Filming halted for four months so De Niro could eat his way through Italy and France, gaining sixty pounds in the process. The shift in physique changed everything. De Niro developed high blood pressure, began snoring, and had difficulty tying his shoes. He had rashes on his thighs, and his breathing became labored. For most people these physical consequences would be ample reason to reconsider their working methods, but De Niro claimed that “it was the best thing I could’ve done … Just by having the weight on, it made me feel a certain way and behave in a certain way.”
