Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Robert De Niro is an opinionated guy. Whether it’s about politics or the film industry, the actor has never been one to bite his tongue. And with his Tribeca Film Festival kicking off, De Niro decided to open up about a couple of things that are on everyone’s mind — streaming movies and Donald Trump.
Before we get to the actor’s thoughts on the Trump Administration (spoiler alert: he’s not a fan), De Niro talked about the recent debate about the future of streaming content versus the much-beloved theatrical experience. And again, like most people, the actor’s thoughts fall somewhere in the middle.
“I like the traditional in-theater,” said De Niro (via Deadline). “Depending on what the movie is — if it’s a comedy, you have to watch it with an audience.”
He added, “I don’t watch that much streaming stuff, but I know the binge-watching that people do.”
However, even though De Niro isn’t much of a binge-watcher, he does admit that he has viewed some movies on his computer, “which might not be the orthodox way to do it, but in terms of time and expediency, you still get the same umpf, especially if it’s about the story.”
So, much like the general public, he enjoys the theater experience as well as the idea of streaming certain things, as well. And De Niro explains that he knows the theatrical screening is probably better, but at the end of the day, it’s important to have access to films, whatever way you can see them.
“I come from the theater [in regards to] screening movies. I like that,” he explained. “But as I said, sometimes at the end of the day, it’s just about seeing what it is. I just need to see it.”
He continued, “Does it take away from the experience [when watching on a computer]? Yes, but if it’s a special movie that’s a couple of hours long, that would be better to see in a theater with an audience to have that communal feeling; it’s good to make the effort to see it in that way.”
READ MORE: Tribeca Film Festival: 15 Must-See Movies
Now, an issue that he doesn’t mince words about is Donald Trump and his presidency. Speaking at the screening of the upcoming HBO documentary, “The Apollo,” which kicked off the festival, De Niro made sure that people understand that the reason for the importance of the doc, which talks about diversity, is because of who is seated in the White House.
“In this administration, during these disturbing times of promoting racism, tonight, we reject it. No, you don’t, not here, not on this stage,” said De Niro (via Variety).
The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival is now underway.
