Robert De Niro is among the most distinguished actors in Hollywood. The two-time Oscar-winning talent has constantly, ever since his acting debut, offered audiences a comprehensive look into his immersive, versatile depictions of several well-written characters. The world has never once seen a role that the esteemed actor has not been able to embody with his utmost dedication and devotion. De Niro has simply set the standards too high.
However, in 2016’s raunchy comedy Dirty Grandpa, directed by British screenwriter and producer Dan Mazer, De Niro was required to take on an extremely unconventional role, alongside Zac Efron. It marked a rather unusual turning point for the famed actor, who is renowned for mostly playing intense characters. Fans of the star were also quite taken aback by De Niro’s decision to do this film.
The rather off-beat experiences that the talent encountered during the movie’s shooting resulted in some hilarious anecdotes. One such peculiar tale unraveled amidst the filming of a s*x scene between Robert De Niro and Aubrey Plaza.
Aubrey Plaza’s Unusual Experience With Robert De Niro
Making an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Agatha: Coven of Chaos alum Aubrey Plaza detailed her experiences of having to share an intimate scene with the Hollywood veteran. In the $25 million budget film, the actress had to play the role of Lenore; a character whose primary goal was to have s*x with De Niro’s character. The following is how Plaza described her role in the film:
“The movie is—my character, Lenore, is uh—to me, it’s a love story. We are soulmates, you know. I’m going to spring break with my friends and uh, Robert De Niro’s character lies and says he’s a professor and my character has this—kind of like obsession with having s*x with a professor. So I kind of zeroed in on him. And I’m like, ‘I’m gonna f*ck you.'”
Plaza’s role entailed awkward interactions with De Niro. What happened was that the suggestive scenes were not completely planned out; they did not have a script to fall back on. The two actors were not particularly aware of how the sequence was supposed to happen. This would result in director Dan Mazer spitballing ideas centered around what the Parks and Recreation alum could potentially do during those scenes.
One such idea involved Robert De Niro‘s n*pples. What ensued was a rather awkward, mostly hilarious interaction between the two talents.
Robert De Niro Was Not A Fan Of The Bizarre Suggestion
The 39-year-old star recalled Dan Mazer telling her, “In the next take, Aubrey, why don’t you suck on his n*pples? Try that.” An unsure Aubrey Plaza reiterated the bizarre suggestion. Mazer only echoed his previous statement. With that, the actress could only comply. She decided to try the idea out. What Plaza did not prepare for was Robert De Niro subsequently “batting” her away.
This is how she recounted the extraordinary experience:
“He was, like, batting me away. And I didn’t know if it was, like, in character or not, because you never know with him. And um, they cut the camera, and then Dan called me back, and he’s like, ‘Bob does not like his n*pple area paid attention to. So don’t do that!’ and I was like, ‘Great. Now he thinks that I wanted to do that…'”
The comically embarrassing nature of the incident is sure to haunt anyone. One can only wonder how Aubrey Plaza managed to bear it. Barring such unusual occurrences, the Funny People alum did end up impressing the acclaimed Hollywood legend—and this the actress did with her ability to throw up in one take!
Although the 2016 comedy did not perform well amongst critics and audiences, sitting with a 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the endeavor quite definitely allowed the stars to create and hold on to several amusing memories.
Dirty Grandpa is available for streaming on Netflix.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live
