Robert De Niro confesses that he was fired from a comedy in the 70s

While presenting ‘Jackie Brown’ (1997), a film in which De Niro shows his comedic side, Tarantino praised his comedy skills. This led De Niro to recall a bitter experience from the 1970s, when he was fired from a project that had much promise.

In the 70’s, De Niro began filming ‘Bogart Slept Here’, under the direction of the prestigious Mike Nichols. Despite his renowned talent, the actor failed to fit into the particular Neil Simon style of comedy that the film required, leading Nichols to make the difficult decision to fire him after just two weeks of filming.

“It was my fault,” De Niro confessed. «I didn’t understand the specific rhythm that that type of comedy required. It was one of the hardest experiences of my career. “Sometimes you just can’t make directors happy, and they can’t make you happy either.”

Years later, at a casual dinner, Nichols apologized to De Niro for what happened. The actor, always professional, responded without resentment: “I’m fine. “Everything turned out well in the end.” Although the original version of the film was never released, the script was reused to create ‘The Goodbye Girl’ (1977), a film that earned Richard Dreyfuss an Oscar.

A special tribute to the actor

This weekend the de Niro Con, a monumental celebration of Robert De Niro’s career. The event, part of the Tribeca Festival, featured screenings of 13 of his most iconic films, talks with famous collaborators and interactive activities.

Additionally, fans managed to explore an exhibition titled ‘De Niro is an Icon’, which displayed more than 300 items from the actor’s personal archive, including rare photos and annotated scripts.

Originally planned to commemorate De Niro’s 80th birthday in August 2023, De Niro Con was postponed until June 2024 due to strikes in Hollywood. The celebration was a unique occasion to honor the life and work of one of the greatest actors of our era.