were terrific in the movie. So it was a nice thing. I would love to meet Nick and I would have loved to have met Nora. Yeah. Yeah. Meryl Streep. Meryl, yes. You know, she claims that you're not very good at charades. Do you have a response? Yes, I know. I heard that, yeah. I probably am not. You don't? You don't? I think we did it somewhere. I was not inspired, and that's my fault. Well, you can try harder next time. I will. I will. Where did you meet her for the first time?

58:11Did you saw her on stage? Meryl, I went with Mike Cimino to, and it's funny because I went to the Devil Wears Prada thing, and we had at Lincoln Center, and they had the tent right across from where I saw her do a cherry orchard, I think it was, with Raul Julia. and Mike Cimino and I went because we were for that part, thinking of her for the deer hunter. So that's the first time. I don't even know if we went backstage. I'm not sure, but she, you know, she had it. You have worked together a lot in many different ways. What's so wonderful about working with her? Meryl's a great actress and so skilled and smart and just terrific and very funny and great sense of humor.

59:02And he's just a wonderful person. Yeah, yeah. Ben Stiller, you're back with Ben again. You've done quite a few features with him. Yeah. Does he still run all the time? Does he run every day still? He's in good shape. Because he runs a lot. I guess he does. I don't know. I see him run to and from the set. No, I'm kidding. I don't know.

59:25But he does something. You guys are very, very funny together. What's been your experience at work with Ben? Well, Ben, he has a way of when you, when he reacts to what you say, which is kind of a funny line, say, my character, Jack, he'll go, uh-huh. Oh, yeah. He has a way of commenting on what you just said, saying that it's not too smart, a little stupid, but uh-huh, I'm giving you the respect. But he has a way of commenting on it. And so there's three different things, four different things going on at once in his reaction. And he's very funny. Yeah. The status between the two of you is just such funny comedic fodder.

1:00:04And you join him again in your new film, Fokker-in-law, with Ariana Grande, who was in here, who was a delight. What did you think of working with her? Ariana was terrific. Yeah. Nice, nice young lady. Terrific. Yeah. A real pro. Perfect for it. And Jane Rosenthal. Jane. Well, Jane and I worked together for 37, 38 years. And we had a thing last night at the Chanel party. And I did a tribute to her for all the things together. On that 25 years of the Tribeca Film Festival. Amazing way to amplify new voices and to use your currency. I mean, it's, you know, it's, it's really, I mean, I was speaking to Jane earlier and we were saying it's wild how everything is now 25 years ago.

1:01:00Yeah. I mean, it's like. I know. It's been a really, it's been a really, really, I mean, it always is an intense period in New York, but the past 25 years have been something else. Yeah, they have. So before we get into that, and Jane had a question for you, I got very quick. This is speed round. Hot takes. Okay. Okay? It can be slow round. Okay. But NYC hot takes. Do you remember the cost of rent of your first apartment? I think it was$75. Where was it? On Irving Place. Was it a studio, one bedroom? A walk-up, yeah, one bedroom. One bedroom,$75. It might have not even been a one-bedroom. It might have been since one room that you put a bed in there.

1:01:43Favorite New York museum? The Metropolitan and the Museum of Modern Art. Do you have any art, any paintings that you go back to? Like, are you, like, you know? No, I don't. But my mother or father might have something in the Museum of Modern Art. I think. I'm not 100 % sure. Really? But you don't know. I know. Jane would be. Okay. But I think, yeah. MoMA, if you're listening. Yeah. Sushi order. What do you order? What's your favorite? Well, I always say Blackheart, but Blackheart is good. Nobu. Nobu. And pizza order. What do you get when you get a slice? As long as it's a good pizza place, I'm happy.

1:02:23What kind of pizza do you like? Pepperoni. Pepperoni. Okay. New York restaurant. Best New York restaurant that you don't own because you own a few. One that I'd say I don't want to say because I don't want to give it away. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You don't want to blow up the spot, as the kids say. Yeah. Which you would know if you were on TikTok. When you get into taxis, do people quote taxi driver? Here and there, very little. Yeah. But I don't get in cabs. Maybe once in a while or an Uber or something. Yeah, yeah. But you don't get in cabs. No. Yeah, yeah. In the street too. Yeah. And when you walk down the street, you like to walk in the city.

1:02:55Everybody does. Yeah, yeah. You've spoken about how like there's, you know, the best thing about the city is you can just be blending in a part of it. Nobody bothers you. Nobody cares. People have peripheral vision, and if they see somebody physically like me, I'm older and stuff. I look like an older guy, you know. Not on TikTok. Huh? Not on TikTok. But they're not going to look at you. Their peripheral vision doesn't make them interested in looking at you anyway. Yeah. So I just walk, and I get not recognized much. Do you listen to any music when you walk? Are you a podcast person? I like to listen to music in the car.

