In a legendary act of dedication that perfectly encapsulates the intensity of method acting, screen icon Robert De Niro secretly drove a New York City taxi cab for several weeks to prepare for his career-defining role as Travis Bickle in the 1976 film Taxi Driver. This commitment, which saw the acclaimed actor log up to 12-hour shifts, often six days a week, offered him a raw, unfiltered look into the lonely and paranoid world of a New York cabbie. New Yorkers were stunned to enter a cab and find Robert De Niro driving, secretly working 12 hours a day to prepare for his legendary role.
An Oscar-Winning Cab Driver
The preparation took place just after De Niro’s major breakthrough. He had just won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1975 for his brilliant performance as the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. This fact is what made his choice to take on the common man’s job so unbelievable to his passengers.
The infamous moment arrived when a passenger recognized the freshly-minted Oscar winner behind the wheel. The startled New Yorker reportedly exclaimed, “My God, you just won an Oscar and now you’re unemployed and driving a taxi?” This perfectly captured the surreal nature of De Niro’s dedication to his craft.
Key Data on De Niro’s Preparation:
Role: Travis Bickle
Film: Taxi Driver (1976)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Preparation Method: Obtained a real New York City taxi driver’s license and drove 12-15 hour shifts for approximately one month. He reportedly even flew back and forth from shooting another film in Italy, 1900, to complete his cab shifts in New York.
Status at the Time: Reigning Academy Award winner (Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather Part II, 1975).
The Legacy of Taxi Driver
De Niro’s intense preparation was crucial in crafting the character of Travis Bickle, a lonely, insomniac Vietnam War veteran who descends into violent vigilantism on the mean streets of New York. The resulting performance is widely considered one of the greatest in cinema history, earning De Niro a Best Actor Academy Award nomination in 1977.
Taxi Driver, directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader, premiered in 1976 and was an instant cultural phenomenon. It received the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival. The film cemented the collaborative partnership between Scorsese and De Niro. Its impact was monumental, setting a new benchmark for psychological thrillers and launching careers. De Niro’s willingness to immerse himself completely in a role became a trademark of his early career. This commitment to the craft not only yielded a legendary performance but also created an indelible Hollywood anecdote about the price of cinematic realism.