Even strong men cry — and traditionally tough-guy actor
Robert De Niro is proof. During a surprisingly emotional interview on
Katie Couric's day time talk show on Monday, the
Taxi Driver star choked up and wept when confronted with a sensitive subject.
Robert, who plays the father of a man with bipolar disorder (played by Bradley Cooper) in the award-season favourite, The Silver Linings Playbook, admitted that the condition struck him very close to home, as director David O Russell’s son suffers from bipolar. Check out the clip above.
"Did you feel a greater responsibility about doing a film that David had so much personally invested in?" the interviewer asked.
"Of course, I umm — I understand," Robert replied, before breaking into tears.
"I don’t like to get emotional, but I know exactly what he goes through."
Being a father himself, Robert knows the struggles of parenting firsthand, and clearly related to Bradley Cooper's accurate and sensitive portrayal of the condition.
Silver Linings scored eight Oscar nominations, including best supporting actor for Robert, best actor for Bradley, best actress for Jennifer Lawrence (who won the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards) and best supporting actress for Aussie Jacki Weaver.
Silver Linings Playbook is out now in Australia. Check out the trailer here.
