'It Was The Best Experience Of My Life': Actor Danny A. Abeckaser On 'The Irishman' & Robert De Niro
(CBS Local)-- 'The Irishman' starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci is one of the most anticipated movies of the year.
The Martin Scorsese film hits theaters November 1 for a limited three week run before going to Netflix and actor Danny A. Abeckaser got the opportunity of a lifetime when Scorsese asked him to play a role alongside De Niro in the movie.
"Just being on set was surreal for me," said Abeckaser in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "I'm a New York actor and I've always wanted to work on a Scorsese mob movie and I didn't think I was going to get a chance. Once I heard about this, I wanted to be in it so bad. It's a dream come true."
Abeckaser plays Louie the Deadbeat in the movie and shares a few scenes with De Niro. The actor and director grew up in Brooklyn and learned a lot in his time with legends like Scorsese and De Niro.
"He [Scorsese] puts you in the place and basically explains who your character is and where he is coming from," said Abeckaser. "Then he just lets you do your thing. Improv is big with him and he just makes you feel comfortable. The most valuable thing I learned is that once you make the actors comfortable, they give you their best performance. You're so in the moment and you don't even realize where the cameras are. It was the best experience of my life."
In addition to "The Irishman," Abeckaser has a new movie coming out in December called "Mob Town" about a famous mafia family living in upstate New York. Telling New York stories is extremely important to the actor and director.
"I'm a New York guy and I grew up in Brooklyn," said Abeckaser. "My last movie I directed is Black Jack about a New York City basketball legend Jackie Ryan. I just love New York stories and I relate to them. I feel like they don't get an opportunity to be told anymore because of the studio system. Quoting my favorite director of all-time... you make movies in the world you know."