The 'Irishman' actor calls the ongoing coronavirus pandemic 'surreal' and compares the global health crisis to the scary scenes in Hollywood science-fiction movie.

• May 14, 2020

AceShowbiz - Robert De Niro has compared the coronavirus pandemic to a science-fiction movie, calling the situation "surreal."

"The Goodfellas" star is currently in lockdown in New York, and told BBC Newsnight it's "very strange" to be in the Big Apple while the streets are so unusually quiet.

"New York is kind of like a ghost town," he shared. "But then it's surreal. Then you see other parts of the world, other big, great cities of the world are also in the same situation. It's interesting."

"It's kind of like a science-fiction movie, but it's real, you know."

Reflecting on the leadership in the city during the crisis, he praised Governor Andrew Cuomo for doing a "great job," adding, "He's done what (President Donald) Trump should have done, but he doesn't have a clue how to do that. So it's scary, because everyone is sort of nonplussed and stunned at what this guy is doing."

The actor also reflected on the possibility of the coronavirus crisis influencing a new generation of movies, with "The Irishman" star musing, "For some, it is traumatic I imagine. For others, they want to get their mind off things and they will watch movies and whatever is there. That is a great thing to do. And hopefully I can do that too, at one point."

"But it's just a very, very, very difficult time and everybody knows it, and they are kind of like saying, 'What world are we in?' "