Actress Aubrey Plaza recently opened up about her interactions with Robert De Niro when she worked with him on the film “Dirty Grandpa” in 2016.
Plaza has carried the reputation of being “weird” and came forward to reveal precisely what happened when she was on set with the legendary actor during a London Film Festival ScreenTalk hosted by Leigh Singer. Plaza clarified to fans that De Niro was judging her character’s behavior and not her own, according to Variety.
“At first I think I came on really strong,” Plaza said. “I did some questionable things I wouldn’t do anymore,” she noted, according to the outlet.
“By the time he’d show up, I’m in character. My character had one goal: To have sex with him. I was acting totally insane as the character because we were about to shoot. I don’t think he understood that wasn’t me.” https://t.co/0RYxbvJkkm
— Variety (@Variety) October 10, 2022
Plaza went on to explain that she and De Niro didn’t get any sort of bonding time in advance of shooting. He would arrive, and she would already be in character and ready to go. “I didn’t really have a relationship with him off camera because he’s him,” Plaza said, according to Variety. “I didn’t have time to get to know him, he shows up in a puff of smoke and there’s no chatting at the water cooler,” she added.
Plaza then went on to explain how devoted she was to being in character. In that particular film, she played the provocative role of “Lenore.”
“By the time he’d show up, I’m in character. My character had one goal: To have sex with him,” Plaza said.
And so, she would act accordingly – from the moment he arrived. (RELATED: Cara Delevingne Puts On A Strange Fidgeting Display During Live Show)
Aubrey Plaza Talks Producing, Making Robert De Niro Feel Uncomfortable On The Set Of ‘Dirty Grandpa’ & Her Desire To Direct — London Film Festival https://t.co/9Nal5RO7Ut
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) October 10, 2022
“I was acting totally insane as the character because we were about to shoot,” Plaza said. “I don’t think he understood that wasn’t me. You’d think he would because he’s an actor and an amazing one,” she added.
One of Plaza’s agents told her that De Niro was “a little freaked out” by her, and she came to the realization that he had never seen her as herself, only as the role she had played around him, according to the outlet.