COVER
Barbuda project, dubbed ‘paradise found’. He decided to build the resort after first visiting Antigua’s tiny sister island about 30 years ago. “I went to Barbuda for a day trip and I never forgot it,” he says. “I always thought it would be worth it if I could do a beautiful resort and maybe make it a Nobu beach club or another hotel — but really Nobu was what I was thinking of. Finally I found this property and we got in touch with the owners. It was a long process but I did it because I love the place so much and the people are great. I like to do certain projects that take a commitment but it has to grab me.” Last year a public vote in Barbuda backed De Niro and Packer’s proposal. Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, named De Niro a special economic envoy and said at the time: “It is my belief your celebrity status will attract more American celebrities to the Caribbean. We expect this project to be one of the most exciting [in the region].” De Niro, a regular at the Jumby Bay resort in Antigua, admits not all his decisions pan out but says: “You have to believe in what you are doing
Callaloo Cay beach club and villas in Antigua and Barbuda, where Robert De Niro and billionaire James Packer are investors
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to put the time in, especially as you get older.” He adds with a chuckle: “When it comes out in five or 10 years, we can say it was 40 years in the making.” That is the thing with De Niro: for a man whose career stretches back more than four decades and who has been something of a chameleon in his roles—from the brooding intensity of Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II and Jake La Motta in Raging Bull to the lighthearted comedy of Meet the Parents and its sequels— longevity is key. He plays a long game, whether it is investing in a business project or a role. Notorious for his method acting, he gained 27 kilograms and learned how to box for his role as La Motta and worked as a cabbie for Taxi Driver. His Falling in Love co-star Meryl Streep says of him: “He is relentless in his desire to find just the right detail, the little things that tell you everything about a man. I had the privilege of watching his process in a wardrobe test. For three hours, he tried on 37 identical little boxy jackets — windbreakers — that