Downfall of De Niro

THE REAL REASON THE ONCE REVERED ACTOR IS FALLING FLAT

- Jennie Noonan

Speaking to The New Yorker in 2018, iconic actor Robert De Niro was asked about his recent work pattern of taking on multiple movies every year. “I like to keep busy,” he answered. “I’m always doing something … What else am I gonna do?”

Ahead of his 78th birthday in August, many critics and fans have wondered why he still seems to opt for quantity over quality. With a few exceptions, many of his roles – such as those in Dirty Grandpa, Grudge Match, and Last Vegas – lean embarrassingly into cranky old man territory and certainly don’t live up to his revered status as the multi oscar-winning actor from Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and The Godfather Part II.

GRACE’S PAY DAY

De Niro and Hightower’s prenup calls for them to sell their $25 million New York apartment, which the former flight attendant still lives in with their children, split the profits, and then have the actor buy his ex a $7.7 million new home.

With an estimated net worth of $641 million, why trade his professional legacy for a regular payday? A report in the New York Post shed light on the situation, indicating that De Niro’s complicated personal life has precipitated his professional nosedive. During a virtual divorce hearing on April 16, De Niro’s lawyer Caroline Krauss told a Manhattan judge that keeping up with his ex-wife Grace Hightower’s lavish tastes leaves the legendary star little room for career discernment.