Angelina Jolie names the one actor who always sees the bigger picture
By 2005, Angelina Jolie had become a household name. She won an Oscar for her performance in Girl Interrupted in 2000 and was most riding the Hollywood blockbuster train for her role in Mr & Mrs Smith alongside Brad Pitt. Today, she is a renowned actor, filmmaker, and humanitarian.
Soon after her role in the spy comedy Mr & Mrs Smith, Jolie was cast in another spy film but in a completely different role. In Robert De Niro’s 2006 period film The Good Shepherd, Jolie played the wife of a senior CIA officer. Her character, Clover, was “stopped by her time”, and while it was difficult for Jolie to depict such a woman, she only had good things to say about one of her co-stars.
De Niro directed the 2006 espionage drama, which explores the psychological toll, sacrifices made on a personal level, and moral compromises associated with working in the CIA’s shadowy world. The film offers a fictionalised version of the early years of the Central Intelligence Agency, presented through the life of one man profoundly involved in its development. It has an ensemble cast led by Jolie, Matt Damon and De Niro himself.
Reflecting on the project when speaking to The London Net, Jolie said, “To do anything with De Niro is a dream come true.”
During the conversation, the interviewer expressed that “not all actors make great directors,” to which Jolie replied, “That’s true. But Bob sees the bigger picture.” She noted that De Niro sees a film beyond its characters; he sees every detail, including the history and the people in the story. “He’s obsessive about detail and research and works really hard.” Speaking to IGN a few years later, she expressed that she learned a lot from De Niro about being an “actor’s director”.
Damon, who played the role of the protagonist Edward Wilson also discussed De Niro’s attention to detail, saying, “That’s what Bob is great at and why he’s a great actor and a great director. He micro-manages all those little details and he doesn’t stop until all those little details are in the right place”.
During a Q&A with CNN, De Niro explained that Jolie challenged him with her interpretation of Clover, which was different from his own. Despite these contrasts, the results from her portrayal of the character surprised him. “I was very happy with what she did. She did a wonderful job.” Later, he said that Jolie is one of the actors he’d “love to work with”.
The Good Shepherd stands out for its attempt to portray the emotional and psychological cost of leading a life committed to secrets, even though it may not have achieved the same heights as earlier spy films like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Compared to more action-packed spy flicks, the film offers a more contemplative portrayal of the world of espionage because of its examination of the morally complicated activities carried out by the CIA and its emphasis on the personal toll these entail.
Naturally, De Niro’s long-standing partnerships with renowned filmmakers like Martin Scorsese have had a significant impact on his filmmaking decisions. The characters in the two films he has directed struggle with moral dilemmas and grow as a result on an emotional level. De Niro is a careful and methodical director whose style is founded in character development. His experience as an actor informs his technique behind the camera, allowing him to get powerful performances out of his actors and create genuine, subtly emotive films.
