Robert De Niro Quotations

Good directors can bring certain things out of you, with their intensity or gentleness or sensitivity or understanding. They can make an actor feel he can do no wrong.

I spent lunchtime in a grave during the filming of 'Bloody Mama.' When you're younger, you feel that's what you need to do to help you stay in character. When you get older, you become more confident and less intense about it - and you can achieve the same effect.

If it's a very emotional scene, you're kind of relieved when you've done it, kind of spent. And there are times when you can be rattled, certain characters if they're hyper, that can carry over, the residue of that. But I try to leave it on the set.

Time goes on. So whatever you're going to do, do it. Do it now. Don't wait.

If it's the right chair, it doesn't take too long to get comfortable in it.

You learned the two greatest thing in life, never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.

Money makes your life easier. If you're lucky to have it, you're lucky.

One of the things about acting is it allows you to live other people's lives without having to pay the price.

I always tell actors when they go in for an audition: Don't be afraid to do what your instincts tell you. You may not get the part, but people will take notice.

I love to find new people. It's not for the sake of their being new; it's because if you find someone who perfectly fits a part, that's such a great thing.

There is a certain combination of anarchy and discipline in the way I work.

The hardest thing about being famous is that people are always nice to you.

I go to Paris, I go to London, I go to Rome, and I always say, 'There's no place like New York. It's the most exciting city in the world now. That's the way it is. That's it.'

It's important not to indicate. People don't try to show their feelings, they try to hide them.

You'll have time to rest when you're dead.

I'll work with a director if I think I'm going to get into a comfortable situation, and if it's someone I respect and who respects me, even if they're not so well known. Movies are hard to make, and you have to work toward a common ethic and do your best.

I have so much respect for directors. It's a tremendous amount of pressure; you have to keep steadfast and keep what you know is right.

My mother worked for a woman, Maria Ley-Piscator, who with her husband founded the Dramatic Workshop, which was connected to the New School. My mother did proofreading and typing and stuff or her, and as part of her payment, I was able to take acting classes there on Saturdays when I was 10.

The director respects what they've hired you for and chosen you for: to do the part and respect what you're doing.

In acting, I always try to go back to what would actually be the real situation, the real human behavior in life.

There's nothing more ironic or contradictory than life itself.

I mean, the actors that I admired were Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, an actress named Barbara Harris. And Greta Garbo. They were great actors.

I think it's important to have had at least a few years of obscurity, where people treat you like everybody else.

I didn't have a problem with rejection, because when you go into an audition, you're rejected already. There are hundreds of other actors. You're behind the eight ball when you go in there.

Leonardo DiCaprio is a very serious young actor.

I think Hollywood has a class system. The actors are like the inmates, but the truth is they're running the asylum.

My definition of a good hotel is a place I'd stay at.

I always go back to how people behave. If you watch how people actually behave in a situation, it's very simple and honest and contained. You don't need to use as much expression, as much feeling. Some characters will boil over, and that's another thing, but a lot of times I think you can just do very, very little.

Movies are hard work. The public doesn't see that. The critics don't see it. But they're a lot of work. A lot of work.

I'm not a big football person at all.

I don't get into these long-winded heavy discussions about character - do we do this or that or what. At the end of the day, what you gotta do is just go out there and do it.

You never know what you do that could be totally out of left field, which actually might work and give something fresh to the whole scene, to the character, whatever. If you have that with a director who then knows how to shape it, either in the direction, in the moment, or in the editing, then that's good.

I've never been one of those actors who has touted myself as a fascinating human being. I had to decide early on whether I was to be an actor or a personality.

When you make a drama, you spend all day beating a guy to death with a hammer, or what have you. Or, you have to take a bite out of somebody's face. On the other hand, with a comedy, you yell at Billy Crystal for an hour, and you go home.

With 'Silver Linings,' I didn't feel - I was thinking of certain things, but I just said, 'Let me go with it.' You have to know what you're doing, where you're going with the scenes, and I put a lot of work into that. But when you're out there, at the same time you gotta be ready for anything.

You draw on whatever’s relevant to the part you’re playing. It makes it more personal.

When I was 15, 16, I studied with Stella Adler at the Conservatory of Acting, then I stopped again and went to the Actors Studio when I was 18.

I don't like to watch my own movies - I fall asleep in my own movies.

I'm lucky that I have whatever I had that makes me have a successful career, if you will.

I like to visit L.A., but I wouldn't want to live there.

Everyone's always interested in a dark theme, especially when there's humor connected to it. It seems like that helps, if that's an integral and organic part of the whole story.

In civilized societies, we spend our lifetimes trying to become what is socially acceptable. We're dark and we're light. We all have both sides to us.

Every set up that you do, everything is precisely modulated and raised and lowered.”

I don't remember what made me want to be an actor. In fact, I'm always curious.

You always learn something about movies. Directing or acting, there's always something new. It's the technological thing; there's always something to learn.

Movies are hard to make, and you have to work toward a common ethic and do your best. You don't want to work with people who don't care or who are acting out some neurotic, crazy thesis on the set.

