Robert De Niro, the actor’s actor who is best known for his serious roles, is fast getting a reputation as the king of comedy. The 58-year-old Italian-American has signed up for the sequel to Analyse This, the on-the-couch comedy penned by Billy Crystal, and will be earning close to $20 million for the role – his biggest pay packet to date.
Analyse That will reunite Robert with his co-stars from the original film, Lisa Kudrow and Billy Crystal, when filming starts in February 2002. The role has come at a cost, however. Robert has had to drop plans to star in Scared Guys, in which he would have played a phobic therapist scared of just about everything - a radical departure from his usual tough-guy roles.
Recently the actor has appeared in a number of comedy roles, including Meet The Parents and Wag The Dog, and has proved a dab hand at raising a laugh. Robert cuts a much more mellow figure these days, a far cry from the tortured actor of the Seventies and early Eighties.
In the past, despite his status in Hollywood, the actor’s pay cheques have never matched the stature of his talent. Perhaps his impending divorce from former flight attendant Grace Hightower, the mother of one of his children, and the split with his last girlfriend Toukie Smith, who is seeking child support for their twin sons, is a factor in Robert’s decision to reprise his role as mob boss Paul Vitti in the comedy sequel.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
