In a 4.17 N.Y. Times interview with Dave Itzkoff, The King of Comedy costar Sandra Bernhard is asked that awful question that will never go away and which I’m thoroughly sick of hearing at press junket round-tables — i.e., “as a relative newcomer did you find it intimidating to be working with this or that famous actor?,” blah blah.
But Bernhard, praise the Lord, totally ignores Itzkoff’s bait and give a refreshingly frank and on-target answer, or what sounds like one to me.
Itzkoff: “This was one of your first major roles, and suddenly you’re working with Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis. Were you intimidated?”
Bernhard: “The only time I’m intimidated is when I work with amateurs. When you work with great people, it gives you a sense of confidence and it’s a vote of confidence for your talents. You’re like, How can I go wrong here? These people aren’t going to let me fall. It’s the people that are threatened by everybody else that are going to trip you up.”
The interview was given to promote the 4.27 Tribeca Film festival screening of a restored version of Martin Scorsese’s 1983 film.