Behind Closed Doors (2016–…): Season 3, Episode 7 - Goodfellas - full transcript

-In 1990, "Goodfellas"
hit the big screen with a bang.

-Hollywood's long-running
fascination with organized crime

is evidenced again this week.

-It brought together
a collaborative dream team

of Hollywood elite.

-Bob's in it.
Put me on and I'm ready to go.

-Of course, it was De Niro

and it was Joe Pesci
and it was Paul Sorvino.

It was all these people.

And then there was this
other guy.

-A young actor
determined to break through.



-He came over to me and he said,
"Can I see you outside?"

He sounded like "Goodfellas"
right away.

-You feel hot?
-No.

-All led by an award-winning
visionary director.

-There was no doubt
that I was gonna do the role

because Mr. Scorsese
is going to direct it.

-I wanted people
to think about it

long after they saw the film.

-He definitely made it hip.

-"Goodfellas" is now a classic.
It picks up new generations.

-It's one of the most
influential films

of our generation,

if not the influential film
of our generation.

-Viewers young and old
were captivated by criminals...



-Your characters in this film
are ethically bankrupt.

-Totally, yeah.
-Are they evil?

-I think they act evil, yeah.

-...chaos...

-He created a whole sequence
where you really sense

all the paranoia.

-...and those quotable
characters.

-Joe Pesci does that.
You know, "You think I'm funny?

Wait a minute.
I'm here to amuse you?"

-What's the line?

-Karen, that's all we got.
That's all we had.

-Now take a look
behind the scenes

of this global blockbuster.

-If you could imagine
being a 6-year-old

walking through Disney World
for the first time,

like..."Wow."

-It's become one
of the most celebrated

mob movies of all time.

-If you put it on on television
and you watch 10 minutes,

you want to watch
the whole thing.

-There's something about it
that's inescapable.

It touches your heart.

-This is "Goodfellas:
Behind Closed Doors."

Hello, I'm Natalie Morales.

Never rat on your friends
and keep your mouth shut.

Words to live by
in the Mafia underworld

portrayed in the movie
"Goodfellas."

Based on real events,
the film tells the tale

of the rise and spectacular fall
of mob man Henry Hill

and his connected crew.

More than 30 years
after its release,

we take a look back
at the making of this classic

with a special glimpse
behind the cameras.

September 1990,

Hollywood rolls out the red
carpet for famed director

Martin Scorsese's latest film,
"Goodfellas."

-Hollywood's long-running
fascination

with organized crime
is evidenced again

this week with the opening
of a new movie, "Goodfellas."

-For the project, Scorsese
reunites with veteran actors

Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

The trio first came together
in 1980 for "Raging Bull,"

the story of middleweight boxer
Jake LaMotta.

With Scorsese directing,
De Niro and Pesci

starred as the LaMotta brothers.

The film was nominated
for eight Academy Awards,

winning Best Actor
for Robert De Niro

and Best Film Editing
for Thelma Schoonmaker.

-In a way, we want
to work together again

is to learn from each other
and to learn from the project.

To help us grow
a little more,

if not as people,
as creators working,

whatever we do
as a director and as an actor.

-Years later with "Goodfellas,"

the creative team captures
lightning in a bottle.

But although it's now
considered a classic,

just weeks before its release,

it was unclear if the movie
would ever make it

onto a movie-theater screen
anywhere.

-The very first screening,

it was, uh, grim.

-Before the premiere,

a dismal initial screening
by a test audience

spells big trouble
for "Goodfellas."

-There was something between
30 and 70 people walked out.

-We had, like, 32 walkouts.

And by the time
the film was over,

half the audience
had walked out.

The violence
was just too much for them.

-The test-screening viewers

turned their backs
on "Goodfellas"

and its jarringly violent
opening scene.

-The opening when
they opened the trunk

and they kill Billy Batts
with the knife

and then they shoot him,
people found that too violent.

So it was touch and go.

-The creative team meets
with the film studio.

-You go into a postmortem
meeting the next day

and reaction was bad.

-"Now, what are we gonna do
with this?"

-Veteran Hollywood producer
Irwin Winkler to the rescue.

-Irwin, probably the best
producer I ever heard of,

kept the thing going.

-We kept exactly the same,
pretty much the same film.

We kept the integrity
of the movie.

And you just got to, you know,
hold on to what you believe in.

-It was just the wrong audience.

It was a very
super-conservative community.

I mean, it was so far
from the world

that that movie was about.

And so it was not an audience
for the movie.

And later on, it became clear
that the movie was okay.

-The violence in the movie
is inevitable

because of the lifestyle.

You don't see that
in every other aspect

of American society.

I mean, because
they are dealing --

because they deal on that level

and they -- they behave
that way.

It's a behavior.

One major result
is going to be violence.

And that's part
of understanding.

When you get involved
with these people,

you have to understand
that's part of it.

It comes with the territory,
so to speak.

-Even the cast stands
behind the final product.

-It didn't test well.

I mean, when this film

was originally shown
to focus groups,

people were getting up
and walking out.

-It's a violent way of life.

He showed it for the truth
that it was.

