Stiller Intimidated by De Niro

Ben Stiller admits he was a bit intimidated by his co-star in the comedy ``Meet the Parents.''

In the movie, Stiller plays a jittery prospective son-in-law opposite Robert De Niro as his girlfriend's overprotective father.

``The intimidation factor remained throughout the movie. Bob really is one of my favorite actors,'' Stiller tells Entertainment Weekly in its Oct. 13 edition. ``I never got used to being in the same room, and that was a good thing.''

Things went a bit more smoothly following the first day of shooting.

``It killed my strategy,'' says director Jay Roach, who also directed the ``Austin Powers'' movies. ``I wanted them to be nervous around each other. But they were busting each other up all the time.''

The flick debuted as the top film last weekend with $28.6 million.