As each grew famous for intense, immersive work, "it was a good thing that we had each other to talk about stuff," De Niro says. Photo / Philip Montgomery, The New York Times
As each grew famous for intense, immersive work, "it was a good thing that we had each other to talk about stuff," De Niro says. Photo / Philip Montgomery, The New York Times
The New Zealand Herald is bringing back some of the best stories of 2019 from our premium international syndicators, including The New York Times, Financial Times, The Times of London and Harvard Business Review.
This afternoon we look at the most recent collaboration between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino,what it's like to grow up amid the opioid crisis, TV's quest for survival in the age of streaming, the dying Playboy brand and polyamory.
De Niro and Pacino have always connected. Just rarely on screen
In the late 1960s two rookie actors named Robert De Niro and Al Pacino first crossed paths. A half-century later the duo have provided cinema with some of its most transfixing and explosive protagonists.
The Irishman is officially only the third time they've collaborated on screen, but over the years they often turned to one another. Who else could understand?
"Al learns his dialogue two weeks ahead of time - it's a free-form, psychological absorption," Michael Mann said. "Bob is determined to be completely in the moment." Photo / Philip Montgomery, NYT
'I found a needle in your purse': What it's like to grow up amid the opioid crisis
Layla Kegg's mother, back home after three weeks who knows where, says she's done with heroin, ready for rehab and wants to be part of her daughter's life. But Layla has heard all of this before and doesn't believe a single word.
Call them Generation O, the children growing up in families trapped in a relentless grip of addiction, rehab and prison.
"I'd be crying, begging her to stop," said Layla Kegg of her mother's drug addiction, "but she was too out of it to care." Photo / Alyssa Schukar, The New York Times
TV's quest for content
Hollywood is in the midst of a costly land-grab. America's traditional media empires are spending tens of billions of dollars as they fight back against technology groups that have ravaged their business.
Hugh Hefner arrives at London Airport from Chicago with an entourage of Playboy Bunnies, 26th June 1966. Photo / Getty Images
Why polyamory works for them: 'People should have more options'
Through a half-century of sexual upheaval, monogamy has been a curious stalwart.
The tradition of having a single sexual partner is among the only sexual practices liberals and conservatives rarely disagree about. Yet in certain areas, monogamy's inverse is on the rise.
