Robert De Niro on Producing Musical: 'Why Not?'
You know Robert De Niro in acclaimed acting roles as "Vito Corleone" in The Godfather Part II and "Jake LaMotta" in Raging Bull, but he's now taking on a new role as producer of the musical We Will Rock You.
"Why not?" De Niro said in an exclusive interview with ET before a rehearsal for We Will Rock You. "...You never know until you go. ... It's just a fun thing to take a shot at, and it's not easy."
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The musical, which is being brought to the States after years of worldwide success, is a story created by English playwright and director Ben Elton that encompasses a catalogue of songs from rock band Queen.
As a rock lover himself, De Niro says that project was something he was passionate about.
"I was very enthusiastic; Jane [Rosenthal] (co-producer), because of her enthusiasm, I said 'Let's do it!' ... The music is great." he said.
With Queen's iconic rock songs like the titular "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" as the backdrop, the musical focuses on the story of a group of Bohemians who contend with society to resurrect free thought and expression.
Elton says that Queen's unique music is "perfect for the stage" and the band is an ideal group to center a musical on given their etching in American culture and spectacular musical talent.
"They produced more anthems, you hear them in more stadiums than really any other band with an extraordinary eclecticism," he said. "This is an incredible mix of music. All four members of Queen wrote No. 1 [songs] individually."
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Watch the video above to get to know We Will Rock You's lead actors Brian Justin Crum and Ruby Lewis and their characters.
Click herefor more info on We Will Rock You's U.S. tour, which begins October 15 in Baltimore.