Secretive De Niro opens up about new spy film

updated 2:38 p.m. ET Dec. 21, 2006

NEW YORK - The classic law of supply and demand dictates: When a sphinx talks, people listen.

So when the famously private and taciturn Robert De Niro wants to speak at length, ears get cocked for a rare windfall of words.

He’s uncharacteristically voluble, of course, because he’s promoting his second directorial outing, “The Good Shepherd,” a tale about the earliest days of the CIA and a fictionalized agent (played by Matt Damon).

But he’s also willing to discuss why it’s been 13 years between directing efforts, his directing influences, the difference between directing and acting, his recent choice of roles, even — grudgingly — how he relaxes, and why he doesn’t like to talk about his personal life.

Still, De Niro is highly distracted during an interview with The Associated Press. A huddle with production partner Jane Rosenthal delays an interview that was moved up — then pushed back to its initial time. Several cell phone calls pull him away.

When he excuses himself for a third time, he graciously says: “Sorry I’m preoccupied. And I want to do justice to the interview.”

And he does, eventually.

Longtime interest in espionage
Once he settles down to talk, De Niro says he wanted to do a movie about the CIA for a long time — and, no, playing an ex-spy in comedies with Ben Stiller didn’t count.

“I had always been interested in the Cold War and espionage,” says the 63-year-old two-time Academy Award winner. “It was just kind of a fascinating part of our history.”

Then along came the “The Good Shepherd” script from Eric Roth (whose screenplays include the Oscar-winning “Forrest Gump” and Oscar-nominated “Munich” and “The Insider”) although it encompassed an earlier period (1939-61) than De Niro initially wanted to cover.

Aside from the geopolitical relevance that the movie might have now given the debate on treatment of suspects in the war on terrorism, the personal damage is a major focus.

In the movie, Damon’s Edward Wilson neglects his wife (Angelina Jolie) and son as he resolutely pursues his espionage career, resulting in a woman whose spirit is broken and a boy overly eager to please his dad.

“I like it when you get the personal side. The personal toll I thought was, to me, interesting, and what I liked about the script when I first read it,” De Niro says.

(Asked later, though, why he dislikes talking about his own personal life, he laughs and simply says: “Because it’s personal.”)

MORE FROM MOVIES

Movies Section Front

‘The Lovely Bones’ trades soul for spectacle   Newsweek: ‘Bones’ highlights book’s weaknesses Could 2010 be the year Oscar goes geek? ‘Nine’ disappoints in return to big screen Freeman, Eastwood team up for ‘Invictus’ ‘Invictus’ dripping with inspiration Newsweek: The real story behind 'Invictus' Hollywood depicts shining S. African moment Miss. girl excited about role in ‘Princess’ Newsweek video: Carrie Fisher on 'Star Wars,' more Movies Section Front   Add Movies headlines to your news reader: