To play his father in a movie, comedian Sebastian Maniscalco enlisted Robert De Niro

By LINDSEY BAHR
AP Film Writer

Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco wanted to make a movie for and about his father. Salvo Maniscalco had immigrated from Sicily to America in 1960 when he was 15-years-old. At 18, he became a hairdresser and raised and supported a family in Chicago. Like anyone dream casting a comedy about an Italian American man of a certain age, one name topped the list: Robert De Niro. To his surprise, he said yes. The film, “About My Father,” opens nationwide on May 26 and co-stars Kim Cattrall, David Rasche, Leslie Bibb and Anders Holm. De Niro said “I knew I’d be in good hands.”