Anyone able to shed light on how the two got on off screen? DeNiro can be hard to work with especially if his character is not meant to like you in the film. Any feedback would be great
i thought this was america? huh isnt this america, im sorry i thought this was america
In an interview I heard some years ago DeNiro said Midnight Run was the most fun he'd had making a film so I guess they got on fine. I think you can tell from their on-screen chemistry that they got on. Some scenes seem almost improvised to me ("why don't you put the cigarette out" for example) and DeNiro seems to be struggling to contain his laughter.
shareYeah, seen that said before. Was hoping there would be some quotes. Thanks for the reply
shareGrodin discusses the filming of Midnight Run in his book, It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here. If memory serves, Grodin was starstruck by DeNiro, who responded by being civil to Grodin between takes. One anecdote I remember is that DeNiro did his own stunts in the rapids-swimming scene. After testing the rapids, DeNiro told director Martin Brest that he could not recommend that Grodin do his own stunts for that scene. So at least he liked Grodin enough to save his life when necessary.
shareCheers for the replys folks, sorry bout the frodin thing
Back in the mid-90s, when Grodin had a late night talk show (similar to Tom Snyder and Charlie Rose), he once talked about the way Hollywood works. He spoke of "Midnight Run", and said, " Hollywood in the end only cares about the money. They don't care if you're entertained and they don't care about making quality work that they can be proud of. I did a picture with Robert De Niro called "Midnight Run". It was a great picture, it was the most fun I've ever had making a picture, and it was, I think, the best work I've ever done. Certainly De Niro was great, and it was honor for me to work with him. But it didn't make a lot of money. Universal doesn't want to make another movie with me and Robert De Niro, no matter how good it might be. But, you know what they DO want to do? They want to make a another picture with me and a dog. Beethoven. That made money, so they want to do another one."
I had this show on tape forever.
I miss those quiet, late night programs from that era, with just a host and a star in a studio, talking, having a conversation. No studio audience, no planned out gags, no superficial funny banter mixed with a brief plug for a movie or record. Just Tom Snyder or Charlie Rose or Charles Grodin, talking serious film with Harvey Keitel or Robert De Niro or Al Pacino or Willem Dafoe or James Woods or Martin Scorsese. The closest thing in more recent times is Tavis Smiley. I also always liked Inside the Actors Studio with james Lipton, even though there was an audience there.
Seriously grateful for that response mate. Very interesting and very true also. Hollywood wants to make a lot of crap that makes money(transformers films a fine example) Never got to saw Charles Grodins show, here in Ireland we got Leno, letterman and Conan. Those talk shows were never my thing, always appeared very weak on cutting comedy to me.
shareI'm sure that's all true what Grodin wrote. But do you know why that's true? Because people will pay to see that stuff. It *does* make money. That simple. Also why anyone who excuses Hollywood crap as "ah, it's just a movie" deserves a kick in the balls.
And yes, Tom Snyder was the bomb. I also miss Later with Bob Costas. Intelligent and interesting TV instead of the three-ring idiot circus we've had since 1990 or so.
"You didn't come into this life just to sit around on a dugout bench, did ya?"
I appreciate your comment about the talk shows. I'm old enough to remember Tom Snyder's show "Tomorrow" back in the 70's. I was in high school at the time. Watching it made me feel like a member of an elite club, like I was getting a sneak-peek into the world of smart adults. There was something special about sitting up late listening to conversation that was too intelligent to be broadcast in prime-time. Heck, nowadays I can't imagine one of the mainstream commercial networks airing anything like that even at 1:00 AM.
Tavis Smiley is all right, but I'm surprised you didn't mention Charlie Rose's nightly show on PBS. I think Charlie Rose rules. Plus he's on for an hour, sometimes spending the entire hour one-on-one with one guest. You don't find that too many places.
>> But it didn't make a lot of money. Universal doesn't want to make another movie with me and Robert De Niro, no matter how good it might be.
$81,613,606 worldwide in 1988 was a modest hit! Stating it made no money is just not true. Also, it must have made a ton of money on video and has likely been a steady earner for the studio over the years. That's the great thing about making quality movies—people watch them over and over; they have a long shelf life.
Look up Charles Grodin on Letterman on youtube, 1988 (there might be several appearances, so you have to study them). On One he discusses working with De Niro.
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