Cuomo says he, Fauci can be 'De Niro and Pacino' of vaccine PSA

NEW YORK - In a moment of levity amid an otherwise sobering talk about the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggested to Dr. Anthony Fauci, a fellow Italian American, that the two of them channel the legendary actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in an ad to promote the taking of a forthcoming coronavirus vaccine.

"Maybe we enlist you, I'll do it with you — we'll do an ad telling New Yorkers it's safe to take the vaccine, to put us together," Cuomo said to Fauci on a videoconference on Monday. "We're like the modern-day De Niro and Pacino. You can be whichever one you want."

Fauci, the U.S. government's foremost expert on infectious diseases and a native New Yorker, laughed as he heard Cuomo's suggestion.

"You can be the De Niro or Pacino. Fauci and Cuomo," the governor said. "Who do you want to be: De Niro or Pacino?"

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In a response that illustrated his well-known ability to navigate large egos, Fauci responded that he loves both Oscar-winning actors.

"I love them both. I don't want to insult one or the other," Fauci said. "If I say one, I don't want to hurt the feelings of the other, so either one."

Cuomo laughed and rhetorically replied, "Yeah, who's the politician?"

The governor then asked Fauci, who grew up in Brooklyn but has lived in the Washington, D.C., area for decades, what New York City food he misses the most.

"Whenever I need some comfort food and I dream back on my days in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, the thing that comes to my mind are two things: a nice Nathan's hot dog and a really steaming pastrami sandwich," Fauci said. "That would be really great."

Fauci has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. President-elect Joe Biden has asked Fauci to remain in that role but to also serve as his chief medical adviser on COVID-19.