Robert De Niro Used the Services of a Dentist to Prepare for ‘Cape Fear’
Robert De Niro is known for many different roles. Most recently, he’s taken on big roles in The Irishman and The Wizard of Lies, but the famed actor is most famous for his earlier work in films like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and Cape Fear. While De Niro is memorable in all his roles, his portrayal of Max Cady in Cape Fear is so haunting that people are still talking about it decades later. De Niro went through a lot for the role; he even paid a dentist to help him prepare for the part.
Robert De Niro paid a dentist to get him ready for ‘Cape Fear’
When Robert De Niro agreed to take on the role of Max Cady in Cape Fear, he wasn’t going to do it halfway. De Niro was more than happy to put down money to transform into his character. According to Far Out, the Academy Award-winning actor paid a dentist $5,000 to ruin his teeth, making them jagged and completely uncared for so he’d appear especially menacing as Cady. It wasn’t a requirement for the role, but De Niro did it anyway. When filming ended, he visited the same dentist to have his pearly whites restored. According to the publication, the restoration cost $20,000.
De Niro laid down a lot of money to transform into the terrifying character of Max Cady. Still it wasn’t the first time he took his method acting ways to the extreme. When he was cast in Taxi Driver, De Niro lost 30 pounds, took a firearms class, and spent a month driving a cab to connect with the character of Travis Bickle. He was similarly intense in his study of his character when he took on the role of Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull.
The famed actor’s memory about the process of making ‘Cape Fear’ is pretty wild, too
Robert De Niro’s dedication to his role extended long after Cape Fear premiered. De Niro apparently has a razor-sharp memory about the movie and its audition process. Last week, Reese Witherspoon appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and recalled her audition with De Niro for Cape Fear.
Witherspoon recalled being told that De Niro was the most important actor of our time shortly before her audition. The comment made her so nervous that she couldn’t say her lines. She was only 14 then and didn’t get a part in the film. She moved on, and she hadn’t thought much of it. Witherspoon explained to Kimmel that she didn’t imagine De Niro remembered her after her completely forgettable audition. As it turned out, he did. A decade later, their paths crossed again. Witherspoon wasn’t as forgettable as she had hoped. De Niro said, “I remember you; you’re the one who couldn’t say the word.”
