Robert De Niro: Istanbul has a lot of magic

Actor Robert De Niro has visited Istanbul after 20 years to attend an opening ceremony of a Japanese restaurant of which he is part owner.

At a press conference after the ceremony on Sunday, De Niro said he was happy to be in Istanbul.

Replying to a question about a possible film project in Istanbul, he said he did not have any such plans at the moment, but that the city was a great place to make a film.

"There are a lot of stories going out here, obviously as everywhere else. This city has a lot of magic,” he said.

He said his favourite spot in the city is the carpet bazaar, where he wants to take his daughter. 

He also talked about his 50-year friendship with Al Pacino. 

"We're all friends. We don't hang out every day, but we have a good solid friendship. We always enjoy talking to each other."

On the recent rise of over-the-top (OTT) media platforms, he said: "We couldn't have done Irishman without Netflix. What can I say? I was happy. They gave us everything that we needed."

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