-The team stands their ground
to accurately portray

the violent reality
of a Mafia family

through the eyes of Henry Hill
and his crew of gangsters.

A story that begins not under
the bright lights of Hollywood,

but in Brooklyn, New York.

♪

-I'm first-generation.
My father was born in Italy.

I was closer to it
in the neighborhood.

Growing up with that world,

I knew it before
it became famous.

-Writer and producer
Nick Pileggi grows up

in an Italian section
of Brooklyn,

intrigued by the criminal
element among them.

-I was always fascinated by them
and who were they.

How could they do what they did?
What made up this world?

-Pileggi becomes a journalist
covering the growing story

of the American Mafia.

-I started working as
an "Associated Press" reporter

in New York City in 1956,
a long time ago.

And in 1957, there was
the Appalachian arrests,

when they picked up about
100 organized-crime mobsters

upstate New York.

And it was a huge story.

So suddenly in 1957
and '58, '59,

organized crime became
a major story in the country.

It all began to take
on a national interest.

It was no longer a local story.

-But while filing articles
for "Esquire"

and "New York Magazine,"

Cosa Nostra, or Our Thing,
starts to crumble

under a crackdown
on organized crime.

-These guys started flipping,
Henry Hill being one of them.

-Henry Hill, an associate
of the Lucchese crime family,

gets pinched by the Feds
and makes a deal.

-For those not
intimately familiar

with the criminal world,
a wise guy

is somebody always looking
for something for nothing.

Henry Hill was not
the creation of Hollywood

but a real-life wise guy
with total access

to all levels
of one Mafia family.

Before he was caught in 1980,
Hill instigated

the Boston College Basketball
Point Shaving Scheme.

He masterminded the $5 million
Lufthansa robbery.

-For Hill's criminal defense,
the bills start adding up.

So while in the Witness
Protection Program,

the gangster starts talking.

-He has no money. He's broke.

He's got a lawyer, and his
lawyer would like to get paid.

And Henry probably
has a good story.

Maybe they can sell it.

-Hill and his legal team
choose Pileggi to work

with the mobster in hiding
to capture his life story.

-We hit it off really
very well because he didn't --

he didn't have
to explain a lot of stuff.

So he said, "Let's do it."

We didn't have a title,

but it would be
Henry Hill's story.

-He and the lawyer were
looking to cash in.

I mean, Henry
was basically a con man,

and he saw an opportunity
to sell his story.

And his lawyer
negotiated the deal.

-Pileggi documents the
life story of a career criminal.

-He was truly a hustler

and what mob guys
call an earner.

He was always able
to make money for them.

And therefore he was able
to move from one area to another

because he was just that clever

at putting together
little deals for them.

-At times, the collaboration
between Hill and Pileggi

becomes difficult
and even dangerous.

-He was in
the Witness Program,

so that made it difficult
and awkward

because I didn't have
total access to him.

And when I did
have access to him,

I had to be careful
because the Bureau,

the agents who were watching out
for him knew he was in danger.

And they said,
you know, "You're with him.

If they spot him,
you're going to."

They're not gonna say, "Well, we
can't shoot him. He's a writer."

But we did it.

-All under the watchful eyes

of federal prosecutors
and the FBI.

-He was testifying.

And the last thing they wanted

was for him to be caught
in a lie,

which would destroy
his testimony in court.

And they would have thrown him
out of the program,

arrested him,
put him in the clinker,

and he would have been dead
in about a week.

So his life depended upon his
telling the truth.

That's why I was very convinced

more than any other person
I've ever interviewed,

because no one else
I'd ever interviewed's

life depended upon
telling the truth.

-One federal prosecutor
in particular

has his eye on the project.

-I work very closely
with Ed McDonald.

-Nick gave me his word
that he would not question him

at all about
any of the cases that he had.

His focus would be on
what Henry's life was in the mob

and he wasn't gonna focus
on the cases

that Henry eventually
testified in.

And Nick gave me his word.

And he was true to his word
that he didn't focus on

any of the things where Henry
could be making statements

to him that could compromise

our investigations
and our prosecutions.

-The book titled "Wiseguy"

rockets up "The New York Times"
bestseller list.

-I couldn't believe it.

Mob books weren't bestsellers.

And this was not --
this was --

they don't --
they did not do badly.

It was really
a very thrilling moment

to see the book move that way.

-Most Mafia books are these
sort of told to by, you know,

somebody who's supposed
to be a big shot in the Mafia.

Nick Pileggi had
a very different idea

and excellent idea,
and that was to do

the life of the knockabout guy.

You know, what it's like
to be an everyday gangster,

an everyday sort of
just working-day Joe.

And that was Henry.
And that's the book he wrote.

It was a terrific book.
It was a bestseller.

-It was the first time
I ever had a look

and just about anyone
ever had a look

at the way that life
really worked from the inside,

from a middle-level operative.

-Hollywood takes notice.

-I was making a film in Paris.

-The story intrigues Oscar
winner Irwin Winkler,

producer of many films,

including "The Right Stuff"
and the "Rocky" franchise.

-I picked up a copy
of "New York Magazine,"

which had an excerpt
of the "Wiseguy" book

that Nick Pileggi wrote,
and I started reading it.

I started reading it
in the aisle of the bookstore.

I thought it'd make a really,
really terrific movie.

-Winkler buys the film rights,

but now the project
needs a director.

-After I bought the book
of "Wiseguy,"

an agent told me
that he had heard

that Scorsese was interested
in the subject and in the book.

So I called Marty.

He was doing "Color of Money"
in Chicago

with Paul Newman and Tom Cruise.

And the minute
I mentioned it to him,

he said, "Yeah,
I really want to do that.

I'm really, really interested."

-But this dream collaboration

comes dangerously close
to never happening.

-I got a message that said,
"Marty Scorsese called.

Call him at 312."

And I knew
that wasn't Marty Scorsese.

And the next day,
there's another note saying,

"Please call
Marty Scorsese at 312."

I still didn't call.

-Pileggi thinks the calls
are actually

from a fellow writer friend

playing a prank,
posing as Scorsese.

-And when I got home
that night,

my wife,
who was a movie director,

said, "Are you crazy?"

-Pileggi's wife, Nora Ephron,
award-winning journalist,

writer and filmmaker
of "When Harry Met Sally"

and "Sleepless in Seattle" fame
saves the day.

-She said, "Why won't you call
Marty Scorsese back?"

I said,
"That's not Marty Scorsese.

I'm not gonna look like a jerk."

She said, "No, no, no.
It's Marty."

-One of Ephron's
script assistants,

now working with Scorsese,
delivers the message personally.

-Marty knew that Nora and I
were married.

So he said, "Will you call Nora?
You know her.

Call her and find out
why Nick won't call me."

So that was it.

I mean, that I realized
it really was Marty Scorsese.

So I called instantly,
and there it was.

-Crisis averted for now.

But in the later stages
of production,

the entire project
is in jeopardy.

♪

-Martin Scorsese officially
signs on to "Goodfellas."

He and writer Nick Pileggi
locked themselves in a room,

where behind closed doors,

they embark
on a masterful collaboration

using Pileggi's book "Wiseguy"
as a springboard.

-We had a book,
which is a tremendous help.

He said, you know,
"You read the book,

I'll read the book,
and let's figure out

what in the book
we're gonna use for a movie,"

'cause you can't use
everything in the book.

-Turns out the two land
on the same page.

-We came back and got together
and we both had outlines

from the book of where we felt
the movie would work.

And they were perfectly in sync.

So we just we knew
exactly what the movie was,

and we just started writing it.

-To Pileggi, their roles quickly
become clear.

-He doesn't type.
I type.

So I'm typing, but he walks
around and he's right behind me.

We're working on the dialogue,

and we're looking
at the dialogue.

He's looking over my shoulder.
He has suggestions. I type.

I have suggestions. I type.

And that's the way it goes,
and it's great fun.

And we're laughing all the time.

Our visions for the story
plot line together perfectly.

We both knew the language
of those people,

and it was just more fun
than you could imagine.

-While working
on the screenplay,

as he has throughout
his entire career,

Scorsese pours himself
into the film's soundtrack.

-And at nother point, he says,
"Cream, put in Cream."

These were scenes we had
written and he wanted --

So I put -- "What's Cream?"

He said, "Just put it in."
"Okay."

So I would type in "Cream."

Well, then when I saw the movie,
eventually,

it was Cream -- the music.

-♪ When lights close
their tired eyes ♪

-Incredible foresight
from the get-go.

-He knew the music
he wanted for that scene

we were writing.

He knew it when
we're writing a damn script.

I mean, he already had a vision

for where he wanted
that movie to go,

and that's extraordinary.

And, boy, when you look at
that scene and you hear Cream,

it's the perfect song
for that scene

with De Niro
just narrows his eyes

and sucks on that cigarette.

-The music in this movie
is remarkable.

They even released a soundtrack.
It's specific.

It's time-related
and it's truthful.

There's not a scene
in this movie

where the music playing couldn't
have played in that period.

-When he's directing a scene or
he's thinking about the scene,

he's thinking of the music
just as much

as he's thinking
of the dialogue.

And you can absolutely tell it
in this.

The way that the music --

This is something he did,
of course, his entire career --

But the music not only is of the
moment for the particular scene,

it seems to capture
the era that they're in.

-Martin Scorsese
is an absolute genius

in wedding music to drama...
or humor.

All of a sudden,
you're listening to Tony Bennett

singing...♪ Must I forever
be a beggar ♪

And you know, it fits.
You know, it's all real.

A great artist has a sense
of the correctitude of things.

He doesn't throw things in
for fun.

He throws them in because they
do something for him inside.

Just like a great painter

will take one brushstroke
and say, "It's ready"

and put down his brush.

So, boy, if ever there was a guy
who put together music,

as Martin does in every movie,

but in this one
particularly, good grief.

-It was the greatest
introduction to writing scripts

that you'd ever get in the world

is to sit --
sit in a room with Marty,

who already had a vision.

-Scorsese and Pileggi
also draft

one of the film's
signature elements.

-Throughout the film,
Henry Hill at various intervals

lapses in and out of a role
as the narrator.

