Martin Scorsese recalls being introduced to Robert De Niro years ago

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro recalled getting introduced to each other for the very first time during the presentation of their first collaboration, the 1973 crime drama Mean Streets, during a De Niro Con presentation at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The two celebrated the movie’s 50th anniversary on Saturday at the Beacon Theatre, with a conversation moderated by legendary rapper Nas.

Scorsese remembered the pair’s first introduction at a Christmas dinner, where they were engaged in a conversation with each other by another to-be-legendary filmmaker, Brian De Palma.

“Bob was sitting there after dinner and then he looked at me and they had gone inside or something,” Scorsese said.

“He said, ‘You used to hang out with so-and-so and so-and-so.’ I said, ‘Yeah, how do you know?’ And he said, ‘I’m Bobby.’ I said, ‘Bobby? Bobby. Oh, my God. We had seen De Palma after doing “Hi, Mom!” After you did that, he said, “You got to meet this guy.”

He added, “Then he had seen ‘Who’s That Knocking,’ and it was very accurate as to the nature of that subculture in the neighborhood. He identified with that, so when ‘Mean Streets’ was finally put together, he came on.”