Robert De Niro feels he’s been extremely “fortunate to wind up with Marty” for all these years, and Martin Scorsese returned the compliment as the actor and director sat down after a screening of Mean Streets , the 1973 film that marked their first collaboration, and Scorsese’s breakout. They went on to make nine more features together. The two grew up together in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, an Italian enclave populated with low level mafiosi.
De Niro’s “Johnny Boy” Civello in Mean Streets , a reckless but charming small-time gambler deeply in debt to loan sharks, was based on people they both knew, the duo told a Q&A with rapper Nas after the packed screening at the Beacon Theater. The climatic final scene, a car chase, shooting and crash, was inspired by a trauma Scorsese said he barely escaped – getting out of a car only a few minutes before it smashed. Related Stories News Ben Stiller & David O.
Russell Exchange On-Set "'Raging Bull'-Level" & "De Niro-ism" Stories At Tribeca Film Festival News 'Analyze This' At 25: Robert De Niro And Billy Crystal Remember Opening Bigger Than 'Cruel Intentions' And Beating 'The Sopranos' To The Idea The film, which starred an amazing Harvey Keitel as Charlie Cappa, a conflicted young gangster who tried to look out for his impetuous friend, was part of De Niro Con, a tribute to the Oscar-winning actor and co-founder of the Tribeca Festival . De Niro and Scorsese met at age 16 and weren’t close growing up but knew of ea.
