Stalking his stalker: how Robert De Niro prepared for ‘The King of Comedy’
Exposing America’s obsession with the cult of celebrity through the route of black comedy in a classic crime caper, director Martin Scorsese brought to light many societal and entertainment industry ills in The King of Comedy. Released in 1982 after the director’s acclaimed psychological crime thrillers, the movie stars screen veteran Robert De Niro as Rupert Pupkin, a delusional and determined stand-up comedian trying to launch his career.
Driven to the extreme by his thirst for stage and television success, Pupkin resorts to stalking and kidnapping his idol, successful talk show host Jerry Lanford, played by Jerry Lewis. What follows is an unnerving and disturbing series of events that thematically examine a fractured psyche aligned with the West’s mindless celebration of public entertainment icons.
The King of Comedy was the fifth collaboration between Scorsese and De Niro following the critically acclaimed Raging Bull in 1980. The film grossed $2.5million against a $19million budget, making it a financial letdown. However, The King of Comedy is far from a failure in style, plot and performance wise. Scorsese brilliantly adapted Paul D. Zimmerman’s script, amplifying each core value through attentive camerawork and editing, with De Niro’s immersive and haunting performance bridging both areas.
One of the many true stories behind the film involves the actor’s dedication and passion for bringing the complex and conceptual role to complete fruition and naturalistic performance. A student of method acting, De Niro went beyond reciting the dialogue from the page down the barrel of the lens and challenged himself to subject himself to the role’s DNA.
In anticipation of the role of Rupert Pupkin, the actor developed a “role reversal” technique: he stalked and asked his autograph hunters many questions. According to Scorsese, he even met a long-time stalker to discuss the matter. “The guy was waiting for him with his wife, a shy suburban woman who was rather embarrassed by the situation,” the director shared, as reported by Filmmaker. “He wanted to take him to dinner at their house, a two-hour drive from New York.”
He added: “After he had persuaded him to stay in Manhattan, [De Niro] asked him, ‘Why are you stalking me? What do you want?’ He replied, ‘To have dinner with you, have a drink, chat. My mom asked me to say hi.'”
Additionally, De Niro studied their shows for months to learn the rhythm and timing of stand-up comedians’ performances. An entirely in-phase actor, he declined Lewis’ invitation to dinner because he was “expected to be at his throat and ready to kill him for [his] chance”, according to Andy Dougan’s Untouchable: Robert De Niro: Unauthorised.
What came from this role immersion was an electric, haunting and riveting performance that communicates a dire and detrimental conflict between the interior’s perception of reality and the exterior world’s objective truth. Pupkin is one of De Niro’s most underrated performances. The character exemplifies unturned issues with those who immerse themselves in an unobtainable image of immense fame and success, stemming from an unhealthy amount of attention towards a public figure they view as a personal companion as a deranged outlet.
