Robert De Niro compares Killers of the Flower Moon character to Donald Trump

Robert De Niro has compared the character he plays in Killers of the Flower Moon to former U.S. President Donald Trump.

During a press conference staged as part of the Cannes Film Festival in France on Sunday, the Oscar-winning actor spoke about how he found it difficult to connect with the part of William Hale when working on Martin Scorsese's new film about the murder of members of the Osage tribe in Oklahoma under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s.

"I don't understand a lot about my character," he said. "He has to be charming, he has to win people over... Part of him is sincere. It's the other part, where he's betraying (the Osage people), there's a feeling of entitlement."

De Niro, a vocal opponent of Trump, then went on to label the controversial politician "stupid" as part of a thinly-veiled reference.

"It's the banality of evil. It's the thing we have to watch out for. We see it today, of course. We all know who I'm going to talk about but I'm not going to say the name. That guy is stupid," the 79-year-old continued. "Imagine if you're smart. Even Hale was smart in many ways. It's something that is systemic and that's the scary part of it. The whole thing is there... you've got to really keep your eye on it."

Yet, De Niro didn't manage to keep his disdain for Trump under wraps for long.

"I mean, look with Trump," he stated, triggering a laugh from his fellow panellists. "There are people who still think he can do a good job. Imagine that? How insane that is. That's all I'll say."

Representatives for Trump, who served as America's leader from 2017 to 2021, have not yet responded to De Niro's comments.

Killers of the Flower Moon, also starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, and Jesse Plemons, is set to be released in select cinemas in October.