Robert De Niro was on hand to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Taxi Driver this week at a Tribeca Film Festival screening.
On Friday (June 5), during a panel that included De Niro, Taxi Driver director Martin Scorsese, actor Jodie Foster, screenwriter Paul Schrader and comedian W. Kamau Bell, the latter asked the two-time Oscar-winning actor to recite the movie's memorable line because the crowd would "go nuts."
To the delight of attendees, De Niro fulfilled the request and threw in another line as a bonus. "Are you talking to me?" said De Niro, who played protagonist Travis Bickle in the 1976 blockbuster. "I'll add one more thing. I'm the only one here. That's the point."
Taxi Driver, which co-stars Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel and Albert Brooks, was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, but lost in both categories to Rocky and late actor Peter Finch, star of Network.
Its long been believed that De Niro improvised the "You talkin’ to me?" line, but, according to USA TODAY, Bell theorized during the panel that Bruce Springsteen might have originated the phrase at a concert, and alleged that De Niro heard it. "I came up with it," De Niro confirmed.
"Bob asked me about it once, and I said, 'Well, it's just like a kid who's eight years old standing in front of a mirror with his cap gun, going, 'Bang, bang!'" Schrader also shared. "He's talking to himself, and I never elaborated exactly what he was saying. I figured that was up to the actor."
