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Robert De Niro comes clean on whether his 'Taxi Driver' monologue was ad-libbed
Robert De Niro was remarkably chill during his virtual appearance on Monday's edition of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and that's to be expected from a two-time Oscar-winning icon who has seen and done it all.
Fallon joked about De Niro's demeanor ("I can tell you're excited as much as I am"), but he got the 77-year-old to open up a little by offering up myths that have surrounded his illustrious career for De Niro to either conform or dispel.
Is it true that De Niro originally auditioned as Sonny Corleone for The Godfather before he landed his Oscar-winning role of Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II? Yes, and Fallon played a clip from that audition.
Was De Niro really originally cast as Josh, eventually played by Tom Hanks, in 1988's Big? Also yes.
And could it possibly be true that De Niro's iconic line ("You talkin' to me?") from 1976 crime drama Taxi Driver was not actually written in the script? "More or less, yeah," the legendary New Yorker affirmed.
De Niro additionally discussed this year's Tribeca Film Festival, beginning tomorrow (June 9), which he co-founded in 2002. Watch the full Tonight Show segment below.
More must-reads:
- 20 actors who were given chances to be A-list movie stars, but failed
- 25 iconic film deaths that stay with you forever
- 20 films where a supporting actor outshined the star
- 20 A-list actors who passed on iconic roles
- 25 beloved actors who were one-hit wonders
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Justin Fields Called 'Biggest Loser' In Jets Training Camp
The New York Jets opted to cut Aaron Rodgers and sign Justin Fields to replace him during the offseason. This kind of commitment to Fields should bolster his confidence, but it could also place a lot of pressure on his shoulders. To this point, Fields has looked solid in training camp, aside from a scary toe injury that was quickly resolved in July. Justin Fried of the Jet Press recently reported that Fields' training camp may have reached a new low over the weekend as the young signal caller struggled. "Justin Fields put together his best practice of the summer to this point on Friday, completing his first 12 passes en route to an excellent all-around performance. The same can't be said about his showing on Saturday, however," Fried wrote. "Fields finished the day an abysmal 2-of-10 in the air, including a drop from rookie tight end Mason Taylor. "Some of his incompletions were catchable balls, but the Jets' passing game struggles on Saturday can largely be blamed on No. 7. Fields did flash his running ability with a 25-yard rushing score on the first play of red-zone drills, but the Jets would like to see more consistency in the air from the starting quarterback. Saturday's scrimmage was far from his best showing of the summer." Fields is a runner first at the NFL level, but his arm is nothing to scoff at. For most of training camp, his arm talent has been better than advertised, but during Saturday's scrimmage, it just wasn't there. A 2 for 10 performance is unacceptable for a $40 million quarterback who was signed to take over the team. The running game should open up the passing game for the Jets, which is going to need to be the case if Fields is going to struggle like this. However, it's just one day of camp. It's nothing to be too concerned about. Just because Fields lost this specific practice doesn't mean he's heading in the wrong direction as a whole.
Heat Predicted To Stun Fanbase By Landing $153 Million All-Star In Win-Now Blockbuster Trade
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25-time Grammy winner's sports agency blasts Jerry Jones for 'comical' comment
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