Robert DeNiro made an HBO documentary about his gay, artist father Robert Senior

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Robert DeNiro’s father was gay. And this is the first time DeNiro is ever really talking about it. His father, Robert Senior, passed away twenty years ago. He was a painter and artist who struggled to be understood in his lifetime, and now twenty years after his death, his son has made a documentary about his father’s life and work. The documentary is called Remembering the Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr. and it premieres on HBO on June 9th. To promote the documentary, Robert sat down with Out Magazine for an emotional (he cries during the interview) Q&A, and he speaks about coming out on his father’s behalf – you can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

He bought and restored his father’s SoHo studio: “I’ve brought people here over the years. I’ve had a reception or two here. When I thought I was going to have to let it go, 3 or 4 years ago, I videotaped it and had photos taken and documented everything. But then I said, ‘I just can’t do it.’ It’s a different experience when you’re here than when you see it in photos. I did it for the grandkids and my young kids, who didn’t know their grandfather.”

Being named after an artist and becoming more famous than the artist: [De Niro begins to cry, takes off his glasses, and pauses to collect himself.] “I get emotional. I don’t know why.”

Problems connecting: “We were not the type of father and son who played baseball together, as you can surmise. But we had a connection. I wasn’t with him a lot, because my mother and he were separated and divorced. As I say in the documentary, I looked after him in certain ways… I think of my own kids. I try to communicate with them, but it’s hard. I joke about it with them. They have their issues as teenagers. I give them their space, but when I have to step in and be firm about something, I am. But my father wasn’t a bad father, or absent. He was absent in some ways. He was very loving. He adored me… as I do my kids.”

Coming out on his father’s behalf: “I felt I had to. I felt obligated. It was my responsibility to make a documentary about him. I was always planning on doing it, but never did. Then Jane Rosenthal, my partner at Tribeca [Enterprises], said, ‘We should start doing that now.’ It was not intended to be on HBO. It was just something I wanted to do.”

Was his father conflicted? “About his homosexuality? Yeah, he probably was, being from that generation, especially from a small town upstate. I was not aware, much, of it. I wish we had spoken about it much more. My mother didn’t want to talk about things in general, and you’re not interested when you’re a certain age. Again, for my kids, I want them to stop and take a moment and realize that you sometimes have to do things now instead of later, because later may be 20 years from now — and that’s too late.”

Why DeNiro hasn’t made many LGBT-friendly films: “They weren’t offered to me. If they had been offered to me by a good director, that’s something I would have considered.”

The truth will out: “I think it’s time. I thought about it, of course, but if you’re going to do something, you have to do it all the way. You can’t hide anything. That’s the whole point — the truth. That’s what people are attracted to. I should have done this 10 years earlier, but I’m glad I did it now.”

[From Out Magazine]

One of my favorite DeNiro roles – beyond the obvious stuff that everyone loves, like The Godfather II – is his portrait of retired cop who had a stroke, who is getting vocal lessons from Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s transgendered artist in Flawless. The film is a miracle for PSH’s performance, but there is so much going on between those two characters, layer upon layer of stereotypes falling away and compassion and understanding finding a home. This interview just reminded me of that wonderful film when DeNiro talks about how he hasn’t been offered that kind of stuff – he used to get offered all kinds of off-beat stuff like that. But he made a choice to make money, and so be it. DeNiro has an incredible business built around him and he does good things with that money.

As for the revelations about his father… it’s fascinating. I think it’s fine that DeNiro is talking about this stuff now that his father has been gone for 20 years. It’s not like he’s doing some seedy tell-all book, you know? He’s trying to get people to understand his father’s work.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Getty.

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26 Responses to “Robert DeNiro made an HBO documentary about his gay, artist father Robert Senior”

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  1. Nev says:

    nice.

  2. NewWester says:

    I will definitely have to see this documentary .

    • mimif says:

      Ditto.

      • kri says:

        I would love to see this. I hate crying, and this has made me tear up. I had no idea about this, but I always thought Robert De Niro was a very interesting man, aside from his acting genius. This is a son honoring his father, and it’s awesome.

  3. lauren says:

    I´m really looking foward to this. The documentary sounds really interesting

  4. Syko says:

    This just makes me love him more.

  5. crab says:

    He’s so awesome! My favorite movie was with him and Sharon Stone in Casino! I could watch that movie over and over again and never tire of it or him! <3

  6. Diana says:

    Speechless. What a beautiful human being!!! Can’t wait to see this film!

  7. Hannah says:

    I never knew that both Bob’s parents were artists (his mother was a painter and poet). I always thought he came from a blue-collar background.

  8. Dubois says:

    I love Bobby D. He was such a fox back in the day and he seems like a genuinely nice person.

  9. Anthea says:

    This is great – I remember reading a bit about his father a few years ago and how the smell of oil paint was still evocative to de Niro as a consequence. It’s wonderful that he’s illuminating his past in this way because I for one was always intrigued by the fact his father was a painter and would like to hear more about it!

  10. O'Angie says:

    I loved him in Stardust.

  11. Ag says:

    I love DeNiro. He’s done some crappy money-making movies, but I choose to forgive him. 😉 He does good things for people and the community.

  12. bored_01 says:

    Good for him

  13. aenflex says:

    Good stuff.

  14. Rose says:

    Flawless! Amazing movie.

    I saw a preview for this documentary and it just seemed genuine. I will absolutely watch.

  15. TWINK says:

    I heard about this a few months ago and was wondering when it was being released, definitely one to watch.

  16. LexiLu says:

    I loved his gay captain character in Stardust.

  17. Really says:

    He was so creepy in Cape Fear! What a great thing to do. I imagine he is very open minded. Let’s face it, not everyone in his generation is.

  18. Intro Outro says:

    This is touching. I’m glad he’s done it.

  19. Sayrah says:

    Very touching.

  20. Ice says:

    Love him. One of the best actor ever and his self-deprecating Golden Globe acceptance speech (a few years ago?) was soo, soo, soo funny! He joked about selling DVDs in the foyer and being glad the judges didn’t see Little Fokers before deciding to award him the lifetime achievement award of whatever it was. Still does interesting parts in smaller films and good bit-parts here and there – American Hustle, for example.