Preview: Harvey Keitel doesn't think of himself as a "star"
Actor Harvey Keitel has built a long career out of making small movie roles memorable, and earned an Oscar nomination along the way. However, Keitel believes he's never been considered "bankable," he tells Anthony Mason in an interview for "CBS Sunday Morning," to be broadcast December 15.
Keitel, currently seen in the mob epic "The Irishman," tells Mason, co-host of "CBS This Morning," that Hollywood hasn't always seen him as "bankable" or strong enough to lead a film. And despite his acting success, Keitel doesn't see himself as a movie star.
"I think of myself as a former Marine who got lucky. Really lucky," Keitel said. "So, I'm just grateful for the luck I've had, the people I've met, including the Marines."
Keitel, 80, talks with Mason about his career, growing up in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn, and how his first exposure to creativity came at the Marine Corps base at Parris Island.
The actor got his big acting break when he met Martin Scorsese, then a film student at New York University, who was casting for a student project. Keitel has since been in six Scorsese films, including "Mean Streets," "Taxi Driver," "The Last Temptation of Christ," and now, "The Irishman."
He also shares his family's reaction to his decision to become an actor. "I'll make a long story short," Keitel said. "When I said to them I'm gonna study acting, my father summed it up. He said, 'Actor schmactor.'"
Keitel earned an Oscar nomination for his work in the 1991 film "Bugsy." But despite the acclaim, Hollywood seemed to lose interest in him. Why?
"Gosh, if I knew that, I'd bottle it and sell it. I mean, I think they've lost interest in me now," Keitel said. "Because everything is box office. Not that things don't have to be the box office. They have to be. But not everything. And right now, it's everything."
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To watch a trailer for "The Irishman" click on the video player below:
