1. 'I've Been Waiting for This Phone Call'
By the late 1980s, Martin Scorsese had vowed to no longer direct Mafia films. His mind changed, though, when he got his hands on Nicholas Pileggi?s book, Wiseguy (1985).
After reading it, Scorsese reportedly cold-called the writer and said, ?I?ve been waiting for this book my entire life.? Pileggi responded, ?I?ve been waiting for this phone call my entire life.?
Goodfellas (1990) was based on Wiseguy, and Pileggi co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese, who directed the film.
2. To Play Jimmy, or to Play Tommy?
Robert De Niro was offered the role of either Jimmy Conway or Tommy DeVito. De Niro, of course, chose to play Jimmy.
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The role of Tommy went to Joe Pesci, and he won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance.
Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito were based on real-life mobsters James Burke and Thomas DeSimone, respectively.
3. Robert De Niro's Money
Robert De Niro hands out and holds money frequently throughout the film, but he didn?t like the feel of fake money in his hands. The person in charge of props gave De Niro $5,000 of his own money for such scenes ? yes, you?re looking at real money ? but the crew ensured that the property master didn?t lose a cent.
After each and every take of the scene where Jimmy is introduced, no one present was allowed to leave the set until all of the property master?s money was accounted for and returned.
4. Fat Andy's Fate
Fat Andy was played by Louis Eppolito (pictured), a former NYPD detective who had family ties to the Mafia. (His father, cousin, and uncle had all been members.)
Eppolito?s life took a dark turn in 2005 when he and Stephen Caracappa, his parter on the police force, were charged with racketeering, obstruction of justice, extortion, and eight counts of murder, among other charges.
Both of them were found guilty and sentenced to life in federal prison.
5. Actual Mafiosos
Nicholas Pileggi has stated that actual Mafia members were hired as extras in an effort to give the film an authentic feel. (It certainly worked.)
The gangsters, wanting to maintain a low profile considering their line of work, reportedly gave Warner Brothers, the film?s distributor, fake Social Security numbers. How they got paid for their work remains a mystery.
6. Brando's Advice to Scorsese
According to Martin Scorsese, Marlon Brando ? who famously played mob boss Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972) ? tried to convince the director not to take on the project. Scorsese didn?t take the legendary actor?s advice, and his decision was the right one: He was nominated for two Oscars ? Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium ? for his work on Goodfellas.
7. A Reason to Be Angry
During filming, Ray Liotta?s mother died of cancer. Liotta, understandably, felt a lot of anger as a result of what was happening in his personal life, and he channeled that into some scenes of the film. Most notably, you can see the raw aggression on Liotta?s face when he pistol-whips Karen?s neighbor for inappropriately touching her.
8. The Iconic Copa Scene
The scene where Henry Hill (Liotta) and Karen (Lorraine Bracco) take a shortcut into the Copacabana to skip the long line is one of the most memorable of the film.
This came about because of a logistical issue: The nightclub didn?t allow Martin Scorsese to film them going through the front door, so he and the crew had to find another entrance. The long, unbroken shot of them entering ? which required eight takes ? was meant to symbolize the life that was ahead for young Henry.
?It had to be done in one sweeping shot,? Scorsese said, according to The Gangster Film Reader (2007), ?because it?s his seduction of her and and it?s also the lifestyle seducing him.?
9. Paulie's Slap
When Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino) warns Henry Hill (Liotta) not to get involved in drug dealing following Henry?s release from prison, Cicero slaps his face to get his message across.
That slap was improvised by Cicero, hence Liotta?s noticeably shocked reaction to it. He had no idea it was coming, and it showed.
10. Paul Sorvino's Dilemma
Three days before filming Goodfellas began, Paul Sorvino decided that he no longer wanted to play Paul Cicero. His reasoning? He didn?t think he had what it took to portray a cold-blooded mob boss. Sorvino called his agent to notify him of his decision, and his agent advised him to take a day to think about it before officially dropping out.
That night, an unsure Sorvino looked in the mirror and realized that he had the look of a stone-cold Mafioso. (He uses this look numerous times in the film, most notably when Henry points him out in the courtroom at the end.) He decided to stick with the project.
