Aubrey Plaza’s Eccentric Performance Startles Robert De Niro During ‘Dirty Grandpa’ Filming

Aubrey Plaza managed to unsettle the iconic actor Robert De Niro with her dedication to her character.

During a recent session at the London Film Festival's ScreenTalk, the 38-year-old actress disclosed how she made the 79-year-old Academy Award winner feel uneasy while portraying romantic interests in the 2016 comedy Dirty Grandpa, as reported by Variety.

Reflecting on her experience, Plaza mentioned that she and De Niro did not share much off-screen interaction due to his reserved nature.

She explained, “I didn't have the chance to converse with him casually since he is who he is.

He would just appear, and there was no time for chit-chat.”

“When he arrived, I was already immersed in my character.

My character's sole purpose was to engage romantically with him.

I was acting in a peculiar manner as the character because we were about to film.

I don't believe he grasped that it wasn't me but the character.

You'd assume he would comprehend given his acting prowess,” Plaza elaborated.

She revealed that her portrayal of the s=x-obsessed college student Lenore was so convincing that one of her agents overheard De Niro feeling slightly unsettled.

Plaza recounted an incident where she attended a lunch hosted by De Niro for the cast and crew out of character, and even then, he failed to recognize her at first.

“When I arrived, he asked, ‘Who are you, sweetheart?'

After that, he returned to his usual self,” Plaza shared.

Acknowledging her initial approach, Plaza confessed, “Initially, I may have come off too strong.

There were some actions I took that I wouldn't repeat now.”

In the movie Dirty Grandpa, De Niro portrayed Lieutenant Colonel Richard “Dick” Kelly, who persuades his uptight attorney grandson Jason (played by Zac Efron) to accompany him on a spontaneous road trip to Daytona Beach, Florida, during spring break.

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

in 2016, Plaza playfully teased about the chemistry she built with De Niro on set.

She humorously stated, “We're like soulmates.

De Niro's character pretends to be a professor, and my character has this fixation with professors, so I target him…

He has finally met his match with me.

He's a lecherous grandpa, and I'm a naughty girl.”

The Parks and Recreation star disclosed that filming their intimate scene took “a good nine, maybe ten” hours, describing the experience as unpredictable.

Plaza shared, “There were many intriguing moments.

We didn't entirely plan out the scene, so we were unsure of what would happen.”

Recalling a specific moment during the scene, Plaza humorously recounted, “I attempted to playfully interact with his nipples, and he was swatting me away.

I couldn't tell if it was part of the act or not.”

She added, “After the camera cut, the director called me over and informed me that ‘Bob does not appreciate attention to his n^pple area.'”

Plaza concluded with a light-hearted remark, “Now he probably thinks I wanted to