Robert De Niro on "the slimiest people who ever lived"

When you think of Robert De Niro, a bevvy of iconic characters might sprint to mind, from his work on Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and even a younger version of The Godfather. These roles have cemented his status as a cinematic legend, with the actor being considered by many as the best of the best.

However, off-camera, De Niro has his own set of stories, tales that match his most heart-racing stories in terms of thrills and action. One of these exciting episodes saw De Niro in an unpleasant encounter with what he described as the “slimiest people who ever lived”.

Beneath the sprawling arches and narrow alleyways of Rome, De Niro experienced a thriller straight out of a movie script. Recounting the story in a 1989 interview with Playboy, he painted the city not just as a glitzy getaway but as a backdrop to a chase with an unyielding horde of paparazzi. While hanging out with Harvey Keitel on the press tour for their 1984 film Falling In Love, an attempt to escape persistent photographers turned into a wild and dangerous car chase.

When the law intervened, the actor thanked his lucky stars and awaited justice to be dispensed. But, as sirens wailed and lights flashed, the story took a surreal and unfortunate turn. Pinned against a wall by officers with machine guns drawn, De Niro faced an irony – while he and Keitel were cornered, the paparazzi freely captured every moment.

Despite not being officially arrested, pictures nevertheless ended up in a London paper a few days later – a big spread of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars “up against the wall”, claiming that the two had been placed under arrest. And all this despite being reassured by the polizia that, regarding the paparazzi pictures, there would be “no problem”.

Despite sensationalist headlines, De Niro confirms they “didn’t put us in jail”. Instead, they were simply brought to the station, where they “just sat around and talked”. According to the actor, some of the cops decided to try and insinuate that by playing a “bully” in Taxi Driver, this somehow made De Niro more likely to be involved with some criminal activity in Rome. After having their time wasted, “They finally let us go”.

Out of all the outrageous behaviour, however, it wasn’t the police that got De Niro riled up. It was the paparazzi who had followed them to the station and then had the gall to argue with De Niro that “they had a right to take a picture.”

Having privacy invaded is one thing, but having the perpetrator claim they’re entitled to do the invasion is a new level of audacity. For De Niro, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. So, for anyone with a whiff of fame about them and bound for Italy, remember De Niro’s warning: “The paparazzi in Italy are the worst.” The word originates from Italian, after all.