Robert De Niro paid a visit to Astoria on Jan. 18 when he filmed scenes for upcoming Martin Scorsese crime drama “The Irishman.”
De Niro shot scenes at First Central Savings Bank at 35-01 30th Ave., which includes unique architecture like vaulted ceilings and chandelier lighting. The film, which is set to be released in 2019, is based on the book “I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran and the Inside Story of the Mafia, the Teamsters, and the Final Ride by Jimmy Hoffa” by Charles Brandt.
In “The Irishman,” De Niro plays Frank Sheeran, a mob hitman who recalls his criminal past and his possible connection to Hoffa’s death. Hoffa, an American labor union leader, was involved with organized crime throughout his career and in July 1975 he mysteriously disappeared.
Though Sheeran, also known as The Irishman, was never charged, the book claims that he was responsible for Hoffa’s death.
Since the movie takes place in the ’60s and ’70s, the bank was the perfect location to film scenes, according to Michael Serao, Senior VP and Director of Retail Banking.
“The distinct architecture, the ornate feel with an old-world touch is the epitome of banking like it used to be but only better,” he said.
Al Pacino will play Jimmy Hoffa and other actors involved in the film include Anna Paquin, Bobby Canavale, Joe Pesci, who plays mobster Russell Bufalino, Ray Romano, Jesse Plemons and Kathrine Narducci.
