As any self-respecting movie buff (or man over 40) will tell you, Robert De Niro’s big break came in 1974’s “The Godfather Part II.” De Niro played a younger version of Vito Corleone, the mafia boss whose original portrayal by Marlon Brando is the stuff of legend.
Forty-five years later, De Niro starred as another outsider-turned gangster, playing Frank Sheeran in Martin Scorsese’s 2019 epic, “The Irishman.” The movie follows Sheeran’s progress for more than five decades from 1949 until 2000, when he’s seeing out his dotage in a nursing home.
It’s manipulative, and appears to stem from the same anxiety that consistently sees Hollywood churn out remakes and sequels.／Flickr
As an actor already in his mid-70s, De Niro was ideally suited to play the older Sheeran. Unlike in “The Godfather II,” however, no up-and-comer was enlisted to play his younger counterpart. Thanks to de-aging technology, De Niro portrayed Sheeran throughout his life, the lines on his face digitally smoothed.
This, really, is why de-aging megastars always feels a bit icky. While it’s undoubtedly useful — and recasting household names comes with its own baggage — you get the sense that directors and producers are trying to capitalize on the nostalgia evoked by actors’ reincarnation, rather than attempt something new. In the “Here” trailer, Hanks’ character sports a haircut that could’ve been lifted straight from his 1988 hit “Big.” It’s manipulative, and appears to stem from the same anxiety that consistently sees Hollywood churn out remakes and sequels.Given the sheer amount of time and money filmmakers have poured into de-aging, it seems a real shame that their efforts can’t be redirected into promoting fresh talent instead. Timothée Chalamet played a young Casey Affleck in 2014’s “Interstellar,” Gwyneth Paltrow played a young Maggie Smith in 1991’s “Hook,” and Michael Cera played a young Sam Rockwell in 2002’s “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.” Crucially, De Niro’s imitation of Brando, the greatest actor of his generation, set him on the path to becoming the greatest actor of his own.
