“That was not his kind of role”: Robert De Niro Offered to Act in Martin Scorsese’s $33M Movie Starring Spider-Man Actor Despite Hating The Role

Robert De Niro has worked on some of the impeccable projects thus establishing himself among the most influential personalities in the acting industry. From gaining influence in the 1960s, he gained wider recognition with his role as Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part II. 

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Around the same time, he worked with Martin Scorsese which drastically changed the trajectory of both personalities. However, there was a project that the actor offered to act in but revealed he was not much interested in it.

Robert De Niro Wanted to Work in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ

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Martin Scorsese has set a great standard with his directorial films in the Hollywood world. However, his 1988 film, The Last Temptation of Christ was quite a controversial project which could have almost featured Robert De Niro in the lead role.

In an interview with Deadline, the former made things clear about the report which stated that the filmmaker wanted him to play the role in the film.

He replied,

“No, that’s not true. Not really. That was a myth that’s been started.”

He further mentioned that the studio wanted him to talk to the actor which he did despite knowing that he was not the right fit for the role.

“Everyone else involved with it, their producers and the studio asked me to talk to Bob about doing it. Out of respect for everyone, including Bob, we did have a conversation but I knew that was not his kind of role.”

However, he only offered the role upon being asked to do so.

“He did tell me, listen, if you have trouble getting it made, I’ll do it for you. But it was a different time. But primarily, I was going off on my own and the studio and my producers said could you please talk to Bob about it. I said, okay.”

Given that he was not much into it, the director thought that Willem Dafoe would be the right fit for the Jesus role.

Willem Dafoe’s Thoughts on Working in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ

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Marvel actor, Willem Dafoe starred as the lead protagonist in The Last Temptation of Christ. Sharing his working experience, he opened up in an awards ceremony stating that he was amazed at himself for not hesitating since we all know by now about the controversy it created in Hollywood.

“When I look back on Last Temptation [of Christ] I’m amazed, I think it was a little crazy that I didn’t even worry about playing that role.”

However, he had nothing but good opinions about the $33 million movie as he stated, “It was just a dream for an actor and the best film experience I’ve ever had in my life”. 

He also felt “privileged” to be a part of that project mentioning that the film director had transformed and inspired him.

Source: Deadline