Robert De Niro ate cobra meat when he was filming 'The Deer Hunter' - and says the snake meat tasted like marshmallows
The 81-year-old Hollywood legend shot the 1978 Vietnam War drama on location in Thailand and during one day's filming on the River Kwai he was offered the exotic dish but after being brave enough to try it he admits the snake snack didn't pack much of a bite when it came to flavour
1 March 2025
Appearing on the 'Off Menu' podcast, De Niro recalled: "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."
'The Deer Hunter' was helmed by Michael Cimino, who won the Best Director Oscar, while the stark drama was awarded the Best Picture Oscar for its unflinching depiction of of the Vietnam conflict and the effects it had on the soldiers who served in the US military during it.
During his conversation with 'Off Menu' hosts Ed Gamble and James Acaster, De Niro also revealed he didn't enjoy having to gorge himself on food when he was required to gain 60 lbs to play Hall of Fame boxer Jake LaMotta in Martin Scorsese's 1980 drama 'Raging Bull'.
He said: "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."
During his appearance on 'Off Menu' - out this Wednesday (26.02.25) - De Niro shares stories about food from his experiences filming some of his most iconic movies in history as well as picking his dream meal.
Discussing De Niro's appearance on the podcast, 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."
James added: "This is the most in-depth interview any of us have ever been involved in. Enjoy."
All episodes of 'Off Menu' are available wherever you get your podcasts.
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