Movie icon tells James Acaster and Ed Gamble about eating cobra

James Acaster and Ed Gamble have pulled of a coup for their Off Menu podcast – securing Robert De Niro as a guest.

The Hollywood legend’s episode is out today, with the star sharing stories about food linked to his most famous movies.

For example, while filming 1978’s Deer Hunter, he recalls: ‘We were shooting in the river Kwai, and somebody said, "you want to have some cobra meat?"

‘So, I ate cobra… It was okay. It wasn't great, it was cooked literally over a fire. They're just like marshmallows, and they had nothing on it to kind of give it a different flavour or to enhance it.’

He also spoke of gaining 60lbs for Raging Bull, explaining: ‘when I was getting the weight, I had to eat in the morning three full meals, which was hard to do, and then digest the food, to eat lunch and then dinner. It's kind of fun for the first 10, 12, 15, pounds, and [then] it's drudgery.’

As for the pair’s usual opening question ‘still or sparkling?’ De Niro goes for still to avoid having an unpredictable stomach while on set.

He said: ‘I’ve had my stomach rumbling and I'm trying to stop it, and it's so annoying. You're in the middle of a scene and it just won't stop it as a life of its own."

Gamble said: ‘When I watched Goodfellas aged 13, I always knew that one day me and my friend James would ask Robert De Niro what his dream side dish was.’

Acaster added: ‘This is the most in-depth interview any of us have ever been involved in. Enjoy.’

The pair will perform a run of four live episodes of the podcast at the London Palladium next month, but the shows are all sold out.

Published: 26 Feb 2025