although Meryl Streep often asked which actresses she looks for career inspiration, she says her greatest inspiration in her long, successful career has been Robert de Niro.
Speaking at the University of Texas Celebration of Film, an event that spotlights De Niro and his personal film archive, Streep gave a moving speech about her long friendship with the actor.
The actress, 73, said she has strived to pursue De Niro’s career since the second she saw the film. Average streets actor on the big screen.
“But really, the second time I saw Robert De Niro, I said to myself, ‘That’s the kind of actor I want to be. That’s what I want to do. And I want to do it with the dedication and the passion and the skill. and the beauty with which he applies it. And he has been my beacon for 50 years,” she said.
Streep and De Niro would star in four films together, including: the deer hunter and Marvin’s room, and developed a close friendship over the years. Although Streep says she and De Niro don’t actually talk that much, the… Cab driver actor is always present in her life.
“…He is a man whose presence in my life has been a comforting constant for 40 years. But I don’t see him often. We don’t talk. But I know that, without a doubt, he is always there for me and will he always stay,” she said. “He is a man who lives by his loyalty to his ideals, to his country and to the people he loves.”
De Niro impressed Streep from the first time she saw him
Streep also recalled seeing De Niro on the big screen for the first time in 1973 Beat the drum slowly. She’d gone to the movies to support college friend Michael Moriarty, and while his performance was “amazing,” she was much more impressed with De Niro.
“Michael was great, but we all agreed that the kid they found in the South, not an actor, clearly not an actor, did an incredible job. We thought they must have scoured Appalachia to find this man,” said they.
But it wasn’t long before she discovered the extent of De Niro’s talent. Shortly after, Streep saw Martin Scorsese’s Average streetsand found a familiar face.
“…There’s the man, there’s the same kid. And only he’s not slow. He’s not southern. He’s a New York punk. He’s absolutely mean, this fast-talking street smart guy and we were blown away,” said they. “We scanned the credits and saw his name. I said, ‘Oh my God.’ He’s Italian. He’s Robert De Niro. He’s an actor. And it really blew me away.”