Martin Scorsese tells Stephen Colbert how Robert De Niro improvised Taxi Driver's 'You talkin' to me?' scene

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In a recent appearance on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert', legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese shared intriguing insights into the making of the iconic film 'Taxi Driver', particularly the legendary 'You talkin' to me?' scene.

He also recounted his childhood connection with Robert De Niro, their neighborhood dynamics, and how their paths crossed again later in life.

Scorsese disclosed that the infamous scene, where De Niro's character Travis Bickle talks to his own reflection, was an improvised moment.

Martin Scorsese talks about Robert De Niro's improvisation skills

Scorsese highlighted the challenges they faced during the making of the particular Columbus Avenue scene from 'Taxi Driver', with producers pressuring him to cut down on shooting time due to tight schedules. 

The director reminisced about the improvisational brilliance of De Niro, saying, "We were behind schedule. They were banging on the door, and I had to open the door and say, 'This is good. This is good', Two more minutes. One more take. He was improvising. I was at his feet. There were no video assists. I was saying, 'Do it again, do it again'."

Apart from 'Taxi Driver', Scorsese and De Niro have collaborated in films like 'Mean Streets', 'New York, New York', 'Goodfellas', 'Casino', 'The Irishman', and most recently 'Killers of the Flower Moon'.

Martin Scorsese recalls reuniting with Robert De Niro

Scorsese also shared anecdotes about his early days with De Niro, reminiscing about their respective clubs in the neighborhood and how they reconnected later in life.

He noted, "Years later, Brian had me meet Bob De Niro because they've done a film called 'High Mom'. For dinner. Basically after dinner, Bob was very quiet. This was maybe 15 years later, maybe 20."

Scorsese added, "He looked at me and said, 'You were friends with Joey and Nikki'. I said, 'Yeah. I said, 'Frankie'. Yeah. You know, it's me. I said, 'Who?' Bob. I said, 'Your Bobby'. Yeah. Sixteen years old. I didn't recognize him. He became an actor, and that's how we met again."

Martin Scorsese's TikTok adventure

During his conversation with Colbert, Scorsese touched on his recent foray into TikTok, where his daughter, Francesca, took charge.

He recalled, "She did it. She would come over and say, 'Dad, do this'. I was like, 'I just got back from Taiwan. I had a beard'. She said, 'Just say this. Would you leave me alone? Say this'."

"Finally, I set it and it wound up in a TikTok of some kind, and it went viral," added the Academy Award-winning director.