By the late 1980s, Martin Scorsese had vowed to no longer direct Mafia films. His mind changed, though, when he got his hands on Nicholas Pileggi?s book, Wiseguy (1985).
After reading it, Scorsese reportedly cold-called the writer and said, ?I?ve been waiting for this book my entire life.? Pileggi responded, ?I?ve been waiting for this phone call my entire life.?
Goodfellas (1990) was based on Wiseguy, and Pileggi co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese, who directed the film.
2. To Play Jimmy, or to Play Tommy?
Robert De Niro was offered the role of either Jimmy Conway or Tommy DeVito. De Niro, of course, chose to play Jimmy.
next post continues
The role of Tommy went to Joe Pesci, and he won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance.
Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito were based on real-life mobsters James Burke and Thomas DeSimone, respectively.
3. Robert De Niro's Money
Robert De Niro hands out and holds money frequently throughout the film, but he didn?t like the feel of fake money in his hands. The person in charge of props gave De Niro $5,000 of his own money for such scenes ? yes, you?re looking at real money ? but the crew ensured that the property master didn?t lose a cent.
After each and every take of the scene where Jimmy is introduced, no one present was allowed to leave the set until all of the property master?s money was accounted for and returned.
4. Fat Andy's Fate
Fat Andy was played by Louis Eppolito (pictured), a former NYPD detective who had family ties to the Mafia. (His father, cousin, and uncle had all been members.)
Eppolito?s life took a dark turn in 2005 when he and Stephen Caracappa, his parter on the police force, were charged with racketeering, obstruction of justice, extortion, and eight counts of murder, among other charges.
Both of them were found guilty and sentenced to life in federal prison.
5. Actual Mafiosos
Nicholas Pileggi has stated that actual Mafia members were hired as extras in an effort to give the film an authentic feel. (It certainly worked.)
The gangsters, wanting to maintain a low profile considering their line of work, reportedly gave Warner Brothers, the film?s distributor, fake Social Security numbers. How they got paid for their work remains a mystery.
6. Brando's Advice to Scorsese
According to Martin Scorsese, Marlon Brando ? who famously played mob boss Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972) ? tried to convince the director not to take on the project. Scorsese didn?t take the legendary actor?s advice, and his decision was the right one: He was nominated for two Oscars ? Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium ? for his work on Goodfellas.
7. A Reason to Be Angry
During filming, Ray Liotta?s mother died of cancer. Liotta, understandably, felt a lot of anger as a result of what was happening in his personal life, and he channeled that into some scenes of the film. Most notably, you can see the raw aggression on Liotta?s face when he pistol-whips Karen?s neighbor for inappropriately touching her.
8. The Iconic Copa Scene
The scene where Henry Hill (Liotta) and Karen (Lorraine Bracco) take a shortcut into the Copacabana to skip the long line is one of the most memorable of the film.
This came about because of a logistical issue: The nightclub didn?t allow Martin Scorsese to film them going through the front door, so he and the crew had to find another entrance. The long, unbroken shot of them entering ? which required eight takes ? was meant to symbolize the life that was ahead for young Henry.
?It had to be done in one sweeping shot,? Scorsese said, according to The Gangster Film Reader (2007), ?because it?s his seduction of her and and it?s also the lifestyle seducing him.?
9. Paulie's Slap
When Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino) warns Henry Hill (Liotta) not to get involved in drug dealing following Henry?s release from prison, Cicero slaps his face to get his message across.
That slap was improvised by Cicero, hence Liotta?s noticeably shocked reaction to it. He had no idea it was coming, and it showed.
10. Paul Sorvino's Dilemma
Three days before filming Goodfellas began, Paul Sorvino decided that he no longer wanted to play Paul Cicero. His reasoning? He didn?t think he had what it took to portray a cold-blooded mob boss. Sorvino called his agent to notify him of his decision, and his agent advised him to take a day to think about it before officially dropping out.
That night, an unsure Sorvino looked in the mirror and realized that he had the look of a stone-cold Mafioso. (He uses this look numerous times in the film, most notably when Henry points him out in the courtroom at the end.) He decided to stick with the project.
