For "The Godfather: Part II," he learned Sicilian. For "Taxi Driver," he drove a cab for a few weeks.
(Some fares recognized him, as he had just won an Oscar for "The Godfather." "Are things that tough out there?"
one passenger asked him. "Yep," De Niro shrugged.) ... more But for this 1980 movie,
playing middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta in both fighting trim and post-disgrace
overweight slob-hood, De Niro showed his commitment by gaining over 30 pounds.
Production literally shut down for several months as De Niro enjoyed the richest
meals of Europe, getting significantly uncomfortable in the process. The
physical transformation (which he would repeat slightly when playing a rotund Al
Capone in "The Untouchables" several years later) is only one
feature of his incredible work in this sometimes punishing Scorsese movie. His
LaMotta is hotheaded, pigheaded, insanely jealous and randomly violent. His only
redeeming quality is his integrity, and when he's forced to lay that down, his
troubles really begin. De Niro won a Best Actor Oscar for this (the "Godfather:
Part II" award was for Best Supporting). More than maybe any other actor who's
won this specific award, it's hard to think of anyone who earned it more.
Glenn
Kenny is chief film critic for MSN Movies. He was the chief film critic for
Premiere magazine from 1998 to 2007. He contributes to various publications and
websites, and blogs at http://somecamerunning.typepad.com. He lives in
Brooklyn.