1:03:34I ride around a lot in the car because I have to go here and there, and then I read the paper and listen to music. I listen to oldies. Well, oldies, certain oldies from the 70s. Yeah, best era for music. Yeah, I mean, there's a station I listen to on Sirius. That 70s and 80s, like? Yeah, it's music that I used to always hear and listen all the time. It was almost unconscious. It's, you know, you see so much, brought back so many memories. And as it does now, it's Channel 16, the blend it's called. I know exactly what that channel is. It's great. Yeah. Yeah. It's the music that we like had our lives to.

1:04:13Yeah. And then last question is, we spoke to, we always try to talk to somebody who knows our guests. We get like, you know, we kind of talk well behind their back. And Jane and I were talking earlier today. and we were talking about the festival and talking about you two and your long history together. And, you know, she just, I thanked her as I would like to thank you for, you know, the film festival, it started at a time when the city was really hurting and that coincided with, for myself personally, starting SNL. It was like, okay, being on a live sketch variety show during a time when New York was really, um, had, you know, had just, um, suffered, um, through 9-11 and it was like the city really needed.

1:05:06And, you know, you and Jane and so many other New Yorkers stepped up for the city during that time. And I know a lot of people were grateful for it. And I asked Jane, uh, to ask you a question. And she had a sweet one, which was, what have you and Helen, your 14-year-old, seen recently that is— She, you know, I'm trying to tell her that we should look at movies. She looks at things like Stranger Things, which got me into it. I saw a movie called Housemaid. Yeah. It was good. Yeah. Yeah, I saw another movie that she, you know, I'm walking by her while she's watching. And I said, that's not bad, that movie.

1:05:51And there's something, and just walking by, I get a sense of the film that I see. But I don't like to look at those who I wind up looking at because she wants to look at them. I'd rather find classics that she could look at or movies. Did you show her anything that she liked? Because I have teenagers, it's hard to get them to like what you like. No, it's hard. It's hard. Yeah. And she does very little on her iPhone at this point, keeping that very under wraps as much as I can. And so, but, yeah, that's the— But Helen introduced you to Stranger Things. Yeah. Yeah, and you liked that. Oh, yeah, it was good.

1:06:32It was good, right? We went to see the play, too, the musical. Yeah. It was good. Um, okay. And so is there anything for your last, my last question with you? Um, and by the way, congratulations on Falker in law coming out, big new comedy movie that we need right now. And, and I, I just want to say as we wrap, um, you know, I, I, I just personally want to thank you for like doing what you do and speaking out in the way that you do about where we are in the world. there's a lot of people um that are asked to speak truth to power and they're usually you know members of the like the margins there are people that are young don't really have as much um currency or a footing as other people it's often people of color it's often women and to see a person like yourself the age that you are and the status that you are it reminds me of the best way I can describe it is when it's like if someone's giving a terrible speech at a wedding and they're ruining the wedding and the wedding is America and there's another adult who says like we don't talk like that that's not how you're supposed to treat people this is insane it makes everybody feel very safe and so I've seen you do it over and over again and I really appreciate it thank you yeah it means a lot to a lot of people because you're standing up for a lot of people who don't have the power to do that so thank you bob and thanks for doing it over and over again and this is going to be a real switcheroo because i can't believe i just made you cry i feel incredible right now hold on we gotta get you your tissues thanks we got good hang tissues for you bob but it's true it's true it is you know there's not a lot of men who uh in your position who do that.

1:08:27And white men of a certain age, like who, who frankly, you know, have a ton of power and don't use that responsibility in a way that they could. So thank you. Yeah, of course. No, I don't, it's so upsetting to see what's happening in this country. And it's so crazy. Yeah. It's not like, I mean, in a way that's better, that it's so blatant, because this will happen again. And people and this guy will influence people. And they'll come up and they'll say, well, I can do it this way or that way. And we have to always be on guard with what's happening now. What do you say to people who feel very hopeless?

1:09:12Because hopelessness sometimes paralyzes people. I understand that, but you have to fight. You have to fight because if you don't fight, you're not going to get anything. You're not going to. And you have to fight. You have to join people. I use this example of Jason Crow saying that courage is contagious. And, you know, the other thing, the negative feelings can be contagious too, but why not have courage and be contagious? and stand up and you might find out it's not so difficult and people will stop the nonsense that they're doing. It's just out of control. Well, when people like you do that, it makes it easier for other people to do it.

1:10:03So thank you. I hope. And I don't like to use the word hope. I know, but we keep using it. I mean, whatever, you know. And what are you watching these days to make you laugh when you're feeling really? Well, oh, another one is Modern Family I watch. Yeah. My daughter put me on. It's very funny. Very funny. Yeah. And just a good one to watch. There's a million of them. It's great. And you can just crank through them. Yeah. Yeah. They're very funny, likable people. Yeah. It's well cast. Yeah. They're good. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I think the comedy right now, and I know you've talked about it, but like when things get particularly stressful in the world.

