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But De Niro isn’t all piss and vinegar; he’s soft-spoken when it comes to personal political causes. While
speaking at India’s Think Summit, he discussed how hard it is for someone like President Obama to make level-headed, sincere decisions: “Obama’s heart is in the right place and he has to pick his battles. It’s easy to criticize someone like him…. but he is a decent person. Some of the Republicans are just trying to win at all costs.”
Harvey Keitel Explains
How De Niro Reads Scripts
At the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors, Robert De Niro received what can only be described as a lifetime achievement award to the nth degree alongside Bruce Springsteen, Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, and Grace Bumbry. President Obama presented the award.
The greatest story told De Niro that evening came from frequent co-star Harvey Keitel:
“One day, Robby comes to me and he says, ‘Harvey, you know how an actor reads a script don’t you?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He says, ‘Let me show you.’” Keitel then mimed flipping through a script while saying, “Bullsh*t, bullsh*t, bullsh*t, my part. Bullsh*t…”