NEW YORK ‒ Robert De Niro is the king of the crime thriller.
The two-time Oscar-winning legend has starred in some of the most enduring movies of the last 50 years, from gritty New York dramas "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver," to masterful mob epics "Goodfellas," "Casino" and "The Godfather Part II."
Now, the "Heat" actor is back in action with Netflix's "The Whisper Man" (streaming Aug. 28), a spine-chilling adaptation of Alex North's 2019 mystery novel. Directed by James Ashcroft, the movie follows a recently widowed crime writer named Tom Kennedy (Adam Scott), whose young son Jake (Acston Luca Porto) is abducted. Tom calls on his estranged dad Pete (De Niro), a retired police detective, for help, and they soon uncover an eerie link to a convicted
serial killer known as the Whisper Man.
The film, which co-stars Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton, taps into primal fears of the unknown and danger lurking in our own backyards.
The randomness of such crimes is "the thing that's so scary, especially today," says De Niro, seated with USA TODAY at a Central Park hotel on a recent afternoon. "I mean, when I was a kid, you were always worried about the same things. But it seemed to be less intense in the '40s and early '50s."
De Niro, 83, has a full plate with the upcoming comedy sequel "Focker-in-Law" (in theaters Nov. 25) co-starring Ariana Grande, whom he raves is both "terrific" and "very professional." The father of seven is also busy at home with his 3-year-old daughter, Gia, with partner Tiffany Chen.
He tells us what he's been watching, his hopes for the year ahead, and much more:
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Question: You’ve starred in many crime dramas through the years. What set this one apart?
Robert De Niro: When I read the script, I liked the fact that there was this family drama going on between the father and the estranged son, and then the thriller aspects sort of rolled into each other. That was good. It's just an interesting movie. I met James, I liked him and that was it. I said, “I’m in.”
You and Michael Keaton were both in Quentin Tarantino's “Jackie Brown,” although you didn’t actually share scenes together. What was it like to finally get to act alongside him in this?
It was good. He was perfect for it. I don't even know how it came about, but I was very happy that he was doing it.
Between this film, “The Irishman” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” you’ve been doing some of your very best work in recent years. Aside from the obvious ‒ a good script, good cast, good director ‒ what has changed about how you pick projects now?
Especially as you get older, I have less time to waste, so I have to be very careful. I have to juggle between family time, doing a project, where it'll be, and how much time it'll be. Then I’m able to commit to it fully, yet still be [present] with all my other obligations, especially family.
Has Martin Scorsese floated any ideas of potential films you could reunite on?
I hope so, but I don't know. I have other projects that I'm working on with people that are substantial, but I don't know when they'll be done. I imagine probably not before the new year.
You just celebrated your birthday last week. What are you most hopeful for in the next year: personally, professionally or even just for the world in general?
I don't even use the word “hope” anymore with [President Trump's] administration. They have to be gotten out. ... They are stupid for following him because they ought to know better, the rest of his gang. We can't have them in office anymore. It can't be. He's just going to destroy not only the country, but other parts of the world. It's insane. That's a big concern of mine, and I think a lot of people now.
When he shares an AI-generated video saying that you and other celebrities have “derangement syndrome,” do you pay attention? Or do you not even want to give it oxygen?
“Trump Derangement Syndrome” is because he’s given it to you for a reason. People resent deeply what he’s doing. There’s some that follow him ... under any conditions. Whatever their reasons are, I don't know. It's a cult, I guess, in some ways.
The thing that always amazes me is that if he had just been a decent person and tried to do the right thing, we wouldn't be in this situation. But he's not. And I think a lot of it happened from [Trump hosting] “The Apprentice.”
Kids are looking at [it in] their mid-teens, then they’re eligible to vote later and they vote with a family. So I think that part of the country watching “The Apprentice" had a tremendous influence. I could be wrong on why he got elected. It’s crazy. (USA TODAY has reached out to the White House for comment.)
Your youngest daughter is still quite little, but is there a film of yours that you’re most excited to show her when she gets a bit older?
My older kids now, I used to joke and threaten to show them “Cape Fear” if they misbehaved. (Laughs.) No, there’s a couple of films she could see. “Focker” is coming out on Thanksgiving, and then there’s “The War with Grandpa” and “Meet the Parents.”
I read that your teenage daughter, Helen, is a big fan of “Outer Banks” and that you watch it with her. Is there another film or TV show that she’s put you onto?
Well, I used to walk by when she was watching “Outer Banks.” Then there was the Netflix one. It’s kind of sci-fi. What is it? They're doing a big play of it on Broadway?
“Stranger Things”?
Yeah, I was in the kitchen when she was watching it and I said, “This is interesting.” So I watched that and then we went to see the play. That was really good. And then more recently, she was watching “Modern Family” – the old [episodes], like 10 years old – and they were terrific. So I started watching those with her.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Robert De Niro slams Trump 'cult' before Netflix movie premiere
