Doing an impression of Robert De Niro is almost ritual at this point in pop culture, with Matthew McConoughey a close second favorite. But according to Zac Efron, who has worked with the Taxi Driver himself, no one does a better De Niro impression than Dave Franco. Efron was able to see Franco’s impression first hand when they filmed Neighbors. And it was during that shoot that Efron was banking on his own impersonation being so bad that it would be hilarious.
The raunchy comedy about a couple with a newborn baby living next door to a frat house released a decade ago, but the Baywatch star says he remembers it so vividly like it was yesterday. In a recent edition of Vanity Fair’s Scene Selection, Zac Efron was asked to rewatch the scene in which the frat brothers throw a Robert De Niro party. The script called for Efron’s Teddy Sanders to do an impression of the legendary actor, and the Paperboy star found it was easier said than done:
In this scene in particular, I remember not really having a De Niro impression, like a very good one at all. And just kind of knowing I was going to be winging it and hopefully betting on the fact, the worse it was, the funnier it would be. And it worked out.
The High School Musical alum is no stranger to impersonating people on screen. Some of Zac Efron’s best performances have been biopics in which he has portrayed the likes of Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw and Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. His performances have been so well done that Rob Lowe expressed interest in the Greatest Showman actor playing him in a biopic, and another person with that desire was the late Matthew Perry, whom Efron played a younger version of in 17 Again.
While filming Neighbors, Zac Efron ultimately couldn’t get the classic “You talkin’ to me?” down nearly as well as the Nerve actor. Dave Franco, who plays Pete Regazolli, managed to not only top Efron’s character but nail his own impression of Mr. De Niro from his Meet The Fockers role. Efron went on to explain:
He literally looks like him. He looks like De Niro. So I’m here like up front sucking [at] doing ‘Taxi’ De Niro. And then he comes out ,and it’s like says ‘Yeah, you, Focker. I’m talking to you.’ I was like, ‘Did you practice this?’ It was so funny. I was like, ‘What the fuck? Dave’s killing this.’
Dave Franco really commits to his impersonation, even sticking a mole on his face and squinting and scrunching his facial features in proper Fockers fashion. And the Hairspray actor is right, Franco’s impression is dead on, but that’s not even the best part of the 21 Jump Street actor’s bit. My favorite is when he tells Seth Rogan’s Mac Radner that he is upsetting Jinxy cat, and holds up the stuffed cat he had been holding the whole time. You can watch the entire hilarious clip here:
I love anything Dave Franco does and, after watching this scene, I appreciate Franco’s acting chops even more. Now, I’m wondering if he actually mimicked Mark Ruffalo’s voice in that one scene from Now You See Me or if it was a voice over. I wouldn’t be surprised if the former were true, given all the other feats he pulled off in that movie. I’m excited to see him reprise his role as Jack Wilder in the third installment of the NYSM franchise, now set to release in November 2025.
The Little Hours actor was only one of an extremely stacked cast in Neighbors, as it was filled with comedy alums. Zac Efron went on to rave about his other co-stars, as well as comment on several other movies throughout his career. Based on his comments, Efron not only has a firm appreciation for comedy — he also doesn’t mind giving his co-stars their props when they’re more than due.
If you feel the need to check out Neighbors or its 2016 now you can buy or rent them on digital platforms. Also, check out Zac Efron’s newest film, A Family Affair, which recently premiered amid the 2024 movie schedule and is available to stream with a Netflix subscription.