Iron Man 2, actor Sam Rockwell has played a variety of roles in his career. He won an Academy Award for his work in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The 54-year-old actor was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in the series Fosse Verdon. Though he is an American actor, in the early phase of his career, he posed as an Italian for a year.
Rockwell recalled in an interview about being obsessed with Robert De Niro after watching his film Raging Bull. The actor was deeply influenced by his Italian dialect and personality and wanted to be like him. However, it affected his acting career.
Also read- Sam Rockwell Willing to Return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Sam Rockwell got rejected at auditions due to his obsession with Raging Bull
The actor got his first big break when he appeared in the independent film Clownhouse (1989). Since then, he has worked in numerous famous television shows and movies. The star is known for his dedication and preparation for his roles. From learning self-defense to hand-to-hand combat, the actor goes to great lengths to be the perfect fit for the character.
Rockwell once shared in an interview that he takes inspiration from his peers like Robert De Niro for his roles. He recalled watching Raging Bull for almost 50 as he was amazed by De Niro’s character. The star was obsessed with his Italian character and acted like him for a year. However, due to his New York street personality, he was rejected from numerous auditions. He shared with Terry Knickerbocker Studio,
“I watched Raging Bull (1980) like 50 times. I wanted to be Italian. For a year I was Italian; that’s all I did. I could do all that New York street stuff to the point where I would get feedback from my auditions, “He’s too New York, he’s too urban” and I was from San Francisco, really.”
The film Raging Bull follows the career of Italian boxer Jake LaMotta and his trials and tribunals in the boxing scene. The lead role was played by Robert De Niro.
Robert De Niro’s complicated character in Raging Bull inspired Sam Rockwell
The Bad Guys actor takes inspiration from the legends of Hollywood and learns from the classics. He shared in conversation with Backstage, he shared,
“My teachers are all those people I grew up watching: De Niro, Walken, Streep, Robert Duvall, Ellen Burstyn. When young actors ask me about studying, I tell them, ‘You’ve got to watch those movies. If you’re not, you’re not doing your job. Respect your elders, and more than that, learn from them.'”
The star revealed in an interview with Sharp Magazine that he is intrigued by anti-hero characters and it was one of the reasons he liked Raging Bull. He shared,
“Complicated characters, You know, people who are incredibly flawed. And somehow, they find catharsis, or there’s some heroic aspect to them. That seemed more popular in American cinema in the ’70s. We don’t have much of it anymore. Now we’re more into black hat versus white hat archetypes, with all the superhero movies.”
Robert De Niro’s Raging Bull was released in 1980 and grossed $23.4 million worldwide. It is available for streaming on Max and Amazon Prime.
Source- Sharp Magazine Backstage Terry Knickerbocker Studio
