Fresh Air – "A 50th Anniversary Celebration of ‘Taxi Driver’"

Podcast: Fresh Air (NPR)
Date: February 6, 2026
Hosts: David Bianculli, Terry Gross, Tonya Mosley
Theme: Marking the golden anniversary of Martin Scorsese’s groundbreaking 1976 film Taxi Driver through rare archival interviews and recent reflections from the movie’s key stars and creators.

Overview

This special episode of Fresh Air honors the enduring legacy and cultural impact of Taxi Driver, fifty years after its release. The episode thoughtfully curates conversations spanning decades with director Martin Scorsese, screenwriter Paul Schrader, and principal actors Harvey Keitel, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, and Albert Brooks. Together, these voices provide a rich tapestry of behind-the-scenes insights, creative motivations, and the complicated resonance of the film’s portrayal of alienation, violence, and a changing American cinema.

Key Discussions & Insights

1. The Significance of Taxi Driver in Cinema

(01:25)
Host David Bianculli introduces the episode by situating Taxi Driver as a cinematic milestone that not only cemented Scorsese’s reputation but also showcased iconic performances from Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, Cybill Shepherd, and Albert Brooks. The film’s gritty perspective and improvisational performances are highlighted, notably De Niro’s legendary “You talkin’ to me?” scene.

“Taxi Driver is the movie that shot [De Niro] into the stratosphere.” – David Bianculli (02:05)

The movie’s immediate context—released among heavy-hitters like All the President’s Men, Network, and Rocky—underscores its boldness and uniqueness in the cinematic landscape of the 1970s.

2. Martin Scorsese & Roger Ebert: The Making and the Moment of Taxi Driver

Interview: Roger Ebert with Martin Scorsese (1997)—(03:10–11:00)

Market Shifts & Film Culture

• Ebert contextualizes Taxi Driver within the rise of blockbuster cinema—Jaws, Star Wars—emphasizing that the film was a summit of “personal cinema” before the industry’s shift to spectacle.
• Scorsese reflects on the era’s massive changes:

  “When Taxi Driver was made, it wasn't as unusual as it now seems.” – Martin Scorsese (06:18)

The Raw Origins

• Scorsese stresses that Paul Schrader was the “impetus and the whole presence” behind the film, highlighting the authenticity and pain from which Schrader worked.

  “It came out of his guts in a two week period when he was alone in LA and very depressed. So it's real. It really is real.” – Martin Scorsese (07:23)

Improvisation and Performance

• Discussing De Niro and Keitel’s scene together, Scorsese notes their electric chemistry and improvisation:

  “You watch, [De Niro's] body freezes. And he's so full of anger and violence…[Keitel and De Niro] sort of played off each other beautifully.” – Martin Scorsese (10:26)

3. Harvey Keitel on Becoming "Sport": Research and Motivation

Interview: Terry Gross with Harvey Keitel (1992)—(11:38–23:50)

On Choosing the Role

• Keitel confirms he requested to play the pimp (“Sport”) rather than a larger role, informed by years living in Hell’s Kitchen and observing street life.
• He was compelled to explore the psychology of a pimp:

  “For me, it's such a horrible, horrible thing to deny one's soul... I wanted to learn about that.” – Harvey Keitel (14:05)

Researching the Character

• Keitel spent two weeks improvising with a real pimp to build authenticity—switching roles to understand emotional dynamics.
• He shares a pivotal insight from this research:

  “When you say to one of your girls that you love her, you mean it… you do love her and you do want to take care of her. That was an answer that provoked many questions in my own soul about relationships.” – Harvey Keitel (17:02)

Creating an Iconic Scene

• The intimate dance scene with Jodie Foster was born from improvisation and inspired by Barry White:

  “The entire scene did [come from improv]. I wrote the song along with one of the producers…just basically simple, you know. I took the idea from a Barry White song.” – Harvey Keitel (20:18)

4. Paul Schrader: The Screenplay’s Origins and Alienation

Interview: Terry Gross with Paul Schrader (1988)—(24:10–47:28)

Choosing Scorsese

• Schrader wanted Scorsese to direct after seeing Mean Streets, citing “the passion, and also the perversity... someone who is willing to grab the thing, put it between his teeth, bite hard and run.” – Paul Schrader (25:55)

Travis Bickle’s Voice

• Schrader describes the cab as “the perfect metaphor for loneliness” and dissects Travis’ fixations and delusions about heroism and violence.
• Gross singles out a diary line:

  “I do not believe that one should devote his life to morbid self attention. I believe that someone should become a person like other people.” – Taxi Driver script, lauded by Gross and Schrader (39:05)

Writing Under Duress

• Schrader wrote the script in a burst:

  “I wrote that script in 10 days…It jumped out of my head like an animal. It was a real cri de coeur. I had fallen into a difficult period in Los Angeles… and I wrote that script.” – Paul Schrader (43:42)

