He’s the Goodfella, the Godfather, the Raging Bull, the King Of Comedy, the Taxi Driver, the Deer Hunter, and now, well, the Intern.

In short, Robert De Niro is an American acting legend who, over the past four decades stunned, surprised, scared, charmed, mesmerised and captivated audiences across the world via a plethora of unforgettable cinematic performances and iconic roles. And the two-time Oscar winner talks to TODAY in New York City, about his latest role as Ben the retiree, who joins the “senior” intern programme at a hip fashion e-commerce website founded by Anne Hathaway’s tightly wound go-getter Jules in director Nancy Meyers’ The Intern. As the septuagenarian who rejoins the workforce and immediately wins over the entire office, including the boss herself, De Niro’s elderly office boy is the embodiment of the gentlemen of yore, who are increasingly being replaced, rather ineptly, by impressionable millennials.

“He’s such a legend! He’s Bob De Niro!” Hathaway exclaimed to us when we asked what it was like working with him. “You’d expect that to factor into his consciousness in some level. But it just doesn’t. He’s just humble and kind and generous. And that’s because of the person he is. And it’s a really attractive thing if somebody doesn’t wear that status. You know?”

As a quote in The Intern goes: “Look and learn, boys, because this is what cool is.” We couldn’t put it any better. In fact, the movie seems to touch on old school values of learning from each other. “I had a good time doing this movie,” said De Niro who only had good things to say about Hathaway. “She is really terrific as a partner. No nonsense. Very respectful and a very hard worker,” he said, adding how he also appreciated Meyers’ approach to making movies. “I have not shot a movie for quite a few years, and Nancy being my generation and slightly younger, is used to doing movies the way she’s used to. So it takes more time, but it is all worth it. And that’s the way it should be.”

That said, De Niro is also known to keep things to himself, sharing only when someone asked. Which was why we wondered if he felt a connection with his character. “I try to be as honest as I can about everything that I say, but if I don’t have an answer or one that I feel is going to make a difference, then I’m going to say, ‘I don’t have an answer.’ Sometimes, things are just simply too personal to put out here (in an interview), so nothing against anybody, it’s just what it is.”

He added that the reticence sometimes, carries onto the set. “If my opinion is really needed by someone or people that I work with, of course, I give it very easily! Sometimes, I won’t give it, unless I see something is quite in disarray.”

The Intern is also about living in the present, and that is just how De Niro likes it. “I try to live in the present. I have no choice,” he said with a laugh, quipping about how Hathaway “has more choices”. “She’s got some more time.”

Speaking of which, it doesn’t look like the 72-year-old actor is thinking about retirement, either. In fact, his retiree character Ben spoke about how a musician will not retire as long as he still had the music inside. So does De Niro still have movies left in him? “I don’t know what else to do,” he laughed.

Maybe he could pick up the Chinese language, like his character in the film? Laughing, he replied: “Yes! The Chinese I learnt was very hard. A couple of my grandkids know how to sing Happy Birthday in Chinese, because they go to a school and immerse themselves in (the language), so it’s easy for them. For me, it was very difficult.

“I can’t remember it now; I can repeat it but it’s hard. You want to teach me again?”

Talking about how times have changed, De Niro stressed that being polite and kind are values he feels does not change in people, even if the way we choose to communicate has altered quite drastically. “What I find interesting with younger people is that they text each other all the time. What is this? I gotta talk on the phone,” said De Niro. “I’ll text and say, check your voice mail. Or give me a time when you can talk because I don’t want to just text back and forth.

“And (these) things are private. If you’re texting, that’s all on record,” he added, but also noted the “efficiency of texting”.

The Intern opens in cinemas this Thursday.