BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Robert De Niro – who has been a professional actor for 60 years with more than 120 credits on his resume – has never had a starring role in a television series produced in the United States. That changes for the Oscar-winning actor as he headlines an all-star cast for the new Netflix limited series “Zero Day.”
The six-episode political thrill will be available on the streaming service starting Feb. 20.
De Niro plays respected former U.S. President George Mullen, who, as head of the Zero Day Commission, is charged with finding the perpetrators of a cyber-attack that has caused chaos, and thousands of fatalities, across the country. As disinformation runs rampant and the personal ambition of power brokers in technology, Wall Street, and government collide, Mullen’s unwavering search for the truth forces him to confront his own dark secrets while risking all he holds dear.
The lure for being part of “Zero Day” was not the chance to star in a television series or the fact he would be an executive producer on the project. It was the quality of the script and the chance to work in New York that was enticing to De Niro.
“I saw it was terrific. So, I was happy, ready to go,” De Niro says. “What these guys had done was so good. There wasn’t any sort of preparation for us before. We rehearsed every scene, of course, but it was there, the dialogue was good.
“It could have been corny or this or that, or pretentious or tendentious or whatever it would have been. I wouldn’t be here.”
Having such strong scripts meant De Niro didn’t have to go through his long traditional regiment of developing a character. He found the role was so well written that all he had to do was play himself.
As for the executive producer’s credit, De Niro explains that his work on the project would have been the same even if he didn’t have the title.
Series creator Eric Newman is quick to point out that De Niro wasn’t a producer in name only. He describes De Niro as an “invaluable partner” in terms of how much insight and feedback De Niro offered during the filming.
When you have an actor who is the caliber of De Niro, it pays to listen to what he has to say. His credits include “Taxi Driver,” “Cape Fear,” “Raging Bull” and “The Irishman.”
After De Niro was locked down to play the former President, the casting of the right person to play the former First Lady was important. Joan Allen landed the role of Sheila Mullen, the former First Lady who is a nominee to the federal bench.
Series creator describes Allen’s character as the conscience of the show.
What Allen liked about her character and the relationship with her husband was the mutual respect they had for each other in terms of each other’s ideologies, politics and beliefs about the best ideas for running this country.
“I think it’s a long, meaningful partnership that they both respect each other’s ideas and thoughts and actually enjoy and kind of rely on being able to communicate with each other to come up with supportive, maybe even a new idea. I think it’s a long-standing partnership and one that they each value a great deal,” Allen says. They’ve been through some pretty serious things as a family as well. And I just think that her concern and her belief in him is that she’ll go to great, great lengths to protect him.
“There’s a great deal of love and respect, and you take care of the people that you care about, particularly somebody as valuable as she believes that he is.”
Allen – who has been nominated for an Oscar three times – comes to the streaming service series having starred in a long list of TV and film projects. Her credits include “Room,” “Crucible,” “The Bourne Legacy” and “The Notebook.” She also has some experience playing a First Lady having played Pat Nixon in the feature film “Nixon.”
The cast of “Zero Day” also includes Angela Bassett, Lizzy Caplan, Connie Britton, Bill Camp, Dan Stevens, Matthew Modine, McKinley Belcher III, Clark Gregg, Mozhan Navabi, Hannah Gross, Mark Ivanir, Jay Klaitz and Eden Lee.
Bassett’s main interest in signing on to play the current President of the United States, Evelyn Mitchell, was the opportunity to work with De Niro. There also was a very serious reason she agreed to be part of the production.
“The opportunity to see this representation of a woman who looks like me in that seat of power in that Oval Office. It’s very unique in particular, so I was excited about that opportunity,” Bassett says.
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