Robert De Niro Opens Up About His Gay Dad

It's hard to get Robert De Niro to talk about stuff.



The notoriously terse actor and director has a history of being tight-lipped and evasive (trust us, we would know). But, in anticipation of the June 9^th premiere of his new HBO documentary, "Remembering the Artist: Robert De Niro Sr.," De Niro has started talking about his father -- and his father's surprising sexuality.



In an interview with OUT Magazine (via The Independent), "He probably was (conflicted about his sexuality)," the actor told OUT. "Being from that generation, especially from a small town upstate (in New York)." Not that De Niro really noticed that his dad was that different. "I was not aware, much, of it. I wish we had spoken about it much more. My mother didn't want to talk about things in general, and you're not interested when you're a certain age."



Still, De Niro feels like it's important to talk about, especially for his own kids. "Again, for my kids, I want them to stop and take a moment and realize that you sometimes have to do things now instead of later, because later may be 20 years from now -- and that's too late."



De Niro's father died more than 20 years ago, and the actor felt like this documentary was a way to keep that legacy alive -- both as a painter and a father. "It was the only way to keep his being, his existence alive. To me, he was always a great artist."



Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP









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