The New York Post said the film icon and his fellow investors in the Greenwich Hotel in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood appeared before the commission after complaints that the penthouse on the 88-room hotel is bigger and steeper than first approved.

The newspaper said De Niro apologized to the commission for any mistakes made in building the hotel, an endeavor he called a "labor of love."

"We worked on this project a long time and tried to make it as good as we could -- that was the intent," said De Niro. "Anything that would be offensive to anyone would be offensive to me."

"It's bulkier, and it occupies about 1,200 more square feet on the roof," said Elisabeth De Bourbon, the commission's spokeswoman. "The commission directed them to modify the rooftop and it's up to the developer to come up with plans to do so."

Actor and filmmaker Edward Burns, who lives in the neighborhood, showed his support for the hotel at the hearing, calling the building an "amazing" addition to Tribeca, the Post said.