Introducing: Who’s In and Out of Robert De Niro’s Circle of Trust?
A new weekly series.
In 2000’s Meet the Parents, Robert De Niro’s character Jack Byrnes lives by a simple principle. If he trusts you, you’re part of an exclusive group of friends and family he feels comfortable confiding with his innermost secrets. But if he doesn’t, well, then you’ve got a problem, my friend.
He calls it “The Circle of Trust.”
Throughout Robert De Niro’s six decade-spanning career, trust is something his characters have demanded and expected. Justifiably so, as he’s portrayed some of cinema’s most iconic mafiosos and criminals, such as the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II, Jimmy Conway in GoodFellas, and Frank Sheeran in The Irishman. Even in the twilight of his career, as he’s taken on more toned down roles like the grandpas in Dirty Grandpa and The War With Grandpa, or Ben the intern in The Intern, his trust in people – misguided or not – continues to play a pivotal role.
The great thing about Robert De Niro characters is that they cut to the chase. They make the divide between those he trusts and those he doesn’t painfully clear. Most of the time, the people he trusts end up rich, happy, and/or alive, while those outside his Circle of Trust usually end up dead in a ditch.
As such, Robert De Niro’s inner circle is a coveted niche to be in.
This begs the question: who’s in and out of Robert De Niro’s Circle of Trust? Has anyone gained entry over the course of a movie? Has anyone been kicked out? And, more specifically, who does he trust the most out of all of his movies? Who does he trust the least?
The only way to find the answers to these questions is to watch every single one of his movies.
In the spirit of trust, I might as well share that I started this project months ago. To date, I’ve seen 48 of his movies, which, according to my Letterboxd app, only covers 22% of his entire filmography.
Indeed, a staggering project, but one I feel the world needs.
Starting this Friday, I will post a weekly write up focusing on one particular movie, which will summarize the characters inside and outside of Robert De Niro’s Circle of Trust.
If you’re confused, here are some FAQs that might help you understand why I’m doing this.
Why are you doing this?
What do you mean ‘why am I doing this?’ Are you saying you don’t want a comprehensive list of all the characters Robert De Niro trusts and doesn’t trust across his entire oeuvre?
I didn’t say that. But shouldn’t there be a clear ‘why?’ Like, something that explains the importance behind a given piece of writing?
How is this not important?
It’s just not immediately clear why watching every Robert De Niro movie is worth not just your time, but your readers’ too.
People can read it if they want and if they don’t that’s their prerogative. I personally don’t think it’s necessary to justify this project. And this is my Substack. Next question.
Is Robert De Niro your favorite actor?
No. Not even close, to be honest. I think my favorite is Noah Centineo1, who is a passable actor. He’s just so charming in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy. I tried watching all of his movies too, but they’re either unwatchable because they’re hard to find, or unwatchable because they’re terrible. Check out SPF-18. Truly one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen and I watched Dirty Grandpa…
Are you enjoying this project?
Yes! Chipping away through Robert De Niro’s filmography is thrilling because he’s so good, and the movies in which he is so good are so good. But it’s also a chore, as he famously (notoriously) says yes to, like, every project offered to him regardless of quality (talk about trust!). So a lot of the time, it can feel more about the destination than the journey.
Does this mean you won’t post about other interesting stuff like Henleys and chess games in movies?
C’mon now. Of course not! I understand that at least one of my three readers is probably not interested in Robert De Niro. As such, I will continue to post regular non-Robert De Niro related content.
When will you be done?
Great question. I’m aiming for the end of the year. Given how many movies I have to watch, this project might put me in financial ruin, so if you support this ridiculous endeavor and feel so inclined, feel free to Venmo me a few bucks (think of it as a kind of donation to the Arts).
With that, we look ahead to the movie that started it all: 2000’s Meet the Parents.
Stay tuned! I hope you join me for this ride.
I lied, so let me clarify: I love Robert De Niro, but he’s not my favorite actor. He’s just been in too many bad movies and fails to elevate them. I love Noah Centineo because he makes me feel comfortable when he’s on screen, but he’s also not my favorite actor because he’s been in a lot of bad movies and - like RDN - fails to elevate them. My true favorite is probably Denzel Washington. I also love Meryl Streep. There’s also Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jamie Lee Curtis, John C. Reilly, Will Smith, Javier Bardem, Bobby Cannavale, Owen Wilson. Oh, and Val Kilmer - check out Real Genius. Kurt Russell is awesome too. While I’m here I’d also like to shout out Michael Peña and Melvin Gregg. Okay, I’m done.
Noah Centineo 4evr
Looking forward to reading this, literally said Meet the Parents when I saw the title ahaha.