7 Facts About 'Goodfellas'

If there is one thing that was made abundantly clear in director Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas, its that life in the mob is a series of contradictions. On the one hand, there's the promise of all of that money, luxury and power. On the other, there's everything you have to do to obtain it; the life-threatening situations you find yourself in, the acts you need to commit and the seeming inevitability of eventual imprisonment or death at the other end of a gun. There is seldom a clear-cut line between good and evil, a point perfectly encapsulated by mobster Henry Hill in the 1990 film.

The Mafia movie is based on the real life of Hill and his partners, whose names were changed to Jimmy Conway and Tommy Devito on-screen. Starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, the Martin Scorsese film went on to become a success over time, garnering six Academy Award nominations and one win for Joe Pesci in the category of Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

The behind-the-scenes secrets and facts about Goodfellas are interesting, to say the least, just like life in the mob appears to be. Keep reading to discover, among other things, where the inspiration for this classic came from and who almost didn't get a starring role.

Goodfellas is available for streaming on Tubi!

1. ‘Goodfellas’ is based on a non-fiction book

Interestingly, what is considered to be one of the best gangster movies of all time, was based on the non-fiction book, Wiseguy. Author Nicholas Pileggi had the opportunity to sit down with ex-mobster Henry Hill, who shared insight into the mob life. He eventually wrote his book, which was published in 1985, and co-wrote the film's screenplay, for which he received an Academy Award nomination.

2. The movie had to change its title

While the movie was originally going to be named after the book it was based on, production ran into a few roadblocks. First, there was already a movie with the name Wise Guys starring Joe Piscopo and Danny Devito, which was released in 1986; and then there was the 1987 to 1990 Ken Wahl undercover cop series from the 80s titled Wiseguy. Thus, the film changed its name to Goodfellas.

3. Many of Henry Hill’s most infamous crimes weren’t included in the film.

Henry Hill had quite the long list of criminal credits to his name, but not all of them were seen in Goodfellas. For example, Hill was involved in a major point shaving scheme which became a national sports controversy. Additionally, he and and Jimmy Burke recruited Boston college players to manipulate scores to cover point spreads. Both actions received national attention, but didn't make the cinematic cut.

4. Ray Liotta almost didn’t get to star in the movie

Although Ray Liotta went on to become a major film star, he almost didn’t get the lead role as Henry Hill in Goodfellas. Martin Scorsese, the film’s director, wanted Liotta from the get-go, but since the actor wasn’t a major movie star at the time, the studio went in search of someone they felt would more effectively sell the film to audiences. But in the end, Scorsese won out and Liotta got the role, ultimately changing his career forever.

5. De Niro tried to make his character as accurate as possible

De Niro, who portrayed James Conway — based on the real-life James Burke — was intent on making his character seem like his counterpart. De Niro would reportedly call the real Henry Hill often to ask him how James would walk, hold a cigarette and other little details about the man. His tactics worked well as De Niro was reportedly very convincing as the gangster.

6. Pesci’s “How am I funny?” scene wasn’t scripted

While the scene where Pesci’s character questions Hill about being funny is one of the most memorable in the film, it wasn’t technically in the script. Pesci shared a true story with Scorsese about a time he was working in a restaurant and told a real-life mobster that he was funny, which was met with an unhappy response. Scorsese decided to include the anecdote in the film, but to make sure Liotta’s reaction was genuine, he kept it out of the script. That was a good move on the director’s part, as it ended up being one of the best scenes in the film.

7. The real Henry Hill has no idea how he survived so long

Life in the mob, as previously stated, can be incredibly dangerous. Sure, there is the glitz and the glamour that is shown on the outside, but inside there is no room for mistakes. Nobody knows that better than Henry Hill and the former-mobster is as confused as anyone anyone as to why he was never killed.

Hill revealed in a 2010 interview, “It's surreal, totally surreal, to be here. I never thought I'd reach this wonderful age. I'm just grateful for being alive.” Hill, who was one of the most notorious mobsters between 1955 and 1980, was living in witness protection after famously breaking the code of silence and helping the FBI. However, he died in 2012 of natural causes at age 69.

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