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Ssmith25
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15 Jan 2017, 4:23 pm

I was watching an interview with Jodie Foster where she was talking about how Robert De Niro was socially awkward and would sometimes just sit there saying nothing, and how the interviewer said that he was difficult to interview as didn't say much, although a very nice person. I wondered if he might have autism or Asperger's?
I searched to see if anybody else thought the same as me, but didn't find about that, although I found a lot about how he has an autistic son and has done much to promote the theory that vaccinations cause autism. Could the cause of his son be more genetic than his theory?
I know he's a great actor, but wouldn't being autistic or Asperger's help with acting, if many describe having to act to appear normal?



Ssmith25
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15 Jan 2017, 4:25 pm

This is youtube link of Jodie talking about Robert being socially awkward

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjilmCbz_u8&t=24s



Ssmith25
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15 Jan 2017, 4:32 pm

Also this newspaper article
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-09- ... king-about
Robert De Niro, the original tough guy, has a hard time with things other actors find easy. Small talk is not his domain; self-publicity irks him, with its requirements to smile and make eye contact and pretend to be interested.



EclecticWarrior
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15 Jan 2017, 4:55 pm

Maybe, but I am no longer fond of diagnosing people with relatively little to go on. Nor am I a professional.


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15 Jan 2017, 5:32 pm

sure, i wouldn't be surprised if he has very mild autism (or asperger's if we still use that term).
i think there are (and have been) more famous autists out there than we realize.



Ssmith25
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15 Jan 2017, 6:40 pm

Yes I'm sure the term Aspergers is still used because I heard it's only the USA who use a different diagnosis than the rest of the world. Tony Attwood who's Australian uses the term a lot.



BeggingTurtle
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16 Jan 2017, 2:18 am

Robert DeNiro is like Benedick Cumberbatch, he's typecast to play a socially awkward scumbag.


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ASPartOfMe
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16 Jan 2017, 4:03 am

Just bieng socially ackward does not make one autistic, far from it. But autism is heavily hereditary that would increase the odds of him bieng autistic. Having an autistic family member increases the odds that a person may have several strong autistic traits but not enough of them to be autistic.


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16 Jan 2017, 7:52 am

Seems like just about anyone qualifies these days, so why not De Niro?