Robert De Niro Tears Up as Amy Poehler Compliments Him: ‘I Can’t Believe I Made You Cry’

The actor became emotional during a warm conversation with the comedian, reflecting on his career, New York City and the importance of speaking up

NEED TO KNOW

• Amy Poehler praised Robert De Niro for using his platform to stand up for others, moving him to tears, on the Sept. 15 episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler
• De Niro discussed his reserved nature, his childhood, and his experiences working with Martin Scorsese and on SNL
• The actor returns as Jack Byrnes in Focker-In-Law, the latest installment of the Meet the Parents franchise, out Nov. 25

Amy Poehler earned a sweet and heartfelt reaction from iconic actor Robert De Niro during his appearance on the Sept. 15 episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler.

The moment came near the end of the pair’s conversation, when Poehler, 54, paused the jokes to thank the Oscar-winning legend, 83, for using his platform to speak out on issues he cares about. She told the actor that his willingness to speak up was particularly meaningful because of his age, stature and influence.

“It’s often people of color. It’s often women. And to see a person like yourself, the age that you are and the status that you are, the best way I can describe it is when someone’s giving a terrible speech at a wedding and they’re ruining the wedding,” Poehler said.

She continued, “And the wedding is America and there’s another adult who says, ‘We don’t talk like that. That’s not how you’re supposed to treat people. This is insane.’ It makes everybody feel very safe. I’ve seen you do it over and over again and I really appreciate it.”

Poehler kept going, telling De Niro that his willingness to speak up “means a lot to a lot of people” because he is standing up for people who don’t have the power to do so themselves.

“So, thank you, Bob. And thanks for doing it over and over again,” she said.

Then Poehler realized De Niro was crying.

“This is going to be a real switcheroo because I can’t believe I just made you cry,” she said. “I feel incredible right now. Hold on. We got to get you your tissues.”

She added, “We got Good Hang tissues for you, Bob.”

When Poehler asked what he would say to people who feel hopeless, the Goodfellas star offered a simple answer.

“I understand that, but you have to fight,” he said. “You have to fight because if you don’t fight, you’re not going to get anything.”

The Meet the Parents actor went on to talk about the importance of joining with other people and having the courage to speak up, saying, “the courage is contagious.”

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At the beginning of the emotional conversation, Poehler acknowledged that the Taxi Driver actor doesn’t particularly enjoy interviews.

“I have to say I know you don’t love interviews. Thank you for doing this. I’m already worried that nobody told you that you were doing this today,” she joked.

De Niro said he had checked his schedule and realized what was happening.

“I said, ‘Oh, God.’ But I’m fine,” he said.

Poehler then pointed out that De Niro has described himself as shy and asked whether he considers himself introverted.

“In some ways I am. Yeah, some ways I am, depending on the situation,” he said before laughing. “I have to come up with something.”

That set the tone for an interview in which Poehler did the bulk of the talking — something she openly acknowledged.

“I get paid by the word,” she joked. “If I don’t meet my word count by the end of this interview, I’m screwed.”

De Niro, meanwhile, seemed perfectly happy to let her keep going.

The two covered plenty of ground, from De Niro’s childhood in New York City to his longtime friendship with Martin Scorsese and some of his most famous movies. Poehler also got him talking about playing the Cowardly Lion in a fourth-grade production of The Wizard of Oz, his first New York apartment — which he remembered costing $75 a month — and the saxophone skills he picked up for New York, New York.

The pair also reminisced about Saturday Night Live, which De Niro has hosted three times. He said he enjoys the show because everything moves so quickly that there’s little time to worry about failing.

“You got to change, get into different costumes, this and that. Boom, boom, boom, boom. They’ve got the cards for you,” he said of appearing on SNL, of which Poehler is an alum. “It’s so fast you cannot worry about failing, if you will, whatever that means, and just have fun with it.”

That attitude came up again when the conversation turned to the SNL 50 Anniversary Special and De Niro’s appearance in the “Debbie Downer” sketch. He explained that even though the material is comedy, he believes actors have to take their appearances seriously.

“You have to really commit to it,” he said. “Don’t do any indicating. They’re just straight on what you’re supposed to do with that person as if it was a real situation. So, that’s how I looked at it.”

De Niro’s next comedy sees him return as Jack Byrnes in Focker-In-Law, the latest chapter in the hit franchise. The story follows Greg Focker’s son, Henry (Skyler Gisondo), as he brings his girlfriend (Ariana Grande) home to meet the family. She’s a highly trained FBI hostage negotiator, putting Greg (Ben Stiller) on high alert from the start. When Henry reveals that he plans to propose, Greg’s anxiety goes into overdrive, setting the stage for a new round of family clashes, secrets, and the chaos that ensues whenever the Byrnes and Fockers come together.

Focker-In-Law is in theaters Nov. 25.

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