“Taxi Driver,” 50 Years After Its Release: De Niro and J. Foster Discuss “Behind the Scenes”

Secured an unshakable position in Hollywood with just his first two films

“Taxi Driver,” a masterpiece of the American New Wave starring Robert De Niro (83) and directed by Martin Scorsese (83), was released in 1976 and marks its 50th anniversary this year.

Travis, the protagonist played by De Niro—a Vietnam War veteran—suffers from severe insomnia caused by the war and becomes a taxi driver while living a lonely life. As he drives his yellow cab through the city at night, he becomes repulsed by the decadence of post-Vietnam War New York, andHe persuades Iris (Jodie Foster), a young girl forced into prostitution by her pimp, Sport (Harvey Keitel), to quit the trade. He then acquires a gun, builds up his physique, cuts his hair into a mohawk, and takes extreme measures in an attempt to “clean up” the city.

Internationally acclaimed as a masterpiece depicting the loneliness and madness of New York, it won the Palme d’Or, the top prize at the 29th Cannes International Film Festival.At the 49th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (De Niro), Best Supporting Actress (Jodie Foster), and Best Original Score (Bernard Herrmann).At the National Society of Film Critics Awards, Scorsese won Best Director, De Niro won Best Actor, and Foster won Best Supporting Actress.

De Niro, who won the Best Supporting Actor award at the 47th Academy Awards for his portrayal of the young Don Vito Corleone in *The Godfather: Part II* (1974), followed that up with *Taxi Driver*; these two films cemented his status as a leading actor in Hollywood.

I once covered a press conference when De Niro visited Japan to promote *Raging Bull* (1980)—a film based on the autobiography of real-life professional boxer Jake LaMotta, for which De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

I also wanted to ask him about *Taxi Driver*—for which he had revealed that he gained 27 kilograms to portray a scene where his character had become severely overweight due to binge eating and drinking—so

“You really immersed yourself in the role of the taxi driver—how did you prepare for the part?”

De Niro replied,

“I worked as a taxi driver in New York for six months. Nobody even noticed,”

he revealed with a laugh. I was struck by how surprised I was by the story of him working as a taxi driver for half a year just to prepare for the role—that really left an impression on me.

And Jodie Foster (63), who caused a sensation at age 12 playing the child prostitute Iris, was interviewed one-on-one at a hotel in Tokyo in January 1977, when she visited Japan to promote *The Down Town Story*.

I’m a Democrat.

The film is a musical set in 1930s America, with an all-child cast. Foster, who was 14 at the time, played the gang boss’s mistress.

When asked about her role as Iris, the prostitute in *Taxi Driver*,

“I didn’t really study for it. After all, even if you’re playing a cleaning lady, you can do it even without any experience. I just hope this (being a prostitute) isn’t part of my true nature,”

I was surprised by her confident, humorous response.

When I asked her about her school life—she attended the “Lycée Français” in Los Angeles at the time (from age 8 through high school)—

“School life? Talking about movies and TV. Tests, which I hated. Badmouthing teachers. Telling each other about the handsome stars appearing on local TV,”

she said, revealing her daily routine. She also mentioned that her school friends didn’t treat her like a star.

“When I get tired of movies, I go to school, then go back to movies… My favorite part is eating lunch at school.”

A button-down shirt, jeans, and leather boots. A toy ring on her finger. A cute Disney watch on her wrist.

“New York? I like it, but it’s too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.”

Also, in January of that year, Democrat Jimmy Carter took office as president. Regarding politics,

“I missed the TV debates. I support the Democrats. But I couldn’t vote because you have to be 18 to vote,”

she said, revealing her political awareness.

As for romance,

“A boyfriend? I don’t need one until I’m 18. Unless, of course, a wonderful man like Paul Newman comes along,”

Her smile, as she shook her blonde hair, was carefree.

She was later accepted into several prestigious universities, including Harvard and Columbia, and enrolled at Yale, from which she graduated with honors.As an actress, Foster—who won two Academy Awards for Best Actress for *The Accused* (1988) and *The Silence of the Lambs* (1991)—was already exuding the aura of a major star when she was referred to as “the little great actress” during an interview.

Foster delivered a realistic portrayal of Iris, a teenage prostitute who symbolized the decadence of post-Vietnam War New York. And De Niro perfectly captured the loneliness and madness of New York.*Taxi Driver* is one of those timeless masterpieces that has lost none of its luster even 50 years after its release, and it will undoubtedly continue to be talked about for generations to come—