Taxi Driver (1976)
"A Taxi Driver's Diary" by Arthur, Travis, Squeaky and John
Taxi Driver script drew inspiration from two real-life events: the 1972 shooting of candidate George Wallace by Arthur Bremer, whose diaries influenced the character Travis Bickle, and the 1975 assassination attempt on president Ford by Manson Family's member Squeaky Fromme, which landed her on the cover of Newsweek. Tragically, in 1981, Taxi Driver inspired John Hinckley jr. to shoot president Reagan, hoping to catch Jodie Foster's attention, whom he was obsessed with.
How a child actress changed roles and became a movie star
In 1975, while still filming '1900' in Rome, De Niro often flew to New York on weekends to immerse himself in Travis's gritty mindset. He lost 35 pounds and began listening repeatedly to Arthur Bremer's diaries. He obtained a legitimate taxi driver's license and cruised the streets of NYC to absorb the city's atmosphere. While in Italy, he visited a U.S. army base to study the soldiers' experiences in the Vietnam war and to record the U.S. soldiers midwestern accent, which he later used for Travis.
How De Niro seriously got into Travis character
Jodie Foster landed the controversial role of Iris out of around 200 auditioned actresses. Since she was only 12 years old at the time, to ensure she wasn't traumatized by the filming, she participated in several psychologist sessions. In some potentially disturbing scenes, Iris was actually played by Jodie's older sister, Connie. In the bloody final scene, they made her watch as the set and special effects were being put in place to show her that it was all fictional.