-Yeah.

-As a director, does that

make your job easier
or more difficult?

-Well, it depends on how many
how much narration there is.

This film has
a great deal of it.

And the big problem in this
picture was the logistics of it.

It's like conducting a war

in that there were so many
different scenes

taking place in so many
different time periods

that it was very, very difficult
to literally get it on film.

So that when a person narrates,
it can say many things.

And the images --
the trick was --

the trick was to throw in
as many images as possible

to show what he was saying

or to counterpoint
what he was saying.

So it meant more to shoot
and more to set up.

And it wasn't easy because
the film spans 30 years.

So that took -- that was
a little more difficult.

Of course, the actual --
the actual narration

only took one day.

-Scorsese doesn't do
a lot of voiceover,

but when he does,
it's always specifically

to get you in the head space.

As an audience member,
you are learning things

while he's explaining them.

He's explained them
to the audience,

but he's really explaining it
to himself

and he's learning how it goes

because that's part
of his journey.

It's not so much a narrator

as it is, at times,
a tour guide.

-On the "Today" show,
Scorsese explains

how his childhood
provides a colorful background

during the creative process.

-I grew up in a very small
community

down in Lower East Side
on Elizabeth Street,

and it was Italian-American.

And to a certain extent,

I grew up around people
like this,

although we didn't quite know
who they were,

what they were doing.

So it was a real neighborhood.

You had, like, three groceries
on the street.

You had three butcher shops,
candy stores.

So the candy store,
as far as I knew,

I was 10 or 11 years old,

just hanging out
in a candy store

and getting soda
from these people.

They were regular people to me.
They were normally --

I would approach them
as a person

that was very nice to me

or a person
that wasn't nice to me.

And so that impression
always stayed.

And then later on, I found out

what they -- what they were
and what they did.

In some places,
there were these

other strange little places
that were called clubs.

And there were these older men

always drinking espresso
in them.

Only after a while,
you begin to see a certain way

these men carried themselves.

-And they carried themselves
like princes, is that --

-Yeah, oddly enough.

It becomes a figure that you
that you want to emulate.

You know, at first you don't
know what they do,

you don't know what exactly,

but you know that they receive
a lot of respect.

A lot of "Goodfellas"
is about that.

To be in that kind of lifestyle,
you have to be very tough.

You have to be able
to be violent.

You have to be able
to eventually to be able

to kill somebody.
I couldn't do it.

That's fine.

To be able to come from where
I came from to make movies,

it's like -- it's like
another whole life.

So what I've done
is I've taken that life with me,

we tried to put that
on the screen.

-And for a film
based on real events,

Scorsese explains
there's a fine line

between Henry Hill's truth
and entertainment.

-Did you feel obligated
to stay true

to his story as he told it?

-Generally, yes.

I mean,
there are certain specifics

that are -- that are jumbled.

I mean, specifically, bodies
that are found a certain way

in certain cases
were not found that way.

You know, there were other --
there were other indications.

But it's all generally true
in -- according to what he said.

Now, of course,
it's his perception.

You know, it's his perception.
So all we have is that.

I was interested
mainly in keeping the idea,

the lifestyle together.

The fact of how they robbed
and who they killed

sometimes doesn't really matter.

It's that robbery
and killing is involved.

-Also, the challenge
of presenting likable criminals.

-Your characters
in this film are --

I think I could say
they're ethically bankrupt.

-Totally. Yeah.

-Are they evil?

-Well, I think they act evil,
yeah.

I guess you judge people
by their actions.

So actions are pretty rough.

-Should we judge these guys
by their actions?

-I think -- I think
if you want to judge.

You know, if you want to judge
a person, you know,

I would think
what they do in their life,

you could say, "I don't like
that person.

I think that's wrong,"
you know.

-But the film is nonjudgmental.

-I was trying not to judge.
I was trying not to judge.

-The film just presents them.
Just throws them out there.

-Exactly. Because I wanted --
I wanted it to resonate.

I wanted people
to think about it.

I wanted people
to think about it

long after they saw the film.

-For the film,

famed producer Irwin Winkler
secures the funding.

-I made a deal at Warner Bros.

to finance the film
and, you know,

we all did other things
during the meantime,

but we started seriously
working on it

and getting the casting done.

-First to be cast,

Academy Award-nominated actor
Joe Pesci,

who later reflects
on his character Tommy DeVito.

-Certainly, he's got
a lot of problems.

I mean, you know,
he was mentally --

probably had some problems
as a kid growing up.

But I mean, in his own element,
his own society,

he was a man doing what he
thought he was supposed to do.

So I try to look at it that way
when I play the part.

You know, I don't -- I can't
look at him really negative,

then I won't be able
to play the part properly,

I don't think.

-Is Tommy's character
your creation

or is that Nick Pileggi's words
on a page

or is it Martin Scorsese's
vision or what is it?

-For me, when I do a part,

I think it's my interpretation
of what I see

when I read the part,
when I read the book,

and then when I read the script,
it's how I see the character.

-In a way,
his character's putting

on a little bit of an act.

I think when they first see him,

people think that they can
make fun of him

and they can play
around with him.

They find out very quickly
that they can't do that.

And to me, that's why Pesci's
so great in the role,

because at first you're like,
"What's with this guy?

This guy is just --
He's smaller.

He's got this kind
of goofy voice.

He's like the sidekick
character."

And then you realize
very quickly,

he is the last person in
the world you want to mess with.

And I think for Pesci to be able
to do that, to be small

and then be so large
at the drop of a hat,

I think it sends the movie
into a different place.

-But Pesci's brilliant
performance

comes close to never happening.

A well-known makeup artist
saves the day.

-When it first came out,
you read it.

You wanted to do it,
Martin said, "Terrific."

But then you almost wound up
not being in the movie, right?

-Well, he almost
changed his mind.

He wanted me to play the part.

And then he said --

He called me
a day or two later and he said,

"You might have to play
something else in the movie,

because I don't think
you can make the --

You know,
there's an age thing.

We're gonna go
three decades and..."

And I said, "Well, I don't
want -- I can't.

What do you mean?
Five years?

I'm thinking about playing
the Tommy character.

I can't play any--"

He said, "You can
play anything in this movie."

I said, "But I am geared
for this now.

I'm ready for this."

So he said, "Well,
you're gonna have to --

You know, I can't help it."

And he hung up,
and I was really sick about it.

I called him back the next day.

I said, "What's the problem?

Is the age thing the problem?"

And I went to do some tests with
Michael Westmore in California.

-Yeah.

-You know,
we did some facelifts.

-You got the job done.

-He was unapologetic
about that character.

He said some of the things
the character did repulsed him.

However, he tried not to judge
the character he was playing.

And I think that's one of the
reasons he did such a good job.

-You once said
you always try to play

someone you're gonna like.

Did you like Tommy?

-Did I say that?
-Yeah.

-Well, I try to find things
that you like in them.

You know, you try to make him
as charismatic as possible.

He's interesting, fascinating.

-Pesci's portrayal of Tommy
will earn him

an Academy Award nomination
for Best Supporting Actor.

-You've been nominated
for an Oscar before.

You were for "Raging Bull."

Do you think this performance
is Oscar material?

What do you think?

-I don't know what
Oscar material is.

I mean, it's just...

-Is it your best work?

-I think it's some
of my best work, yeah.

I worked very hard on it.
You can't --

I mean, I worked hard
on everything, actually.

But you can't tell.

-Casting for "Goodfellas"
starts taking shape.

But to move forward
and justify the budget,

the film studio
wants more big names.

A famous friend calls Scorsese
and saves the project.

♪

-With Joe Pesci signed on
to play Tommy DeVito,

the production team shifts focus

to cast the other
main characters.

For Henry Hill
and his wife, Karen,

Warner Bros.
has an interesting idea.

-At one point, the studio said,
"Look at that budget.

We want you to get
a couple of stars.

So we want Tom Cruise to play
the lead," the Ray Liotta part.

And then they wanted Madonna
for the wife,

for Ray Liotta's wife.

-By 1989, Cruise becomes one of
the hottest actors in Hollywood

after films like "Risky
Business" and "Top Gun."

Madonna, lesser known
for acting,

appears in "Vision Quest"

and lands a starring role
in "Desperately Seeking Susan."

-They wanted them specifically
because they felt

that they needed two big names
to support the budget.

Not unusual for a studio to do.

Sometimes the suggestions
are very good.

This time they weren't.

-As word of the upcoming film
spreads,

an actor fresh to the business
wants in.

-You sought Marty Scorsese
out for this role.

Why?

-Well, I had read the book.

I didn't know they were gonna
make it into a movie.

I heard they were going to.

And was fascinated
by the book.

And then to have Martin Scorsese
directing it,

you know,
what actor wouldn't want it?

And plus, the part is
just so full and juicy.

There's just so much.

It spans 30 years

and just about every emotion
you could think of

Henry went through.

-Though Liotta earned a Golden
Globe nomination for his role

in "Something Wild"
a few years earlier,

not all see the actor
as Henry Hill.

-Marty wanted Ray Liotta
from the very beginning,

and I kept putting it off.

I kept saying, "You know,
you sure you want him?

Maybe there's somebody else
out there."

-Liotta is hungry for the part

and approaches Winkler
in a restaurant.

-My wife and I were having
dinner one night.

And Ray Liotta
was at another table.

And he came over to me
and he said,

"Could I see you outside?"

He sounded like "Goodfellas"
right away.

And I said, "Sure."

We went outside, and we talked
for about 10 minutes.

He was very charming,
and I realized

that he's playing
a really bad guy.

But you have to
win the audience.

And he had that capability
and he could win me.

I called up Marty.

And I said, "Yeah,
he's perfect."

-Liotta also enjoys support
from a surprising source.

-I recommended Ray.

-Yeah, I remember hearing that
at a party.

-And so...
-Thanks, Bob.

-That's okay.

-Did you recommend me?

[ Laughter ]

-Well, I thought Ray Liotta
was just brilliant.

I mean, you know, you keep
saying actors are brilliant,

but I just think Ray caught that
inside-outside quality

of Henry Hill.

