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Martin Scorsese & Robert De Niro, Great Friends, Brilliant Collaborators, On Where It All Started As ‘Mean Streets’ Plays Tribeca Festival

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro on their long friendship and work together as 'Mean Streets', their first collaboration, plays Tribeca Festival.

De Niro’s “Johnny Boy” Civello in Mean Streets, a reckless but charming small-time gambler deeply in debt to loan sharks, was based on people they both knew, the duo told a Q&A with rapper Nas after the packed screening at the Beacon Theater. The film, which starred an amazing Harvey Keitel as Charlie Cappa, a conflicted young gangster who tried to look out for his impetuous friend, was part of De Niro Con, a tribute to the Oscar-winning actor and co-founder of the Tribeca Festival. Scorsese also said he learned a lot from De Niro, including how to act — like in a small Taxi Driver part.

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