On Psychopathy and Influence

• Schrader discusses Travis’ authenticity (“the voice is absolutely authentic”) and the real-world attachment of psychopaths to the film, notably the John Hinckley case.
• He reflects on moving past the demons that drove the script:

  “You miss those old demons, you know, boy, because those are powerful engines…you were just trying to…run to keep the demons from swallowing you up.” – Paul Schrader (46:43)

5. Jodie Foster: The Experience of a Child Actor on a Legendary Film

Interview: Terry Gross with Jodie Foster (January 2026)—(49:23–62:10)

Taking the Role

• Foster credits her mother’s discernment and support for allowing her to take on such a challenging part, framing it within their shared love of art-house and challenging cinema.
• She notes the oddity:

  “You can play a prostitute who's 12 years old in the movie, but don’t talk to the person who wrote this.” – Jodie Foster (54:48)

Working with De Niro

• De Niro stayed in character, taking Foster to diners in silence and teaching her improvisation by example:

  “He really took the time to treat me like an actor…he was the first person that ever took the time.” – Jodie Foster (59:11)

• Describes her “eureka moment” realizing what acting could be:

  “I remember being excited and being kind of sweaty and my heart racing when I came home…and I said to my mom, like, wow, I finally get it. Like, I really get it and I want to be a part of this.” – Jodie Foster (60:50)

6. Cybill Shepherd: Auditioning, Improvisation, and Violence

Interview: Terry Gross with Cybill Shepherd (1997)—(63:10–71:40)

Improvisational Process

• Scorsese eschewed filmed auditions in favor of informal discussions about Hitchcock and classic acting. Most of Shepherd’s lines were picked out of improvisations with De Niro and Albert Brooks.

“Paul Schrader wrote the script, but I don’t think I said but two words that he wrote... Scorsese went through and picked out the lines he wanted out of our improvisation.” – Cybill Shepherd (65:15)

On Watching the Movie

• Shepherd admits she’s never watched the film’s violent climax:

  “I never saw the whole movie because the violence in Taxi Driver I cannot handle. You still haven’t seen it? I left the theater.” – Cybill Shepherd (67:20)

Working with De Niro

• De Niro’s method approach disturbed her, especially as his character unraveled.
• Shepherd intentionally kept her distance:

  “He was very scary…once he was into that character and he started going out the deep end, I didn’t really talk to him... He was that character, and I wasn’t gonna mess with him.” – Cybill Shepherd (70:15)

7. Albert Brooks: Creating a Character From Scratch

Interview: Terry Gross with Albert Brooks (1997)—(72:05–78:43)

The Unwritten Role

• Brooks reveals his “campaign worker” character was not initially scripted; he worked with Scorsese to develop it through improvisation.
• Paul Schrader admitted the campaign worker was the only character he “didn’t know.”

  “You knew Travis Bickle and Harvey Keitel and all of the pimps and hookers, but a simple guy who works at an office you couldn’t figure out, huh?” – Albert Brooks (74:25)

On Set with De Niro

• De Niro’s method approach applied even to his interactions with Brooks:

  “In those days, he wouldn’t ever even talk to me...all that uncomfortableness was extra real.” – Albert Brooks (75:45)

• Brooks’ character responds to Travis with escalating attempts to involve police, reflecting his own unease.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It came out of his guts in a two week period when he was alone in LA and very depressed. So it’s real. It really is real.” – Martin Scorsese (07:23)
• “The one thing that might interest you…he said, no, you mean it. You do love her and you do want to take care of her. That was an answer that provoked many questions in my own soul about relationships.” – Harvey Keitel (17:02)
• “I wrote that script in 10 days, in two drafts. It jumped out of my head like an animal.” – Paul Schrader (43:42)
• “At 12 years old, my mom…if you saw Paul Schrader at that time, he really was Travis Bickle, right?” – Jodie Foster (54:20)
• “I never saw the whole movie because the violence in Taxi Driver I cannot handle.” – Cybill Shepherd (67:20)
• “Paul Schrader, that part wasn’t written…so Marty Scorsese hired me and said, maybe you could figure out that part…What you see in the movie was developed in a hotel room.” – Albert Brooks (74:07)

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment | Time | |-----------------------------------|----------| | David Bianculli Introduction | 00:00–03:10 | | Roger Ebert & Martin Scorsese | 03:10–11:00 | | Harvey Keitel Interview | 11:38–23:50 | | Paul Schrader Interview | 24:10–47:28 | | Jodie Foster Interview | 49:23–62:10 | | Cybill Shepherd Interview | 63:10–71:40 | | Albert Brooks Interview | 72:05–78:43 |

Conclusion

This episode provides both a loving tribute and a deep critical reflection on Taxi Driver’s place in film history. Archival and contemporary interviews reveal how personal pain, improvisation, method acting, and a collision of creative sensibilities shaped a film that still haunts the culture fifty years later. With striking candor, the cast and creators reflect on the psychological depths plumbed by the film—and how the making of Taxi Driver changed them, and cinema itself, forever.