When Martin Scorsese revealed on the set of host Jimmy Fallon what was his favorite scene of all the collaborations with his favorite actor Robert de Niro, it necessarily gives a particularly tasty sequence…
There were many duos who left their mark on the history of the 7th Art: Federico Fellini and Marcello Mastroianni; Francois Truffaut and Jean-Pierre Leaud; John Ford and John Wayne, Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski… And of course Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese.
The filmmaker would perhaps never have become what he is today without the decisive encounter he had with the actor. Both from Little Italy, these Italian-Americans have always given their best by working together.
It is probably no coincidence that the films in which the actor plays are considered to be the filmmaker’s major successes. Going much further than a “simple” relationship between a director and his actor, the relationship between De Niro and Scorsese was fusional, the actor becoming his true alter ego. They thus toured ten times together; their latest collaboration, after The Irishman, being the highly anticipated Killers of The Flower Moon.
The Twitter account All The Right Movies has just unearthed a small extract of a beautiful nugget; in this case a part of the interview of the filmmaker by the host Jimmy Fallon in his Talk Show, which dates from 2016.
Scorsese rightly evokes his fusional relationship with his favorite actor. The animator then asks him what is the scene he prefers of all the works he has shot with him. Scorsese replies that it is a scene from The Freedmen. In this case the one, absolutely cult (like almost 99% of the film), where the kingpin Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) has the misfortune to tease the touchy Tommy (Joe Pesci).
“You’re not breaking my balls Billy, ok?” Tommy swings at the boss who is celebrating his release from prison. Who replies: “Hey Tommy, if I really wanted to break them for you, I’d tell you to get your shoe shine box!”
Glad to see this awesome scene again…