As an actor who's starting out, you can't say, "Hey, I'm too good for this." You gotta do it, because people see you, your name gets around, and it has a cumulative effect.

New York is more exciting, I guess, than even Paris or London. New York's the center of something; I don't know what, really - the center of a lot of things. With all its problems and chaos and craziness, it's still a great place to live. I can't see myself living anywhere else.

You don't need words to express feelings.

Auditions are like a gamble. Most likely you won't get the part, but if you don't go, you'll never know if you could've got it.

I can get around pretty easily. People don't expect to see me walking around.

Sometimes if you have financial restraints, it's a benefit. It forces you to come up with a more creative way.

I guess the only thing to do now is meet his parents. I'm sure they're decent people. I mean they gotta be if they named their son Gaylord Focker.

Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt.

The saddest thing in life is wasted talent

One regret I have: I didn't get as much of the family history as I could have for the kids.

If De Niro wants to spend the twilight of his career as the McDonald's of master thespians, we can't stop him.

I will not hesitate. Not for a second.

You talking to me? You talking to me? Then who the hell else are you talking to - you talking to me? Well, I'm the only one here.

I always say people can call me anything they want as long as they don't call me late for supper.

You have to think about one shot. One shot is what it's all about. A deer's gotta be taken with one shot.

Reputation, you know – a lifetime to build, seconds to destroy.

A lot of young actors have the idea that, "I've got to do this right. There's a right way to do this." But there's no right or wrong. There's only good and bad. And "bad" usually happens when you're trying too hard to do it right. There's a very broad spectrum of things that can inhibit you. The most important thing for actors - and not just actors, but everybody - is to feel loose enough to create what you want to create, and be free to try anything. To have choices.

There is only one way to gain access to the truth and that is to not expect anything.

If you're an actor, always be true to your character. If you are not an actor, have character and always be true to yourself.

Some day a real rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets.

If you don't go, you'll never know.

I always wanted to direct. Directing is a lot more of a commitment though, a lot more time. I like directors who do very few takes, they know what they want.

I got some bad ideas in my head.

Everybody's in New York and, hopefully, my younger kids will go to college in New York and find something they want to do so they'll stay in the city

When you make a movie, everyone should leave their own personal problems at home. When they start bringing those to set, filming can be very difficult... You don't need any extra drama. Put the drama into the story, in the characters.

Things rarely turn out the way we want them to.

In the casino, the cardinal rule is to keep them playing and to keep them coming back. The longer they play, the more they lose, and in the end, we get it all...

'What's the difference between sex and love?' Hmm. That's a good question. Hey, you interviewed Al Pacino. How'd he answer that?'

I think that's what we love about the vodka, is that it's consistent. It's consistent in its pureness and that's how I tie it to restaurants.

When I think of a good restaurant, it's where the food has been consistent; there's always a consistency.

As an actor, you use the things from yourself that you can apply to the character.

It's a very stressful thing, directing a movie. You have the budget, you have the schedule, you are in certain confines, and you have everybody giving you advice about what to do.

You don't have to rush to do anything.

Even I like to go to certain restaurants and places where you have to wear a jacket, a suit and a tie, and I like that sort of old world style. I am sure it will come back in many ways, if it hasn't already. It's kind of nice and it breaks it up.

Certain writers have it very precise and there's not much room to add something.

I have either a cucumber martini, gin martini, or a vodka martini. That's it. Simple.

The older you get, the more you know about certain things.

The bottom line is if the movie does well, everybody is happy and they forget about what they went through. And if it doesn't, it's 'I told you.' There's one director who I won't mention, who said, 'it's all blood under the bridge.'

If we do a sequel, I want to beat somebody's ass!

There are certain things I am clueless about as far as the new technologies. I see these people in front of these computers all day and I don't know what they are doing - they are doing something, obviously - with Facebook, Instagram and all that. I am aware of it, but basically not in touch.

Feeling a little bit alive is a lot better than just waiting to die.

Thank God for the rain to wash the trash off the sidewalk.

Italy has changed. But Rome is Rome.

I have to be able to trust you with my life. Do you understand?

Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.

Loneliness has been following me my whole life.

Running a casino is like robbing a bank with no cops around. For guys like me, Las Vegas washes away your sins. It's like a morality car wash.

You do what you do best, try to stop guys like me

I hurt someone's feelings once.

The hardest thing about being famous is that ... in a conversation everybody's agreeing with what you're saying. ... You need people who can tell you what you don't want to hear.

Somebody steals from me, I'm gonna say you stole. Not talk to him for spitting on the sidewalk. Understand?

Ok let me explain, if you were bitten by a mad infected dog, who will you blame? the dog or its owner? Definitely the owner, so, all the blame is on the USA Government’s shoulders for adopting and supporting a state like Israel

Better to be king for a night than a schmuck for a lifetime.

The one thing I always talk about in terms of restaurants is consistency. I think that's what we love about the vodka, is that it's consistent. It's consistent in its pureness and that's how I tie it to restaurants. When I think of a good restaurant, it's where the food has been consistent; there's always a consistency.