London, November 09: De Niro says modern day actors become famous too early.
The 66-year-old believes his struggle to find success in his early career has kept him grounded and feels today’s stars need time to find their ground.
“I think it’s important to have had at least a few years of obscurity, where people treat you like everybody else. Then it goes crazy, and all of a sudden people behave differently toward you, they’re agreeing with you all the time, they’re not telling you no,” he said.
“I had some regular life behind me. It anchored me, going into the future,” he added.
The veteran actor doesn’t mind being a role model for other aspiring Hollywood stars because he believes he has enough life experience to give good advice.
“I don’t mind giving advice. I’ve had more experience, just by virtue of being alive longer, so I don’t mind doing that – if people ask. I don’t want to be preachy,” he said.
—IANS