back to reason, but Nick, who is now a heroin addict, is indifferent. During a game of Russian roulette, Mike invokes memories of their hunting trips. Nick recalls Mike's "one shot" principle and smiles before pulling the trigger, killing himself. Mike and his friends attend Nick's funeral, and the atmosphere at their local bar is dim and silent. Moved by emotion, John begins to sing "God Bless America" in honor of Nick, with everyone joining in. Cast Robert De Niro as Staff Sergeant Michael Vronsky ("Mike"). Producer Deeley pursued De Niro for The Deer Hunter because he felt that he needed De Niro's star power to sell a film with a "gruesome-sounding storyline and a barely known director". "I liked the script, and [Cimino] had done a lot of prep," said De Niro. "I was impressed." De Niro prepared by socializing with steelworkers in local bars and by visiting their homes. Cimino introduced De Niro as his agent, Harry Ufland. No one recognized him. De Niro claims this was his most physically exhausting film. He explained that the scene where Mike visits Steven in the hospital for the first time was the most emotional scene that he was ever involved with. For the film, he received his first one-million-dollar fee. De Niro was a last-minute replacement for Roy Scheider, who dropped out of the production two weeks before the start of filming due to "creative differences"; Universal managed to keep Scheider to his three-picture contract by forcing him to do Jaws 2 (1978). Christopher Walken as Corporal Nikanor Chevotarevich ("Nick"). His performance garnered an Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actor. John Savage as Corporal Steven Pushkov. John Cazale as Stanley ("Stan"/"Stosh"). All scenes involving Cazale, who had terminal cancer, were filmed first. Because of his illness the studio wanted to dismiss him but Streep, with whom he was in a romantic relationship, and Cimino threatened to walk away if they did. He was also uninsurable, and according to Streep, De Niro paid for his insurance because he wanted Cazale in the film. This was Cazale's last film, as he died shortly after filming wrapped. Cazale never saw the finished film. Meryl Streep as Linda. Prior to The Deer Hunter, Streep was seen briefly in Fred Zinnemann's Julia (1977) and the eight-hour miniseries Holocaust (1978), which she took a role in, in order to help with Cazale's cancer treatment. In the