De Niro Claims Origin of Taxi Driver’s Iconic Line

At the Tribeca Festival’s 50th-anniversary *Taxi Driver* screening, De Niro was asked about the film’s most-quoted line. He answered, “I came up with it,” rejecting theories linking it to a Springsteen concert or a New York comedian.

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*Taxi Driver* was filmed in summer 1975 during a sweltering heat wave, a citywide sanitation strike and New York’s near-bankruptcy. The decay inspired Schrader’s “yellow coffin” metaphor for the cab. Scorsese called the set “a kind of violence all around you,” noting that the chaos seeped into the film’s tone. De Niro later linked the movie’s loneliness to today’s internet-driven isolation.

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Robert De Niro, co-founder of the Tribeca Festival, starred as Travis Bickle and originated the line. Screenwriter Paul Schrader, who wrote the script while hospitalized with an ulcer, later advised young filmmakers to “mine” original knowledge. Director Martin Scorsese praised the script’s razor-sharp quality and stressed personal will in filmmaking. Jodie Foster, then 12, observed the film’s anti-heroic draw and credited De Niro’s improvisation as a formative experience.

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The panel celebrated the film’s 50th-anniversary at Tribeca. *Taxi Driver* was shot in 1975 amid a sanitation strike and near-bankruptcy. Jodie Foster was 12 on set; Schrader wrote the script while hospitalized with an ulcer.

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De Niro said the film’s relevance endures because “people are lonely” today. Schrader described the script as “like a razor blade” on each page. Scorsese warned that creative work demands “the will to do it and not be shaken by any hindrance.” Foster noted Travis Bickle’s lack of self-understanding makes him a compelling anti-hero, cautioning against excessive sympathy.

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De Niro acknowledged the risk of “paying tribute to a monster” if audiences identify too strongly with Travis, suggesting that glorifying the character could obscure his violent pathology.

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Some commentators have linked the line to a Springsteen concert or a New York underground comedian. De Niro’s direct statement that he invented it stands in contrast, leaving the origin theory unresolved.

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The line’s spontaneous creation highlights the film’s improvisational energy and cultural influence. Its endurance mirrors ongoing concerns about isolation, making *Taxi Driver* a touchstone for urban alienation debates.

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Schrader and Scorsese urged emerging filmmakers to avoid imitation and to harness personal will, suggesting that the film’s legacy will continue to shape future storytelling.

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• “I mean, you have no idea what impact the film will have later on.” — Robert De Niro, Actor

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• “The truth and the beauty of Travis Bickle’s character, I think, is that he presents an idea of this meaning that he wants and he wants to be a part of, but there’s no real self-understanding.” — Jodie Foster, Actress

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• “You talkin’ to me?” — Robert De Niro, Actor (ad-lib)

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• “Don’t copy anybody.” — Paul Schrader, Screenwriter

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