14 DAY TRIAL // Robert De Niro is a famously difficult interview subject, mostly because he will choose to answer questions with a Yes or a No if possible. Emma Brockes from Radio Times managed to secure a chat with him on the current promotional tour for “The Intern,” out in theaters this Friday, but it didn’t get off to a good start.
The interview ended abruptly when De Niro deemed the questions as having “negative inference” and he stormed out of the room telling Brockes “I’m not doing this, darling,” The Independent reports.
De Niro was in a foul mood, Brockes alleges
De Niro had given signs from the start that he was only doing the press rounds because he was contractually bound to, Brockes hints. She says he appeared “depressed” and answered questions “glumly,” without making the slightest attempt to be engaging.
However, the tipping point came when Brockes asked him about his method when acting and how he made sure he didn’t go into “autopilot” mode on the set of a movie. She also remarked that the Tribeca district of New York had been overtaken by bankers after he started the famous Tribeca Film Festival.
De Niro took offense with both questions, saying they had “negative inferences” and charging that Brockes was probably not even aware of it. Admittedly, he looked very upset and desperate to get out of the room, even putting his head out the door, looking for an aide to escort him out.
He informed her that he “was not doing this, darling,” which is when she told him he was being “condescending” to her. De Niro let her know that he could be much more so, if he wanted.
Brockes admits she lost her cool
The aforementioned publication has the transcript of the interview. As of the time of writing, the actor is yet to address the incident, but knowing him, he is probably not even thinking of taking this course of action.
For her part, Brockes admits that she lost her temper, which must have made things worse.
“I have sympathy with De Niro because nobody wants to be there for these choreographed junket interviews,” she tells the publication. “I was expecting him to be a little quiet but the combination of hostility and condescension irritated me and I ended up losing my cool. I certainly didn’t go in looking for an argument but when it happened I did think ‘at least he’s finally saying something’.”