Robert De Niro wants to play Andrew Cuomo in pandemic-themed film

Whenever a film based on the coronavirus pandemic will be made, Hollywood veteran Robert De Niro says he would like to play the role of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has been receiving global praise for his leadership during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Stephen Colbert on "The Late Show" video chat asked the 76-year-old actor which real-life figure he would like to play in a potential movie on the pandemic.

To which De Niro replied, "Cuomo".

"The Irishman" star, who is a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, said the governor was doing "what a president should do".

When Colbert asked De Niro, if Cuomo could be POTUS one day, he said, "Yes, I could see it."

The actor called Trump an "idiot" for largely ignoring the warning signs of the pandemic and expressed disappointment in the current administration's attempts to control the outbreak.

"Pandemics have been in the world before and people survived them. It's appalling. It's all about him getting re-elected. I have no words for it ...