Henry was a member --

He was a part,
not a member-member,

but he was a part
of that family.

They loved him.

But he's also not one of them
because he is half Irish.

And that is a part that really,
really fills a part of his life.

I just think Ray Liotta
just nailed that.

-Were you at all intimidated
about working

with Robert De Niro
and Martin Scorsese?

-Um...I'm not intimidated,
just more excited.

You know, as an actor,
you want to work

with the best people
that you can.

So I was just really,
really excited

to get an opportunity to see --
to play games with them.

-It's so spot-on.

You could say, "Well,
this actor could have done it

or that actor
could have done it."

And I can come up with not even
one name who could have done it.

-I think that Scorsese,
he's a smart-enough filmmaker

to know when you put
Joe Pesci in a certain role,

you kind of know what character
you're gonna get.

-The key to Liotta
in this movie

is he was relatively unfamiliar
to a lot of audiences

when this movie came out.

So you immediately identify
with him.

-He campaigned to get this,

and it's probably one of the
greatest roles he's ever played.

-But the studio
remains concerned.

-Warner Bros. wouldn't
give us the okay

with just Joe Pesci
and Ray Liotta.

They wanted another name
with the budget.

Till we had Bob and that was it.

-He was the cornerstone.

He was the centerpiece
of this movie.

-One of the things that Scorsese
is really trying

to do with "Goodfellas"
is to show how the mob works,

how it happens,
how money gets passed around,

how the crimes happen,
how it's all organized.

And De Niro is exactly what
he's looking for in that part.

-Robert De Niro
is Robert De Niro.

What are you supposed to say?

-To portray the wide-eyed,

innocent Jewish girl
from Long Island

turned drug-dependent wife
of Henry Hill, Lorraine Bracco.

-Was this a role that kind of
came along and fell in your lap

or did you fight and scratch
for a little bit or...?

-No. I had met Marty.

We talked for a while.

He gave me the script.
I was very excited.

I think it was
a role of a lifetime.

-Lorraine Bracco is just perfect
in playing Ray's wife.

-Her entire performance
is riddled with cleverness.

-She is the only other person

that gets the voiceover
narration in the movie.

She actually
gets to speak herself,

which I think
is an interesting choice.

I think that, a lot of times,
particularly in mob movies,

the female characters
don't get to talk very much

or don't get to really do a lot.

To cast Lorraine Bracco,
like, she's a big personality.

You don't cast her for that part

if you want, like, a wallflower
in the role.

-I think she's brilliant in it,
don't you?

It's an amazing performance.

'Cause she had two worlds.

She was living the solid,
good Jewish girl,

middle-class Nassau County life
with the mother and father.

And then she was seduced
by the naughty world of Henry.

-She nailed this part.

Lorraine Bracco was
really concerned that this was

a male-dominated movie world.

And she was frightened

that if her performance
was not excellent,

she would end up
on the cutting-room floor.

I think that's why we get

one of the best
performances of her career.

-How did you guys achieve that
chemistry that you had onscreen?

-They saw a shrink
and they worked together.

[ Laughter ]

-Yeah, he was easy to love.

-What are you laughing at?

-I'm laughing at Ray

playing footsies with me
under the table

-Trying to rekindle
that chemistry.

25 years later.

[ Doo-wop music playing ]

-Because the film's story
begins in the year 1955,

the search is on
for a child actor.

-My name
is Christopher Serrone,

and I play young Henry Hill.

-For a couple of years,

Serrone excelled
as a child model.

But despite no acting
experience,

a lucky break in his agent's
office lands him an audition.

-I get there,
and he's on the phone,

and he's talking to Ellen Lewis,

who, at the time,
was a casting director.

And she's explaining to him
how she can't find young Henry.

And he said, "Well,
what do you mean?

What are you looking for?

What exactly
are you looking for?"

She starts to give him
the character breakdown,

the character description.

And as she's explaining it
to him,

his eyes just little by little,
widen and widen and widen.

And then I hear him say, "Well,
I think I'm looking at him."

-But the odds are against him.

-I've heard two numbers --
15,000 and 20,000 --

kids that auditioned
for "Goodfellas."

-For this skinny, Italian
11-year-old kid from Queens,

the pressure mounts
and his nerves kick in.

-I've never been nervous
like this.

I didn't know what to do.

I go in, read for the audition.

And I kid you not,
I finished reading it.

She's like, "Okay. Thank you."

And I'm like...

You know, I just bombed.

-A call from his agent
tells a much different story.

-He's like, "You mother...

You know,
they want you to come back.

You got a callback."

-This time, Serrone reads with
powerhouse Robert De Niro.

-Marty wanted to see if there
was chemistry between us.

I had two separate auditions
with Bobby to do

the "Never rat on your friends,

always keep your mouth
shut" scene.

-After eight months
of thinning the herd,

Chris Serrone's life
changes forever.

-That is Good Friday.

Grew up Serrone,
a good Italian family.

So we were at church.

Me, my mom and dad,
we come home

and the answer machine --

the little red light
was blinking.

I hear my mom start to yell,
"Christopher! Christopher!"

