Liberation of Time: De-Aging Technology in The Irishman
- Admin
- Dec 17, 2019
- 2 min read
11/16
Robert De Niro is old, we get that, but if you are starting to think of his age as a limitation to roles of nothing but wrinkly men, then think again.
The de-aging technology developed by Industrial Light & Magic
(ILM) allows method actors such as De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, who are now in their 70s, to look far younger than they really are without the use of dots, helmets and tennis balls in their faces — because they are not going to do it.
Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman is an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran (De Niro), a hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century.
Truth be told, many of the viewers were worried after the reveal of a “young” De Niro with an eerily smooth sheen on his face in the trailer released in July.
Great discussion on the film understandably focused on the extensive de-aging technology used to transform Robert De Niro (76), Al Pacino (79), Joe Pesci (76), and some other members of the cast into younger versions of themselves throughout the film. This was a new technology that was unlike anything in the past, for it no longer required the crew to cast a younger actor to apply layers and layers of make up to.
However, our method actors had some concerns and conditions. During an interview with VFX (abbreviation of Visual Effects) Supervisor Pablo Helman, Helman reveals that “De Niro said, ‘There’s no way I’m wearing markers,’ ” showing great redundancy towards the idea of the specific look.
Thankfully, unlike the Helmet Camera Rigs (HCR) we see Benedict Cumberbatch wearing for his portrayal in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, or tracking markers Josh Brolin had to bear with for his portrayal of Thanos in the Marvel franchise; such de-aging technology did not require the usual dots, helmets, or tennis balls.
For all the scenes that required de-aging, a complex three-camera rig, nicknamed the "three-headed monster, was used. This rig had a central camera and two "witness" infrared cameras with infrared light rings on either side. Between the three cameras, the crew was able to get all the three-dimensional data they needed to re-create that performance.
Despite the effects in The Irishman remain far from perfect, it unintentionally stays true to Frank Sheeran’s (De Niro) state of mind, for the film is framed as the memories of an old man looking back on life. Since when we remember incidents from our lives, we imagine younger versions of our current selves rather than how we really were back then.
Star actor Robert De Niro holds high regards towards the technology as it continues to develop. He further says in a positive tone “well, you’ve extended my career by 30 years; this is great.”
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