Acclaimed director Martin Scorsese shared a deeply personal and sorrowful tribute to his close friend, the legendary filmmaker Rob Reiner, in a piece published by The New York Times on Christmas Day. The tribute comes in the wake of the shocking deaths of Rob and his wife, Michele Reiner, who were allegedly stabbed to death by their son, Nick Reiner, earlier this month.
A Profound Loss for the Film Community
Scorsese expressed that it fills him with "profound sadness" to discuss his friends in the past tense. He described the violent event as "an obscenity, an abyss in lived reality," noting that only the passing of time could help him accept it. The director wrote that, like all who loved the couple, he must allow himself to imagine them still alive and well.
He reflected on meeting Rob Reiner in the early 1970s, recalling an instant connection. "We had a natural affinity for each other," Scorsese wrote. He remembered Reiner as hilarious and bitingly funny, but never someone who would dominate a room. Scorsese cherished his friend's "beautiful sense of uninhibited freedom" and his "great barreling laugh."
Collaboration and Mutual Admiration
Scorsese highlighted Reiner's directorial genius, naming "Misery" as his personal favourite from Reiner's filmography. He placed Reiner's directorial debut, the iconic mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap," in "a class of its own."
Their professional bond deepened when Scorsese was casting for his 2013 film, "The Wolf of Wall Street." He immediately thought of Reiner for the role of Max Belfort, the father of Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Scorsese praised Reiner's improvisational skills, mastery of comedy, and his deep understanding of the character's human predicament—a father who loves his son but foresees his downfall.
Reiner held Scorsese in equally high regard. In a 2013 interview with Salon, he called Scorsese "one of the great filmmakers of all time" and stated that when Scorsese asks you to be in a movie, you simply do it without question. That same year, Reiner told a SAG-AFTRA panel that working on "The Wolf of Wall Street" was the "most fun" he'd ever had on a set, crediting Scorsese for creating a "great playground" for actors.
A Tender Performance Remembered
In his Times piece, Scorsese recalled a specific "wonderful moment" on set where Reiner, playing the loving father, was "mystified by his son." He was moved by the "delicacy and openness" Reiner brought to the performance throughout the entire filmmaking process.
"Now, it breaks my heart to even think of the tenderness of Rob’s performance in this and other scenes," Scorsese concluded, sealing his tribute with a poignant note of grief and admiration for his departed friend and collaborator.
