Newsletters
Hollywood actor Robert De Niro has confirmed a long-circulated story about a 1995 visit to Istanbul, during which he reportedly wore a police vest and hat and accompanied Turkish police on raids of nightclubs. De Niro had never verified the account until now, 31 years after it first surfaced.
The topic was raised during an interview De Niro and actor Adam Scott gave to journalist Cem Basak for the YouTube channel Filme Gitmeden Once, conducted to promote their new Netflix production.
Basak told De Niro that an unverified report had circulated in Türkiye describing his 1995 trip to Istanbul, saying he had worn a police vest and hat, joined Istanbul police on nightclub visits and taken part in identification checks.
"I went out with them, but I did not do ID checks," De Niro said. "I did not do anything, really. I was watching, observing. That much...That report is true."
Scott responded with a joke, saying it would be unsettling to wait in line to enter a club only to have Robert De Niro ask to see identification.
De Niro said he had been working on a project at the time and was observing police for research purposes. He said the writer he was collaborating with on the project had also been present.
"I was working," De Niro said. "I was just doing research. It was a long time ago. At the time, I was with the writer I was working with on this project. People I knew there knew about it. Police, like public order teams, were raiding certain clubs. I went with them. We went together."
Journalist Burak Ersemiz first reported the account in a 2017 archive story, writing that the episode took place in 1995, around the time the Istanbul Police Department relocated to a new building on Vatan Avenue.
According to Ersemiz, he encountered De Niro in the office of Mehmet Basar, then serving as Interpol branch director in Istanbul, who had befriended the actor while stationed in the United States.
Ersemiz wrote that De Niro visited to observe the operational capabilities of Turkish police firsthand for a film project he was working on at the time. He said he withheld the story that night at the police chief's request.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
3 min read
