De Niro shares secrets with Brian Williams

By Andrea Mandell, USA TODAY

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  By Andy Kropa, Getty Images

  NBC News anchor Brian Williams, left, and Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Robert De Niro attend Tribeca Talks Directors Series: Robert De Niro With Brian Williams during the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival in New York on Saturday.

By Andy Kropa, Getty Images

NBC News anchor Brian Williams, left, and Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Robert De Niro attend Tribeca Talks Directors Series: Robert De Niro With Brian Williams during the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival in New York on Saturday.

Robert De Niro is known for his big-screen roles, but in real life, he isn't into the role of interview subject. And so, when NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams interviewed De Niro at Day 3 of the Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, the big-screen superstar offered a handful of light and humorous moments.

Here are some highlights of what the Oscar-winning actor and festival co-founder had to say:

1. It's no secret that De Niro isn't a big fan of giving interviews. So much so that when co-founder Jane Rosenthal got up to introduce the duo, she recalled receiving Williams' request to interview the Little Fockers star. "Great idea," she told him, "But have you seen Bob's interviews?" Williams replied that he'd interview him "as a fan." Was Williams able to break De Niro out of his shell? The answer was typically no, with the audience along for the ride, laughing freely when the star's answers stopped short.

Here are some examples:

Williams: "How are you when people come up to you?"

De Niro: "I'm OK. People come up to me, they say 'Hey Bob.' That's it."

Williams: "Would you say that you're an introvert?"

De Niro: "I guess in some ways I am and some ways I'm not."

Williams asked why De Niro shipped off his archives to the University of Texas.

"They were the only people that would take it," replied De Niro.

Williams: "When was the last time you watched Taxi Driver in full?"

De Niro couldn't remember: "If I find it on TV I might look at part of it. Or some of it."

2. "I don't do that, Brian," said DeNiro when Williams pressed to see what the actor does when scrolling through movie channels like HBO and Starz and sees Goodfellasor Raging Bull on. "I watch the news. I watch you. I'm very set in my ways. I watch NBC News, I watch Today."

3. He reads scripts on his iPad! "It's fast," said De Niro. "I force myself to read scripts more quickly on it."

4. He's political. The only time De Niro really perked up was when Williams questioned him on politics. "I think of the possibility of the government shutdown and I think, how did we let this happen?" said De Niro. "I know (President) Obama was trying to bridge the gap. His intentions were good. A lot of these people, their intentions were not good. They're playing with people's lives."

5. Williams saved the best for last, reading the glowing one-line description devoted to DeNiro from the actor's page at IMDB.com: "Robert Mario De Niro, who is thought as one of the greatest actors of his time, was born in New York City in 1943 to two artists." As applause rose in waves, De Niro hushed the crowd: "Wait, I want to say one thing. My middle name is Anthony."

"What the h?-!" exclaimed Williams, pulling out his iPad. "I've got their app!"

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