Things You Didn’t Know About ‘Goodfellas’

Goodfellas has earned a reputation as one of the greatest crime films of all time. These behind-the-scenes stories and facts about the actors and the real Lucchese family are not as well known. Read on to learn what went into making Goodfellas come to life.

Both of Martin Scorcese’s Parents Have Cameos

Scorcese made sure to put a little bit of himself in the film by including both of his parents in cameo roles. His mother played Tommy’s mother during the infamous dinner scene. Scorcese’s father had a smaller role, as the character Vinny who always put too many onions in the tomato sauce.

Joe Pesci Was Identical To His Character (Almost)

Joe Pesci plays the wildcard gangster named Tommy DeVito. He is a man who has no problem whacking anyone that he’s told to, or doing it for his pleasure. The character was inspired by a real man named Thomas DeSimone, who was known to be murderous and ruthless, with a short fuse. Pesci pulled off the character flawlessly, with just a few exceptions.

The 1978 Lufthansa Heist Is Still An Open Case

As depicted in the movie, the Lucchese crime family pulled off the $6 million Lufthansa heist in 1978. It was the largest cash robbery in American history at that point. Jimmy Burke was the mastermind of the operation and is credited with its success. The heist left numerous loose ends dead, and many others in prison after Henry Hill’s testimony for other criminal involvement. However, the case remains open today. The most recent arrest was a 78-year-old Vincent Asaro in 2014. He was believed to have been a lookout and getaway but was later found not guilty. Although Asaro was deemed innocent, the investigation of the heist is still ongoing.

Tommy Cruise And Madonna As Main Characters?

Initially, the producers brought up Tom Cruise and Madonna to play the roles of Henry and Karen Hill. Scorcese even went to her show “Speed-the-Plow” on Broadway to do some personal scouting. However, these weren’t the only two considered for leading roles. There were a lot of A-list actors under consideration for the role of Henry Hill, but Scorcese wanted Ray Liotta after seeing him in Something Wild. Lorraine Bracco ended up playing Karen Hill because she related to Karen since she grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn. It’s difficult to imagine the film with a different cast.