Known for portraying a tough guy persona on screen, Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro stormed out of an interview owing to questions being interpreted as a "negative inference." However, the Radio Times journalist has forgiven De Niro's actions saying she "felt sympathy" and puts it down to the actor being grumpy and "knackered."
The star of "Raging Bull" was at the time being interviewed about his latest film "The Intern" when De Niro objected to a question directed to him by writer Emma Brockes. De Niro had been unhappy that the question had implied that the Tribeca Film Festival co-founded by the actor was now overrun by bankers and how he kept from turning on the "autopilot" mode while on set.
The journalist told the Guardian just at that moment the actor asked her to pause her recorder and began pacing "madly" and eventually cut the interview show citing her "negative inference" in her line of questioning. De Niro then stuck his head out of the room to locate someone to help take him out of the studio.
Brockes told the publication she was a bit taken a back by the actor's response and "felt sympathy" for De Niro who had previously been sitting through consecutive interviews with foreign media to promote "The Intern."
According to Brockes, the interview was not hostile. The writer said she remained respectful and polite but added when "someone is uncooperative, when they are obviously grumpy and knackered, you ask them a number of straightforward questions and you leave."
Meanwhile, earlier on in the year De Niro together with co-stars of classic 90s gangster film "Goodfellas" reunited in New York for a special 25th anniversary screening of Martin Scorsese's iconic film at the Tribeca Film Festival, according to the Daily Mail.
The cast reunion included Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino while director Scorsese was out of the country filming was unable to attend.