9 REAL Acting Moments Created By Deception
2. Robert De Niro Made Sure Jerry Lewis Hated Him For Real - The King Of Comedy
As far as we’re aware, there’s not an anti-Semitic bone in Mean Streets’ star/ screen legend Robert De Niro’s body. So why would we even feel the need to write such a specific clarification?
Well, whilst filming one of Martin Scorsese’s string of underrated eighties flicks, most of which inexplicably flopped upon release (shout out to the brilliant After Hours and The Last Temptation of Christ), Robert De Niro took an, er, risky route to improving his chemistry with co-star Jerry Lewis.
As Robert Pupkin, a wannabe stand-up/ successful sociopath, De Niro must have felt he was far too likeable for comedy icon Lewis to act frustrated and freaked out by his persistent and aggressive stalking of him. At least that’s the only explanation for why De Niro opted to make anti-Semitic comments around Lewis, ensuring the actor would harbour a genuine dislike for him by the time cameras were rolling.
Here’s hoping he had a chance to explain his logic later on, mind you.