1:10:42People want to watch that rupture and repair and that way that people are getting along and they just need some kind of self-soothing. And yeah, yeah. I texted the SNL ladies, Maya and Paula Pell and Rachel and Tina, because I knew we were talking today and I was like, do you have any questions for Bob? And they were all saying they have a really fond memory of when we were doing the read-through, you just laughing a lot. Me? Oh, yeah. Gingling a lot. I love SNL. I think it's so, when I see movies, I say that there's a great skit from this or some political situation. This is a great one that SNL will do.

1:11:22When you were growing up, what was comedy like? What kind of comedy were you watching in your house? What did you like? Who did you like? Well, when I was a kid, it was Abbott Costello, The Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy. and there was a theater called The Laugh Movie on 42nd Street and it had only comedies and I would go or maybe they'd have a Frankenstein movie or something like that or Frankenstein meets Abin Costello or something. But I'd go there every weekend, every Saturday, take the subway. There's nothing like watching a comedy in a theater. Yeah. Do you remember when SNL premiered? Yes.

1:12:03What do you remember from that time? I think it was a show with Rob Reiner. Was it Rob Manning? George Carlin, I think, was the first. It was one of the few. One of the early ones was Rob, yeah. He did a thing where he was playing like a Wayne Newton type character or something. And he kept singing and singing and singing and singing. And it was going on and on and on. I'm saying this is good because he's not stopping when you'd expect him to. He's just going on and on. I thought that was great. I liked SNL. Did you feel like at the time you were like sensing this was like a show for you? I mean, it really was your generation's like anti-establishment.

1:12:48I'm curious, you and Lorne are both like examples of longtime New Yorkers who've been working for a very long time and been successful and famous for a very long time. What do you take from, like, working with him? I think he's great, Lauren. I think I use him as an example of someone who had the show going all these decades and is able to do it. Yeah. Compared to what goes on with the cloud show with Trump and all that. You know, he doesn't know what he's doing. And it's just a good example of leadership. Yeah, I agree. And it was kind of on display on the SNL 50th. Yeah. Which was a very special evening that you got to be a part of.

1:13:36Yeah. And for people that didn't see, what did you get to do on the SNL 50th show? What did I do? Yeah. I did the thing with Debbie Downer.

1:13:47Which was fun. Was it fun? Yeah. So can you explain to people what do you remember doing in the sketch? What was your motivation? What was your character? Well, the most important thing to me was not to, you know, even though I can laugh in rehearsal and enjoy your kick out of it, when you do it, you got to do it straight. Yeah. You have to really commit to it. Yeah. And so don't do any indicating. Yeah. Just straight on what you're supposed to do with that person as if it was a real situation. Yeah. And that's how I looked at it. I spoke to the writer, Paula Pell, and she said it was like her dream for you to get upset at that character.

1:14:29And to call her Deborah, Deborah Downer. You said, look, Deborah. And I think you fake strangled her. Yes. Rachel Dratch. Yes, she was great. May she rest in peace. Yeah, I mean, that was so exciting. I mean, that character really makes me laugh because, to your point, people like that make me really angry. Yeah. And to be like, hey, cut the shit. Yeah. Yeah, it was a good skit. Should we end by just quickly watching you and Debbie Downer? Okay. Okay, we're done. Bob, thanks for doing this. We got through it. Did you hear it, folks? We got through it. And that's what I want my guests to feel.

1:15:24No, it wasn't bad. Wait a minute. That's a great review. It wasn't bad. Yes. Good.

1:15:32Seth Meyers:Not a surprise. You want a straw? What's that? Microplastics. At this point, we're all walking landfills.

1:15:45Seth Meyers:Odds are they've already taken up residence in your testes.

1:15:57Deborah.

1:16:21which is like living under a in a full diaper

1:16:26Seth Meyers:diapers are a leading culprit in the microplastic saga here comes the strangle

1:16:45very much enjoy that Bob thanks for your time today thank you I really, really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you, Bob, for coming on. What an interesting conversation. It's really something else. I just wanted to take this moment for our polar plunge to just basically, I don't know, just speak to the past version of me. Because moving to New York City in 1996, being an actor, if you had told me 30 years later that I would have a podcast, I would say, what's a podcast? and then if you told me you're going to interview Robert De Niro and you're going to be talking to him about acting and you're going to be talking about SNL, a show that you will have been on, it's just nuts.

1:17:37And, you know, New York City remains my favorite city in the world. I've lived here for 30 years, sometimes in L.A., but let's not talk about it. And I just have to say, the fact that I get to be here, that I feel like I know the city and that I get to talk to people who represent how much the city means to me is really something else. So my plunge today is plunging back into the time machine and telling my younger self to hang on because good things are ahead. So hope you can all do that, too. Thank you so much for joining us and see you soon. Bye. you've been listening to Good Hang the executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss-Berman and me Amy Poehler.

1:18:19The show is produced by The Ringer and Paper Kite. For The Ringer production by Jack Wilson, Kat Spillane Kaya McMullen, Alea Zanaris Bridget Geerlings, Paige Garbarini Belle Roman and Drew Van Steenbergen For Paper Kite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell and Jenna Weiss-Berman. Original music by Amy Miles All I ever wanted was a really good name