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Since kickstarting their working relationship back in the early ’70s withMean Streets, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have delivered several classics throughout the last five decades. But arguably the best work to come out of their collaborations remainsRaging Bull, which tells the true story of boxer Jake LaMotta, often considered Scorsese’s magnum opus.
While the film barely turned a profit upon its release, it became the gold standard for any sports drama moving forward. And to perfect his part, De Niro took extreme measures, despite being warned against by the producer, which ended up being detrimental to his health.
Also read:After Robert De Niro Dropped Out of The Departed, There Was a Sequel in the Works With De Niro and Mark Wahlberg That Never Happened
Robert De Niro Was Fixated on Gaining Unhealthy Amount of Weight forRaging Bull
FollowingRobert De Niro‘s determination to do justice to the biopic, he was fixated on gaining 50-60lbs amidst production to portray an overweight and washed-up LaMotta in the third act. And while producer Irwin Winkler advised De Niro against the move, stating that this was“the only time I ever had an argument with Bob [De Niro]”, theTaxi DriverStar didn’t back away. This resulted in the actor gaining an ungodly amount of weight, leading to the production taking a brief hiatus.
In aseries of Interviews, Irwin Winkler explained,
“The only time I ever had an argument with Bob [De Niro] in all these years was about gaining the weight. He said to me; ‘shut down production so I can gain 50, 60 pounds’ and I kept saying; ‘it’s not necessary and it’s not good for your health.’ He said; ‘I gotta do it.’”
De Niro’s determination did eventually pay off, as following his immaculate performance in one of the greatest sports films ever made, he took the Oscar for Best Actor home,
Also read:“Scorsese sat there with a loaded gun”: Quentin Tarantino Shared Wild Story Behind the Making of Robert De Niro’s ‘Taxi Driver’
Martin Scorsese Wrapped up Filming as Quickly as Possible to Aid Robert De Niro
While theGoodfellasStar did gain an unhealthy amount of weight to feel like Jake LaMotta, it did take a toll on his health, which was explicit during the later half of the production process.Martin Scorseserecalled that this pushed them to conclude the shooting in less than no time, allowing De Niro to start losing weight soon. Scorsese recounted,
“Ultimately, around Christmas time of ’79, we shot the last 7 or 8 days – and Bob was at full weight. We shot quicker at that point too, because of the weight – you could hear it in his breathing, it was taking its toll. We all agreed, let’s get it over with so he can start losing that weight.”
Also read:“Why would Bob do this is beyond my reckoning”: Is Robert De Niro Reviving ‘Taxi Driver’ With Uber? Movie Screenwriter Doesn’t Hold Back While Addressing Rumor
WithKillers of the Flower Mooninching towards its release, it’ll mark the 11th collaboration between the duo, and fans will hope this isn’t the last of the Scorsese and De Niro’s partnership.
Raging Bullis available to stream on Max.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
