It was the summer of 50 and Meryl Streep who just came out of drama school Graduated in his first year and worked as a urinal cleaner in New Haven, Connecticut.
“The real story,” she recalled Saturday night from the podium in Austin, where her opening eulogy was not about the bathroom but about a performance hero. “I heard that a friend I met in college was in a big movie, and it was the first person I knew to be in a movie. Michael Moriarty is a beautiful young actor. So, all my We all went to see my friend at the movie theater after get off work.”
The movie was directed by John D. Hancock Slow drums about the friendship between the pitcher (Moriarty) and the catcher as they deal with the latter’s terminal illness during the baseball season. “Michael is great, but we all agree that the kid they found in the South, non-actor, obviously non-actor, incredible performance. We think they must be looking for this guy in Appalachia.”
Then, two months later, at the same movie theater, Streep sat down with friends to watch Martin Scorsese’s latest film, Mean Street
s. “And that guy, and the same kid,” Streep recalled. “And only he’s not slow. He’s not Southern. He’s New York punk. He’s absolutely mean, this fast-talking street smart guy, and we were blown away. We searched for the credits and saw his name. I said , ‘Oh my God. He’s Italian. He’s Robert De Niro . He’s an actor. It really blows my mind.”
Streep seems to put the audience in the palm of his hand as he retells the story, tells anecdotes during
Film Celebration , in The Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin and its anniversaries are in the spotlight with a grand event at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center. The center, a humanities research library and museum, has hosted De Niro’s personal archive since 2006, and this year, created a film called De Niro Curator A new fund in honor of the legend. star.
He took the stage to accept the shine, but not before Streep finished her personal tribute.
“For years, people have been saying to me, ‘Which actress do you admire the most? Which actress’ career do you want to emulate?'” Streep said. And added that she has many women she respects, including Geraldine Page, Colleen Dehurst, Vanessa Redgrave, Maggie Smith, Carol Lombard and Barbara Stanwyck. “But really, when I met Robert De Niro the second time, I said to myself, this is the kind of actor I want to be. This is what I want to do. I want to use his commitment, enthusiasm, , skill and beauty to do it. He has been my beacon for years.”
She went on to say that his strength comes from what he doesn’t say or show, reserve s things. “It’s like a seismic force, what he can do if he wants to,” she added of De Niro, who later praised De Niro as a “true blue patriot” for his commitment to the country and He is tragic about 9/. “He’s a man and his presence in my life has been a comforting constant over the years. But I don’t often See him. We don’t chat. But I know, without a doubt, that he is always there for me and he will always be. He is a man who is true to his ideals, to his country and to those he loves.”
In the case of De Niro, he embraced the love and his speech lays out his reasons for giving the university his archive of film memorabilia, which includes scripts, costumes, props, notes and letter.
“If I don’t take steps to keep it intact bit by bit, it’s going to go away,” he said. “My colleague, the priceless Robin Chambers, has been my partner in planning this arrangement with the Ransom Center. Near 2006 she showed me Marlon Brando’s personal notes The Godfather script, which is sold on eBay. Think this document may be the mind of one of our greatest actors And the window of the process, will be sold to collectors or fans who may keep it on a shelf or drawer and never be shared with family, friends, students, historians, fans. I want my family to be able to Access to my memorabilia because it’s part of their legacy.”
De Niro went on to praise him for having had the privilege of working closely with so many great artists that the archives not only tell the story of his Story, also for Scorsese, Harvey Keitel, Francis Ford Coppola, Streep, Al Pacino, Quentin Tarantino, Leonardo DiCaprio Stories of geniuses like Leo, Michelle Pfeiffer, and others contributed.
Towards the end, De Niro lashes out at former President Donald Trump’s investigation into his handling of classified documents, leaving The audience laughed.
“It is also important to preserve the narrative of film history to enhance our understanding and appreciation of film itself. The Harry Ransom Center is a leader in the vital mission of preserving our cultural heritage, but the collection Not complete. There are still some documents in Mar-a-Lago’s basement. I had some problems getting them released and they may have to turn over to the FBI.”
