When most people hear that Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have finally been paired up in a buddy drama, they don’t care about the plot, the dialogue, the cinematography or the score –they just want to see two masters at work together. They could be reading the phone book for all their fans care.

But one of the intriguing aspects of Rigteous Kill is that director Jon Avnet surrounded these icons with an all-star supporting cast. John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy, Carla Gugino and Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent) all have their hands full trying to emerge from the iconic shadows. Jackson and Leguizamo noted that they were up for the challenge, and just happy to be on the same screen.

DeNiro talked about his remarkable experience as well, in his own subdued way. Any journalist will tell you that De Niro is a man of few words. He inhabits his roles so completely that it’s hard to get a handle on the real man behind the mask. He’s not unlike a vessel waiting to be filled. He was willing to elaboratea little, however on his latest role.

Q: Tell us a little about your character, Turk.

De Niro:It’s intended for him to appear to be one thing and yet he turns out to be another. But he’s a guy who is headstrong, upset, impulsive.

Q: What is it like to work with your old friend Al Pacino?

De Niro: Well there are things--if you know each other as long as we have known each other, you can draw on those things. Even if it’s kind of subtle, sort of imperceptible, the comfort level is there. 

Q: Your brief history onscreen together is surprising to many people.

De Niro: Yeah--we weren’t actually in Godfather II together but we did Heat. I guess it was about 13 or 14 years ago and it was great and I’m glad we got that chance to work together. When John (Avnet) and I were working on the movie and just discussing who would be in it, I asked him, “Well what about Al?”

Q: Carla Gugino is absolutely gorgeous in this movie, and you had some pretty steamy scenes with her. What was that like?

De Niro: Well, she’s great. She’s a great person and a lot of fun to work with and talk to, and so we had a good time.

Q: You’ve worked with some of the world's greatest directors. What was it like working with Jon Avnet?

De Niro: He’s very respectful and appreciative of your input, and that’s a terrific way to be. He really loves actors, and that’s a great thing. As a director, you have to have that in order to get the best out of people.

Q: Newcomer Curtis Jackson said he was in awe of working with you. What did he bring to the table?

De Niro: (laughing) I want to learn how to rap, so I’m expecting him to teach me.

Q:Your character, Turk, is very cynical about the court system. Does any of that rub off?

De Niro: After all those years you could see why people could be very cynical about certain things. In the court system certain things don’t go properly-- the T’s haven’t been crossed or the I’s haven’t been dotted and therefore technically somebody could get away with something while everybody knows they’re guilty.

Curtis (don’t call me 50 Cent) Jackson is seriously trying to differentiate his musical career from his cinematic career. Previously he’d starred in Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and had a smaller role in Home of the Brave, but after scoring a pivotal part in Righteous Kill, he has a total of four more films in the works. He talks about his biggest film to date…and perhaps ever.

Q: Tell me about your role in Righteous Kill.

Jackson: I play Spider…he’s twentyeight years old. He own nightclubs, a real entrepreneur with the wrong direction.

Q: Can you believe you’re actually working with actors like De Niro and Pacino?

Jackson: This is amazing, you know? I mean, Robert Di Nero, Al Pacino…I think the last thing they did is Heat together; that movie was such an event. And I was really excited for the opportunity to even go meet John (Avnet) at that point; we sat down with him and we talked about it. I’m pretty persuasive when I really want things. You know, I get in front of him and I talk to him  and it kinda worked out.

Q:  How does this project rank on your excitement meter?

Jackson:Well I’m really excited about this project and I am sure it’s going to be a part of film history. You know when I got a chance, I told everybody about it. Everybody has already heard me on the radio ‘cause I was touring the country promoting (my album)“Curtis”and they asked me what else I had going on outside of the record, and I mentioned Righteous Kill cause I’m so excited about it that’s been on my mind the entire time.

John Leguezamo is one of the busiest men in Hollywood these days. The boyish looking, 44-year-old actor is busy doing television, film, voiceover, stand-upcomedy and stage work all a the same time. But nothing, he says, compares to working with living legends De Niro and Pacino in Righteous Kill.

Q: So tell me a little about the film.

Leguizamo: It’s a thriller, you know what I mean? The most important thing is you got Pacino and De Niro in actual scenes talking. I mean this is history—it’s legend. They didn’t do it much in Heat. Everybody knows--everybody got the DVDs and saw the how they made it and they weren’t in the same scene together. So we’re doing history right here. Both of them are my idols. De Niro and Pacino are like that to every actor, especially a New York actor.

Q: Would you rather play the cop, or the guy being chased by the cops?

Leguizamo: It’s fun playing cop--its different. They’re very, you know, macho—with the whole being able to defend yourself thing. Its pretty cool to be in that place in your life where you know you can defend yourself at any moment with a gun or your fists. What do kids play when they are little? They play cops. Being able to play a cop is like a dream come true.  

Q: And not just any cop, but a New York cop?

Leguizamo: New York cops are the coolest ones. They think they're “Don Juans.” They dress like this, very sharp, very smooth, great with the ladies, just more, you know, civilized. In New York City you have to be at the top of your game in all sorts of social ways.