Scheduled to address Donald Trump at the recent Gotham Awards, the “Killers of the Flower Moon” actor Robert De Niro discovered a last-minute alteration, with his anti-Trump references removed.
According to Variety Magazine, Apple, the film’s producer, made the modifications following feedback from the film team, focusing the speech on the movie itself.
De Niro, unaware of these changes, openly criticized both the awards show and Apple for their intervention.
Before the event commenced, a revised version of De Niro’s speech was inserted into the teleprompter at the behest of an Apple employee, eliminating explicit Trump references.
Instead, it touched upon living in a “post-truth society.”
Insiders clarified that the Gotham Awards organizers were not involved in the modifications to De Niro’s speech. A spokesperson for De Niro stated that the actor wasn’t aware of the changes made.
A source related to the film dismissed the idea of censorship, attributing the incident to a miscommunication.
The intent was to highlight the filmmakers’ artistry, with multiple versions of De Niro’s speech being considered. Apple and the filmmakers were unaware that De Niro hadn’t approved the final draft.
Despite the alterations, De Niro managed to voice his criticisms from his phone during the event, accusing the former president of extensive lying and disrespectful behavior.
Spokespeople representing the Gotham Awards and Apple chose not to offer comments regarding the incident.
