Summary

• The partnership between Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese produced some of the most acclaimed films in Hollywood history, earning them both critical acclaim.
• Robert De Niro's financial sacrifice for his iconic roles in Taxi Driver and The Godfather Part II paved the way for his lasting success.
• The decision to prioritize artistic merit over financial gain early in his career led to Robert De Niro's eventual status as one of Hollywood's highest-grossing actors.

In the acting world, it's good to have friends, and nowhere is this clearer than in the careers of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, who have teamed up to create some of the most iconic movies of all time. One year after De Niro won his first Oscar, Scorsese turned to his friend and asked for a favor. Despite De Niro's rising stardom, Scorsese asked the actor to accept significantly less money for a role in Taxi Driver.

Widely considered one of the best actors of his generation, Robert De Niro's financial sacrifice came at an inflection point in his career. Having finally earned the Academy's recognition of his talent the year prior for his role in The Godfather Part II, De Niro made the calculated decision to continue picking projects based on their artistic merit instead of cashing in on a significant payday. In doing so, De Niro sacrificed 90 percent of his typical paycheck and landed himself the most iconic character of his career.

What Movie Did Robert De Niro Win His First Oscar For?

There's a Reason De Niro Is Compared to Brando

In 1975, Robert De Niro received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II. In the film, De Niro stars as a young version of the fictional mobster Vito Corleone, tracking his growth from a young Italian immigrant into the feared Don of one of America's most powerful crime families.

After De Niro spent four months learning how to replicate Vito's specific Sicilian dialect, he delivered a powerful performance that helped The Godfather Part II become nominated for eleven Oscars at the 47th Academy Awards. This includes nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, and, of course, Best Supporting Actor, which Robert De Niro won.

When he subsequently accepted the Taxi Driver role, Robert De Niro quickly alerted the rest of the movie industry that his reduced payroll was a one-time favor for Scorsese. However, Martin Scorsese, one of De Niro's closest friends, had an offer that the up-and-coming acting legend couldn't refuse. From that point forward, De Niro commanded at least $500,000 per film, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.

What Is Taxi Driver About?

American Society Seen Through A Dark Mirror

When De Niro met with Martin Scorsese, the director showed him Paul Schrader's screenplay for his next film, Taxi Driver. The film centers around the character of Travis Bickle, a Vietnam War veteran from the Midwest who lives in New York City. Struggling with insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder, Bickle copes with his sleepless nights by frequenting adult theaters and cruising around the city streets at night as a taxi driver.

Bickle becomes consumed with the idea of assassinating the presidential candidate Charles Palantine. At the same time, he begins to obsess over the idea of rescuing a teenage prostitute named Iris, played by Jodie Foster, from her dangerous pimp, Sport, played by Harvey Keitel. In short, he's a psychopath with a with a savior complex.

Upon reading the script, De Niro instantly connected to his character. In preparation for the role, he not only drove a taxi cab around New York City but also studied the accents of Midwest soldiers and listened to the taped diaries of would-be assassin, Arthur Bremer. Bremer was a Milwaukee busboy who shot US Democratic presidential candidate George Wallace at a campaign stop in May 1972. De Niro lost 35 pounds to bring the disheveled Travis Bickle to life. However, two-and-a-half stones wasn't the only cut he had to make — De Niro also agreed to lower his salary for the film by over 90%.

How Much Was Robert De Niro Paid for Taxi Driver?

Martin Scorcese made his directorial debut with Mean Streets in 1973 — a film that stars Robert De Niro as Johnny Boy, a small-time gambler. Mean Streets was an unquestionable success, having earned $3 million at the box office on a budget of just $650,000. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Scorcese's next film, was even more financially successful, having earned $21 million on an increased budget of $1.8 million.

Even with millions of dollars in returns, the film studio had hoped for more. When Martin Scorsese received the green light to create Taxi Driver next, his budget remained locked at $1.9 million. Knowing that the relatively small amount of money he was working with wouldn't allow him to pay Robert De Niro what he was worth, especially after his recent Oscar win, Scorsese requested that De Niro take less than 10% of his tasking price, which amounted to a total of $35,000. Impressed by the script and a chance to tackle such a multi-faceted character, De Niro agreed.

Looking back at that decision today, it was the best choice Robert De Niro could have made. Taxi Driver became one of the most acclaimed projects of all time for Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, and considering the overall quality of films both of these men have been involved with, that's saying something pretty spectacular.

As great as Taxi Driver is, it would have been a pale imitation of itself without its star. De Niro even improvised much of the film's most memorable dialogue, including the infamous line, "You talkin' to me?" This scene is hard to imagine with the actor Scorsese almost cast if De Niro had turned the role down: Dustin Hoffman.

When Did Robert De Niro Earn His First Million-Dollar Pay Day?

He Set His Sights on Big Game