This is Why Robert De Niro Says He Would Never Play Donald Trump in a Movie

Rober De Niro, famous for his diverse range of roles portraying mobsters, murderers, and vigilantes, has drawn a definitive line when it comes to embodying one specific figure on-screen–Donald Trump. Despite his history of tackling challenging characters, De Niro staunchly refuses to portray the former President, citing Trump’s perceived lack of redeeming qualities and the harm he believes Trump has inflicted upon the nation. De Niro’s ferocious stance against Trump was recorded during an appearance on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher chat show, where he urged, “The bottom line is, it’s Biden versus Trump. We want to live in a world that we want to live in and enjoy living in, or live in a nightmare. Vote for Trump and you’ll get the nightmare, vote for Biden and we’ll be back to normalcy. I just don’t want to feel the way I did, and many of us don’t, after the election in 2016 where we couldn’t believe that it happened. The guy is a total monster.”

As per The Guardian, De Niro remarked, “I’d never play him as an actor because I can’t see any good in him. Nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing redeemable in him.” The actor’s refusal to portray Trump extends beyond personal aversion; it reflects his deeply held conviction about Trump’s detrimental impact on society. De Niro exclaimed, “The former president lied to us more than 30,000 times during his four years in office, and he’s keeping up the pace with his current campaign of retribution.” He characterized Trump as "such a mean, nasty, hateful person. I'd never play him as an actor because he's- I can't see any good in him. Nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing redeemable in him. Whoever the people are who want to vote for him- and they look like intelligent people around there, for some reason, it can't be. It can not be."

As per Fox News, the actor denounced Trump as a classic bully and emphasized the urgent need to oppose and restrain his influence. De Niro further added, "If he wins the election, you won't be on this show anymore. He'll come looking for me. There'll be things that happen that none of us can imagine. That's what happens in that kind of dictatorship, which is what he says. Let's believe him, take him at his word. He's a sociopathic, psychopathic, malignant narcissist. He is a dangerous person, and we have to really help people… the people who somehow think he's gonna be the answer to their prayers, whatever those are."

De Niro's condemnation of Trump reflects his commitment to speaking out against perceived injustices and abuses of power, even at the risk of facing backlash or reprisal. Beyond his rejection of Trump, De Niro's comments also reflect his broader concerns about the state of politics and society, something that has many Americans concerned as well leading into the 2024 elections.