And she just hugs me.

She's like, "You did it.
You did it. You did it."

and me, my mom and dad,

we just kind of like
hugged each other.

Right there, we knew
something was gonna --

something -- something big
was about to happen.

You know, I was about to be
put on this amazing path.

-Christopher captured
the young Henry to perfection.

Wide-eyed, watching everything,
noticing every cuff link,

every fancy pair
of leather shoes,

every custom-made silk suit.

This was like living
amongst movie stars.

These men were sexy,
and I think the young guys

in the neighborhood
looked up to them.

They wanted to live this life.

-Now all this crime outfit
needs is a boss.

And who better to play
Paulie Cicero

than veteran actor Paul Sorvino?

-When I first read it,

I thought, "Well,
this will make a good movie."

But the real reason
to be in this movie

is that Mr. Scorsese
is gonna direct it.

-And Scorsese come to think
of you, do you think?

-Yeah, I know he liked my work
because when we finally met --

I had been looking to work
with him for 10 years.

He told me as much.

I didn't have to sell him on me.

We had a meeting,
and we both loved each other.

I got the role because
I think as soon as I walked in,

Marty saw right away
what he was looking for.

I really believe
he wanted me going in.

I walked in the door, complete
with my cashmere black coat,

pinkie ring I borrowed
from somebody.

And he had
this Cheshire cat grin,

and I knew that he wanted me.

-But for Paul Sorvino,

finding the largely silent
character becomes a process.

-My problem was
the artistic problem,

solving the problem
of finding that cold,

dark place that from which
these actions could spring.

And that took months.

-He was able to do it
without kind of speaking a lot,

you know, just a little move,
a little talk now and then.

Almost playing it
very, very naive.

But the big shots really
don't yell and scream a lot.

You know,
they did it very quietly.

-He said that he didn't have
any trouble understanding

the voice of the character.

What he did have trouble
with was how cruel

the character could be.

And he said
he had to reach deep.

He said it was a challenge.

I think Paul Sorvino
really captured

the father figure
of this family.

-A character writer Nick Pileggi
bases on

real-life mobster Paul Vario.

-Paul Vario would have been
lucky to be Paul Sorvino.

Sorvino, and it was true
of Vario,

he didn't have to move fast

because he didn't have
to move fast for anybody.

He was really the boss,
and he was big man and deadly.

But never --
you never saw it.

And I thought Sorvino just
captured that brilliantly.

It was one of
the great performances

because knowing who Vario was,

I could see Sorvino
just really nailed it.

He had him.

-"Goodfellas" starts
taking shape

as the cast comes together.

-I knew Pesci for many years.
I knew Bobby for many years.

I had not known Ray Liotta,
but he had called me and said,

"I'd just love
to have dinner with you."

And that shows a mature artist,
you know, and a good guy.

It was all things
coming together

when they need to come together.

-But right out of the gate,
"Goodfellas" attracts criticism.

-No concerns at all

that this film reinforces
some stereotypes of Italians

that are rather unpleasant?

-I think it would be
if someone had made up

this story
and chose to capitalize

on, like, what you're saying,
the Italian-American background,

and the fact that these guys
are in the Mafia.

But this is a true story.

I play someone
is also half Irish.

The character De Niro plays
is also half Irish.

So there's different
backgrounds there.

-Italian-American life
has nothing to do

with Italian-American
gangster life.

There's no connection
between mob life

and the Italian-American
experience.

It's completely different.

-That's a distinction
that's very important to make.

-Well, I think
so many people can look at this.

It's as if one would say
that all Russians are Cossacks

and rob and rape women
in villages.

Because Cossacks are Russian,

therefore Russians are Cossacks.

Because it's mobsters,

Mafiosi are Italian,
and then Italians are Mafiosi.

And that's a very
unfortunate thing.

-And according to De Niro,
the wise guys appreciate

the way they're depicted.

-They're flattered.

It's a way of, like,
being immortalized in a way.

And it's nice.
It's good for me,

because as long as
you're honest with people,

you tell them what you're doing,
you're straight,

There's never a problem.

That's the way
you should always do it.

-With all the key players
in place,

Martin Scorsese pivots
to shoot one

of the most iconic Mafia films
in American cinematic history.

But just weeks before shooting,
one well-known actor wants out.

♪

-For "Goodfellas,"
all the roles have been cast,

a powerhouse of talent.

The actors set out to discover
and develop their characters,

transforming words on a page
into powerful performances.

But as shooting
begins off camera,

even the most seasoned
among them has doubts

and nearly quits the film.

-I never played
anything like this.

That kind of a lethal character.
I knew nothing about it.

And three days before
we were about to shoot,

you may not know this,

but I called my manager
and said, "Get me out.

I'm gonna ruin the man's
movie. I'm gonna ruin myself.

I have no idea what to do."

-Sorvino digs deep
and finds his voice.

-And I'm adjusting my tie.
This is what I saw.

I said, "Wha!"

I said, "That's the guy."

Grazie, Dio. Thank you.

I like to believe
I'm sure of myself when I act.

I know what I'm doing.
I've done my preparation.

