Martin Scorsese Reflects on His 50-Year Friendship with Robert De Niro and the ‘Strange Trust’ They Share

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have known each other since they were 16, and the legendary director spoke about their enduring friendship.

Speaking to Stephen Colbert at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on Friday, Scorsese, 80, told the late-night host that he and De Niro, 80, recently enjoyed a special moment of reflection together.

“I said at his 80th birthday party that we allowed ourselves about 60 seconds in Cannes,” Scorsese said, referring to the duo’s time at the Cannes Film Festival in May, promoting Killers of the Flower Moon.

“In the evening, after a movie a few months ago, we had champagne and we sat back and the pool was downstairs and the hotel we had was very nice. There were spotlights, the sky, and stars. He looked at me, leaned back and said: ‘Would you believe where we are in 50 years?’ “, Scorsese recalled. “He couldn’t believe it. He said, ‘Let’s have a drink.’ ”

The Oscar-winning director added of his decades-long friendship with De Niro: “He had a strange confidence. But I think we kind of found that we felt very similar about our situation.”

Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese arrive at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023 Samir Hussein/WireImage Martin Scorsese recalls the moment Leonardo DiCaprio made Lily Gladstone laugh Killers of the Flower Moon set

During the conversation with Colbert, 59, Scorsese also talked about the role his friend played in convincing him that Mad bull.

He said he “went through an absolutely crazy period” and “almost didn’t make it out alive, but finally De Niro comes to the hospital and says to me, ‘Come on, Marty.’ ”

Scorsese continued: “When it happened, I made it Taxi driverand New York, New York unfortunately it didn’t go well, and it was very difficult for me to find if I could ever be excited about making a movie again, and I started to get depressed and go through all sorts of problems, and in the end I almost died.”

Still, De Niro “kept pushing” for the 1980 film to be made, and Scorsese said he still credits the actor for that.

Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese on the set of the movie ‘Taxi Driver’ in 1976.

Columbia Pictures/Getty

Flower killers Month True Story: All about the real events that inspired Martin Scorsese’s film

The close friendship of the Hollywood legends began in 1973 Evil streetsbut neither of them could have imagined that they would be where they are now—still next to each other.

“I consider myself lucky to have had such a long relationship with him,” De Niro told PEOPLE in 2020 about his friendship with Scorsese. “I can’t imagine my life without it.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“Marty is very sensitive to people and actors,” he continued. “He takes what the actors give him and uses it. He is aware and well informed about things and likes to read things. Directors must be well educated in many aspects of life. He is really great.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education