Follow Us
Join Us
When Raging Bull dropped in 1980, it didn’t just shake up boxing films. It shook up Martin Scorsese’s entire life. Now sitting at a proud 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, the biographical drama captured Robert De Niro in his rawest, most unhinged form as middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta. The performance won De Niro his first Oscar. But behind the scenes? It nearly broke both him and Scorsese.
Scorsese didn’t even want to direct Raging Bull at first. He turned it down multiple times. De Niro, however, wouldn’t let go. He’d gotten obsessed with LaMotta after reading his memoir on the set of The Godfather Part II. Scorsese thought it was just another sports story until it wasn’t.
Martin Scorsese
& Robert De Niroon vacation
writing Raging Bull pic.twitter.com/wLPQbH1brP— Scorsese Universe (@scorsesepoint) May 15, 2024
Raging Bull & Robert De Niro Pulled Martin Scorsese Back From The Brink Into Cinema History
After the flop of New York, New York, Martin Scorsese hit rock bottom, literally. According to ScreenRant, a near-fatal drug overdose in 1978 had him in the hospital fighting for his life. De Niro visited and laid it all out. If Scorsese didn’t pull it together, he’d miss out on his daughter, work, and future. That hospital-bed conversation changed everything. Scorsese credits De Niro and Raging Bull with saving his life.
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro behind the scenes of RAGING BULL, 1980. pic.twitter.com/0HseHOrUcT
— MUBI (@mubi) July 9, 2020
Trending
Robert De Niro Underwent A Drastic Transformation For Raging Bull
To become LaMotta, Robert De Niro didn’t just act. He morphed. Gained a brutal 60 pounds. “It’s kind of fun for the first 10, 12, 15 pounds, and then it’s drudgery,” he said on the Off Menu podcast. Producer Irwin Winkler wasn’t thrilled: “I said it wasn’t good for his health. He said, ‘I got to do it.’”
Joe Pesci confirmed the dedication, saying De Niro “really wanted to feel what Jake LaMotta felt.” From 150 to 210 lbs, De Niro’s body literally bore the weight of that transformation. During the final scenes, Scorsese could hear De Niro breathing so heavily that they had to rush through filming.
Forty-five years later, Raging Bull is still a masterclass in pain, violence, and regret. It’s the film that nearly didn’t happen – powered by one actor’s obsession and one director’s rebirth. Without it, Martin Scorsese’s career might’ve ended before it began. It also gave Robert De Niro a chance to prove he could out-punch anyone in Hollywood.
Raging Bull wasn’t just brutal in the ring. It was brutal to make. And that’s what made it iconic.
For more such stories, check out Hollywood News
Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Google News
