Since kickstarting their working relationship back in the early ’70s with Mean Streets, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have delivered several classics throughout the last five decades. But arguably the best work to come out of their collaborations remains Raging Bull, which tells the true story of boxer Jake LaMotta, often considered Scorsese’s magnum opus.
While the film barely turned a profit upon its release, it became the gold standard for any sports drama moving forward. And to perfect his part, De Niro took extreme measures, despite being warned against by the producer, which ended up being detrimental to his health.
Robert De Niro Was Fixated on Gaining Unhealthy Amount of Weight for Raging Bull
Following Robert De Niro‘s determination to do justice to the biopic, he was fixated on gaining 50-60lbs amidst production to portray an overweight and washed-up LaMotta in the third act. And while producer Irwin Winkler advised De Niro against the move, stating that this was “the only time I ever had an argument with Bob [De Niro]”, the Taxi Driver Star didn’t back away. This resulted in the actor gaining an ungodly amount of weight, leading to the production taking a brief hiatus.
In a series of Interviews, Irwin Winkler explained,
“The only time I ever had an argument with Bob [De Niro] in all these years was about gaining the weight. He said to me; ‘shut down production so I can gain 50, 60 pounds’ and I kept saying; ‘it’s not necessary and it’s not good for your health.’ He said; ‘I gotta do it.’”
De Niro’s determination did eventually pay off, as following his immaculate performance in one of the greatest sports films ever made, he took the Oscar for Best Actor home,
Martin Scorsese Wrapped up Filming as Quickly as Possible to Aid Robert De Niro
While the Goodfellas Star did gain an unhealthy amount of weight to feel like Jake LaMotta, it did take a toll on his health, which was explicit during the later half of the production process. Martin Scorsese recalled that this pushed them to conclude the shooting in less than no time, allowing De Niro to start losing weight soon. Scorsese recounted,
“Ultimately, around Christmas time of ’79, we shot the last 7 or 8 days – and Bob was at full weight. We shot quicker at that point too, because of the weight – you could hear it in his breathing, it was taking its toll. We all agreed, let’s get it over with so he can start losing that weight.”
With Killers of the Flower Moon inching towards its release, it’ll mark the 11th collaboration between the duo, and fans will hope this isn’t the last of the Scorsese and De Niro’s partnership.
Raging Bull is available to stream on Max.
