(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Robert De Niro thinks directing films is as stressful as being US President.

The legendary Hollywood star says the American public should give President Barack Obama the benefit of the doubt as he attempts to run the country.

The 67-year-old understands the pressure heaped on the leader, and compares the job to directing a Hollywood film. He urges dissenters to take into consideration the amount of people Obama has to please.

You should have done this. You should stand up for this more than that. The presidents got to deal with that every moment. Imagine what it would be like with all the different forces coming at you, having to compromise, to weigh the consequences of one decision as opposed to another. Its tricky. Come to think of it, its kind of like being a director, he told Esquire magazine.

De Niro can empathise with a man who cannot please all the people all of the time. He is content to give Obama more time, confident that he will eventually get it right.

Everybody can criticise but at the end of the day, you know Obamas intentions are in the right place, he added. (C) Cover Media