He rarely lets the cameras in — but this week, Robert De Niro gave fans two reasons to pay attention.
The Hollywood legend, 82, made an ultra-rare public appearance alongside his partner Tiffany Chen at the glittering Chanel Tribeca Festival Artists Dinner in New York on Monday 8 June — and then, just days later, dropped a fascinating revelation about one of cinema's most iconic moments.
Hand In Hand At The Chanel Dinner
De Niro and Chen, 46 — who is 35 years his junior — arrived hand in hand at the star-studded annual event, smiling for photographers on the red carpet in what has become an increasingly rare public outing for the notoriously private couple.
Tiffany, a martial arts instructor who first met De Niro on the set of his 2015 film The Intern, looked stunning in an asymmetrical one-shoulder little black dress by Dubai-based Lebanese designer Dima Ayad, complete with woven panels, a draped silhouette, and a sleek slicked-back ponytail. Robert co-ordinated in a classic black jacket over a grey dress shirt.
The couple — who welcomed daughter Gia in April 2023, De Niro's seventh and youngest child — were in fine company. Katie Holmes arrived in head-to-toe Chanel, while Grace Gummer (daughter of Meryl Streep), director Sofia Coppola, and Daisy Jones and The Six star Camila Morrone all turned out in their finest.
De Niro, who co-founded the Tribeca Festival, also toasted festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal during the evening — all while Knicks fever swept through the room, with the game being broadcast live at the dinner.
The actor has previously been candid about the realities of fatherhood at his age, telling The Guardian in 2023:
"It doesn't get easier. It is what it is. It's OK. I mean, I don't do the heavy lifting. I'm there, I support my girlfriend. But she does the work. And we have help, which is so important."
The family are believed to be living on De Niro's sprawling $1.5 million New York estate — a six-bedroom, seven-bathroom property complete with a converted barn, tennis court, and ski slope, purchased back in 1997.
'You Had No Idea What Impact It Would Have'
Earlier in the week, De Niro appeared at the Tribeca Festival's 50th anniversary screening of Taxi Driver, joining director Martin Scorsese, screenwriter Paul Schrader, and co-star Jodie Foster for a Q&A that turned into a masterclass in filmmaking history.
Among the most intriguing revelations? De Niro confirmed that he wrote Taxi Driver's most celebrated line himself — the now-legendary "You talkin' to me?" improvised in front of a mirror, which has since become one of the most quoted moments in cinema.
On the film's enduring relevance, De Niro was characteristically measured:
"I mean, you have no idea what impact the film will have later on. It just has something that I'm not sure that I can relate or explain to now, what's going on today — but then I do understand that people are lonely. Especially today with the internet, especially after the pandemic, as far as being alone, being more isolated, getting into their own worlds."
Schrader recalled writing the script in a state of personal crisis — recovering from an ulcer brought on by loneliness and isolation — and settling on the image of a taxicab as a "yellow coffin" sealing his protagonist inside. Scorsese, reading it for the first time, said "each page was like a razor blade."
Jodie Foster, who was just 12 years old during filming, reflected on the delicate balance the cast had to strike with Travis Bickle: "He presents an idea of this meaning that he wants and he wants to be a part of, but there's no real self-understanding. He just allows the eyes to witness his descent, his unravelling, and his attempts to connect."
From a rare romantic red carpet moment to a candid deep-dive into one of cinema's darkest masterpieces, it's been quite the week for De Niro — proof that at 82, he remains as compelling off-screen as he ever was on it.
