‘Taxi Driver’ writer disses Robert De Niro over rumored Uber ad: ‘Ouch’

nypost.com:

Facebook post on Wednesday. “Why Bob would do this is beyond my reckoning,” he continued. “But I haven’t seen it. If I’m lucky I never will.”However, when contacted by The Post, a rep for De Niro declined to clarify the nature of the ad, reporting simply that the 80-year-old actor had indeed partnered with Uber, but reports of a “Taxi Driver” theme were “fabricated.”“We are filming with Robert De Niro in London for a new Uber UK campaign, which will launch later in the year,” the spokesperson wrote.

Uber furthermore told Gizmodo that De Niro won’t be referencing phrases from the movie in the ads. Last week, The Sun reported that the “Goodfellas” star would be shooting a series of ads for the car company in London.

De Niro starred as Bickle in the controversial movie, a loner who takes up a job as a New York City taxi driver.It was reported — falsely, apparently — that De Niro would replicate his unforgettable line in the movie: “You talkin’ to me?”De Niro’s role in “Taxi Driver” scored him a win for “Best Actor” at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards in 1976, as well as “Best Actor” at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards.

The film also won an award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1976.The actor scored an Oscar nomination in 1977 for “Best Actor in a Leading Role” — which he lost to Peter Finch for his work in the 1976 comedy, “Network.”During a 2013 interview with The Guardian, De Niro admitted that he was curious about where his character, Travis, would be at the time. “But I’d like to see where Travis is today,” he told the outlet.“There was something about the guy – all that rage and alienation, that’s what the city can do to you.