Robert De Niro was furious Monday night when an allegedly edited speech he delivered via prompter caused him to mess up his lines.
The 80-year-old acting icon attended the Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York City to give a speech in honor of his critically acclaimed Western crime epic Killers Of The Flower Moon, directed by his longtime friend and collaborator Martin. Scorsese.
But during the speech, which preceded him accepting the Gotham Historical Icon and Creator Tribute award on behalf of the film, the Taxi Driver star appeared to become confused and paused for a moment before returning and trying to explain which had upset him.
De Niro – who was joined at the Gotham Awards by his co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone – made it clear that he originally planned to include some cutting comments about former President Donald Trump, but he seemingly blamed the awards show and Apple, which Killers Of The Flower Moon for editing his comments.
Trump has long been despised by De Niro, and the star has targeted him mercilessly for years since he stepped up his public criticism in the run-up to the 2016 election. Last month, De Niro sent a statement that could be read in his absence at the Stop Trump Summit, organized by The New Republic magazine.
Out of his element: Robert De Niro, 80, fudged his lines and looked confused after part of his anti-Trump speech was reportedly edited out without his knowledge at the 2023 Gotham Awards on Monday
Accept: De Niro paid tribute to his new film Killers Of The Flower Moon (pictured) and accepted the Gotham Historical Icon and Creator Tribute Award on his behalf
‘I’m going back. I’m sorry. Okay, there was an error. I will continue. Just keep scrolling,” he said at the Gotham Awards, while clearly frustrated, via Variety. ‘Filmmakers, on the other hand, strive for it. I came in here and saw them editing it all.’
“I just want to say one thing,” De Niro continued. “The beginning of my speech was edited and excised, and I knew nothing about it. And I want to read it.
‘History is no longer history. Truth is not truth. Even facts are being replaced by alternative facts and driven by conspiracy theories and ugliness,” he said, expanding on his earlier comments.
“In Florida, young students are taught that slaves learn skills that can be applied to their personal benefit,” De Niro continued. “The entertainment industry is not immune to this festering disease.
He also referenced a racist statement from a 1971 Playboy interview with John Wayne.
The Duke, John Wayne, famously said of the Native Americans, ‘I do not feel that we have done anything wrong in taking this great country from them. There were large numbers of people who needed new land and the Indians selfishly tried to keep it. for themselves.”
‘Lying has simply become a tool in the charlatan’s arsenal. The former president lied to us more than 30,000 times during his four years in office. And he’s keeping up the pace in his current campaign of retaliation. But despite all his lies, he cannot hide his soul,” De Niro continued. ‘He attacks the weak, destroys the gifts of nature and shows disrespect by, for example, using Pocahontas as a slur.
De Niro ended by criticizing the Gotham Awards and Killers Of The Flower Moon’s producer Apple, who he seemingly blamed for omitting some of his comments.
After saying he’d gotten to the part of his speech where he had to thank Apple and the Gotham Awards, he said, “But I don’t feel like thanking them at all for what they’ve done.”
“I just want to say one thing,” De Niro continued. “The beginning of my speech was edited and excised, and I knew nothing about it. And I want to read it’
Furious: He criticized right-wing laws passed across the country in recent years and attacked former President Donald Trump
No shame: At the end he said that he would normally thank the producer of his film Apple and the Gotham Awards, but he didn’t feel like it anymore. “How dare they do that?” he said in bewilderment
Costars: De Niro was surrounded on stage by DiCaprio and a number of Native American actors and members of the Osage Nation who advised on the making of the film
‘How dare they actually do that? But now I’m going to accept the award…” he concluded before the Gotham Historical Icon and Creator Tribute was presented to Killers Of The Flower Moon.
De Niro was surrounded on stage by DiCaprio and a number of Native American actors and members of the Osage Nation who provided advice on the making of the film.
The film, which is based on David Grann’s nonfiction book of the same name, chronicles how the Osage Nation became one of the richest people in the world in the early 20th century after the seemingly worthless land they were forced to move to in Oklahoma. turned out to be due to the oil.
However, white members of the community began stealing money from the tribe by having many of its members declared “incompetent,” forcing them into receivership.
Others were murdered by their white husbands to collect their share of the oil money, sometimes by poisoning, while others were simply shot or even killed with explosives.
The reign of terror led and the investigation into it eventually led to the creation of the modern FBI.
So far, the epic film has received rave reviews, with critics singling out De Niro, DiCaprio and Gladstone in particular.
Gladstone won one of the most important prizes at the ceremony, but surprisingly not before Killers.
Instead, she won the Outstanding Lead Actress award for The Unknown Country, an indie drama in which she stars as a woman who goes on a road trip after the grandmother she cares for dies.
Dark: His film Killers Of The Flower Moon describes how Osage Nation members were murdered by white people in their community after oil was discovered on their land
Catching up: De Niro was spotted chatting with his co-star Lily Gladstone, who won one of the top acting awards for The Unknown Country, while sitting with his girlfriend Tiffany Chen
Coupled: Earlier in the evening, De Niro was spotted at the Gotham Awards with his girlfriend Tiffany Chen
Lucky number seven: In May this year, he revealed that the couple had welcomed a child, his seventh
On the way: Tiffany was able to walk into the building — and bypass the red carpet — wearing an all-black ensemble, and De Niro was covered in a dark suit
The win will likely make Gladstone an Oscar frontrunner, although she is much more likely to be nominated for Killers Of The Flower Moon.
Earlier in the evening, De Niro was spotted at the Gotham Awards with his girlfriend Tiffany Chen.
In May this year, he revealed that the couple had welcomed a child, his seventh.
Tiffany was seen walking into the building — and bypassing the red carpet — wearing an all-black ensemble, and De Niro was covered in a dark suit.