During a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival 2023, renowned actor Robert De Niro openly referred to former US President Donald Trump as a ‘stupid’ individual while promoting his new film, Killers of the Flower Moon. Drawing parallels between Trump and his character in Martin Scorsese’s crime epic, De Niro criticized the former president’s actions.
De Niro admitted that he found it challenging to understand his character, William Hale, remarking, “I don’t comprehend a lot about my character. There’s a part of him that is sincere, but there’s also a sense of entitlement when he betrays the Osage tribe. We became more aware of this dichotomy after George Floyd and systemic racism.”
Initially hesitant to utter Trump’s name, De Niro eventually referred to him as “that guy” and labeled him as stupid. Lily Gladstone, who plays the role of Osage tribe member Mollie Burkhart, highlighted the fact that some tribe members still attended Hale’s funeral, despite his involvement in the brutal murders of their fellow tribe members. De Niro, once again, linked this blind loyalty to the persistence of some people’s support for Trump, stating, “There are people who still think he can do a good job. Imagine how insane that is.”
Leonardo DiCaprio, Scorsese’s long-time collaborator and co-star in the film, commended the director’s ability to depict the banality of evil. He emphasized Scorsese’s talent in revealing the humanity even in the most twisted and sinister characters.
Killers of the Flower Moon, one of the highly anticipated movies at the Cannes Film Festival, narrates the events surrounding the murders that occurred in the early 1920s after significant oil reserves were discovered on the Osage tribe’s land. The film also explores the investigation carried out by the newly formed FBI in response to the killings.
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