Was De Niro familiar with Lenny Bruce at all?
RW: I asked him about that. I said, ”Were you a big Lenny Bruce fan? Did you know a lot about him?” He said, ”No. Probably about as much as the next guy.” So what happened was, I sent him a copy of the film. I think it had my voice on it as a scratch narration track. I think he just responded to the story and the material. God knows he did it for not a lot of money. I think he just liked the project and felt good about being attached to it. So I was thrilled and honored. AR: Were you a fan of De Niro’s work prior to the documentary? RW: Oh, yeah! Who’s not? I think he’s one of the best guys out there. There was a lot of time spent trying to figure out who would be the best narrator for this film. I did not want to go for an obvious choice. HBO and I were going back and forth. They were suggesting comedians they thought were cut from Lenny’s cloth. I said, ”If I go with a comedian, I would rather have it be somebody who has nothing in common with Lenny.” Someone like Steve Martin
Related Questions
- If the Catholic Church really honors the Bible as the holy Word of God--if she really wants her members to become familiar with its truth--why in times past did she confiscate and burn so many Bibles?
- How is the Keratin Express & Brazilian Blowout different from the Japanese straightening method many people are familiar with?
- Was De Niro familiar with Lenny Bruce at all?
