'The Irishman' used de-aging technology for making makes Robert De Niro and Al Pacino younger

Culture 12:56 01.11.2019

Martin Scorcese's 'The Irishman' releases in theaters this weekend. There's a lot of buzz surrounding the movie, but one aspect, in particular, has caught people's attention over everything else, Eurasia Diary reports citing MEAWW.

Robert de Niro and Al Pacino happen to be playing characters several decades younger than their actual age — and they look every bit the part.

Thanks to the youngification technology provided by visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the adage that "age is just a number" has never been more true. 

ILM had developed a scene from 'The Goodfellas' in which they de-aged Robert De Niro. It was this scene that managed to convince Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos to back the movie. De Niro was impressed with the footage himself. "I thought, 'I can extend my career another 30 years'," he quipped. 

With Netflix’s backing, 'The Irishman' became one of the most expensive movies of Scorcese's career, with a production budget of $159 million.

The visual effects were handled by visual supervisor Pablo Helman and ILM. It was very important for Martin Scorcese that youngifying the actors would not require them to wear helmets or other facial gear for their performances.

ILM managed to find a way to make the process work without interfering with the actors' performances. Scenes that would require visual effects were shot with a three-camera device that was affectionately dubbed the Three-Headed Monster.

Helman would work closely with cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto to ensure that the technology never got in the way of Scorcese's process. "[Scorsese] is very specific about his cinematic language," said Prieto, in an interview with Variety.

"I didn't want to affect any of his decisions because of the technology, so I worked closely with Pablo [Helman] and his team to make sure our rig was lightweight enough that [the camera operator] could use any kind of remote head or Steadicam setup," Prieto added.

As the movie covers a time period of over 50 years, the de-aging technology was complemented by costume and set changes, and different film material in cameras for each decade 'The Irishman' goes through.

All this was combined in an effort to give audiences a real feel for the passage of time — both visually and thematically. "I went with less and less color as we progress with [Frank], because later in life there is disillusionment, feelings of regret," Prieto said. 

The new technology has a great many implications for the future of cinema. The most obvious, as De Niro noted, is that it extends the careers of older actors, allowing them to play much younger roles.

De Niro also noted at a London Film Festival Screen Talk session that as the technology advances, it can be used to make different kinds of film visuals. "It can be another type of entertainment, like comic strip things, Marvel. The comic book character-type things, cartoony stuff."

IEPF issued a statement regarding Azerbaijani children at the UN Human Rights Council

News line

Lachin Rising: A Brotherhood of Steel Between Pakistan, Türkiye, and Azerbaijan
15:02 30.05.2025
"Türkiye welcomes Azerbaijan's efforts for peace in South Caucasus"
14:53 27.05.2025
Trump could exit Ukraine talks
13:56 27.05.2025
North Korea says US 'Golden Dome' risks 'space nuclear war'
12:01 27.05.2025
Hikmat Hajiyev meets with NATO Deputy Secretary General in Brussels
11:10 23.05.2025
Foreign diplomats visit Agdam Conference Center
21:35 21.05.2025
New Secondary School Opened in Gakh by Heydar Aliyev Foundation
21:22 21.05.2025
Azerbaijani and Turkish Presidents Meet One-on-One in Nakhchivan
21:03 21.05.2025
Opening ceremony of World Cup held in Baku
20:57 21.05.2025
Pashinyan, EU Envoys Discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace
19:52 21.05.2025
New Deputy Appointed to Nakhchivan Education Minister
19:20 21.05.2025
Nakhchivan marks Türkiye’s National Sovereignty and Children’s Day
17:42 21.05.2025
F.Shafiyev: Azerbaijan-Türkiye unity is example of effective cooperation
17:35 21.05.2025
Azerbaijan to build circular power link in Karabakh
17:28 21.05.2025
Azerbaijan, Italy discuss prospects for defense cooperation
17:19 21.05.2025
Ilham Aliyev addresses conference on Western Azerbaijan in Ankara
17:14 21.05.2025
Ilham Aliyev: Azerbaijan and Türkiye uphold international law for regional stability
17:03 21.05.2025
President of Cuba congratulates President Ilham Aliyev
16:58 21.05.2025
Azerbaijani President: Digitalization of the Middle Corridor is a priority
16:53 21.05.2025
Erdogan: Ilham Aliyev will be remembered as a peacemaker
16:48 21.05.2025
TDT: Azerbaijan is very important for the development of the Turkic world
16:43 21.05.2025
Georgian minister discusses cooperation with Azerbaijani ambassador
16:35 21.05.2025
Azerbaijan, Türkiye mull prospects for development of military cooperation
16:29 21.05.2025
Azerbaijan and Croatia hold political consultations
16:24 21.05.2025
GlobE Network work plan for 2025 approved in Baku
16:18 21.05.2025
Talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia may be held at level of heads of state
12:21 19.05.2025
A Meeting of Nobles exhibition to open in Shusha
12:15 19.05.2025
Azerbaijan increases construction by over 2026
12:09 19.05.2025
How does space "sound"? -NASA created "music" from the sounds of black hole
12:03 19.05.2025
Azerbaijan joins Fez Festival of World Sacred Music
11:57 19.05.2025
Azerbaijan’s parliamentary delegation starts official visit to Spain
11:53 19.05.2025
EU countries agree on big defence fund with Azerbaijan- Diplomat Says
11:48 19.05.2025
Azerbaijan,Türkiye Hold Talks on Education Sector Cooperation
11:42 19.05.2025
Azerbaijani delegation attends Russia-Islamic World: Kazan Forum 2025
11:36 19.05.2025
The official opening of the Azerbaijani carpet exhibition took place in Chisinau
11:31 19.05.2025
Press review of I.Aliyev's participation in the 6th Summit of the "European Political Union"
11:25 19.05.2025
Azerbaijani delegation participated in the International Economic Forum
11:21 19.05.2025
Azerbaijan to be represented at Astana International Forum
11:16 19.05.2025
New agreement between Azerbaijan and Pakistan in the field of plant safety
11:14 19.05.2025
Ilham Aliyev: Azerbaijani healthcare has made significant steps along a long way of development
11:08 19.05.2025
Hamısı