I've looked into it,
more or less emotionally,

what I'm looking for.

When I've got that ready
before I show up on the set,

then there's no nerves.

There's nothing bad
that can happen.

Everything is right.
Everything's okay.

-Take three, mark.

-And ready? And action.

-Even seasoned director
Martin Scorsese

gets the jitters
from time to time

but finds comfort in family.

-It's always
a terrifying prospect

when you go on a new set
for the first time.

-Did you sleep well last night?

-No, no.

Always, always,
always get nervous about it.

Also, you're also filled
with dread.

-Is that why you
take your parents?

-They regenerate me in a way.

I like their take
on things, too.

It's very funny to me.

-That's great.
I never saw anything like that.

It's beautiful.

-They can even give us the
detail of what is right

and what is wrong
about certain scenes,

meaning the food.

The food I would trust to them.
All of it.

-I know Robert De Niro
loves them.

He says I make the best pizza
in the world.

-Well, he should know.
He should know.

-You know when
he had to put on 60 pounds?

-You're responsible?
-You bet.

-Well, then when he had
to lose the 60 pounds,

he couldn't see you.

-That I had nothing to do with.

[ Laughing ]

-In "Goodfellas,"

Scorsese's mother in real life,
Catherine Scorsese,

plays mom to Joe Pesci's
character, Tommy DeVito.

-Martin Scorsese
has this trick habit --

It's delightful --
of trying to get his own mom,

his real mom
in most of his movies.

He got her into this movie
as Tommy's mother.

Not only is she in the movie,

it's a really vital,
important scene in the movie.

-The thing that makes
Scorsese movies great --

these movies are Scorsese's
heart and soul.

It would be weird if Scorsese
didn't occasionally say,

"Ma, Ma, come in the movie"

because the thing
that makes his movies great

is that his heart and blood
and soul are all over them.

-That's what we went through.
You understand?

We used to satisfied him
in everything he wanted to do.

-And he often puts them
on the screen.

Are you treated differently
on the set?

-No. No.

-We're not treated
any differently.

We have to do like any actor.

-He's a good boy.

-Catherine, the mother
was basically

half my mother and
half Marty's mother,

even though it was always
Catherine.

-In the film, after killing
made man Billy Batts,

Tommy, Jimmy and Henry visit
Tommy's mom.

-In the scene, Scorsese directs
his own mother,

but leaves out
one important plot point.

-The thing that Marty did not
tell his mother

was that there was a body
in the trunk of the car

because that would have --

If she knew there was a body
in the trunk of the car,

he was afraid it would alter
her kind of performance.

This way, her son,
who she adores,

and his friends all show up
at 3:00 in the morning,

which means she can
make breakfast for everybody.

And she's this happy thing.

He knew enough
about his own mother

that if there was a body
in the trunk,

it would be in her head
and it would be different.

Later, after the scene is over,
it comes out that --

And she was chasing him
all around the kitchen.

"You're never gonna
leave here alive."

She was really mad at him.

-The cast adores
Catherine Scorsese,

both as a mother figure
and an actress.

-They have love and respect
for her

and and engage her
and the dog painting.

-In a scene from "Goodfellas,"

Joe Pesci's character
admires his mother's painting.

-Did Tommy ever tell you
about my painting?

-No.

-Look at this.

-It's beautiful.

-I like this one.

One dog goes one way and the
other dog goes the other way.

-One is going east,
and the other one's going west.

So what?

-Well,
that's my mother's painting.

My mother did that painting
because my mother was a...

She retired and she was older.

She started taking art classes,

and she would paint
all kinds of things.

But she did this one picture
of one dog looking one way

and one dog looking in
the other and this guy.

We all liked it.

So we said, "Why don't we
give that to Catherine?"

So Catherine holds that picture
up in the movie,

saying, you know, "See my
painting? See what I've done?"

Well, it's sort of phenomenal.

But that picture
really became well known.

And my mother has
the last credit in the movie.

It says, "Painting
by Susan Pileggi."

And she would refer
to the movie.

"Have you seen my movie?"
she would say.

People would say,
yes, they have.

-To transform Christopher
Serrone into a young Henry Hill,

Scorsese zeroes in
on the eyes for the young actor

to resemble Ray Liotta
in his opening shot.

-I had to go get
the contacts done.

Those contacts were exact
replicas of Ray's eyes.

They were hand-painted in Italy
by an artist to be exact.

I mean, that's the level
of details Marty uses

because he says,
"You know that scene

when they open up
on you here, Chris?

That's why we're going through
all the hassle with these."

I had two sets of contacts.

Each set was 6 grand,
$3,000 a lens,

and I had two pairs.

So just in contacts, 12 grand.

-With his newly tinted eyes,

Serrone steps
into the underworld.

-If you could imagine
being a 6-year-old

walking through Disney World
for the first time.

It was kind of like that.
Like..."Wow. Wow. Wow."

You know, I had seen movies,

but I've never seen them
from this perspective.

I didn't know how much
actually went into the film.

I mean, it was awe-inspiring
every step of the way.

You know, if I looked
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed,

it was because I was.

Everything I did was a new
experience, everything.

But I was lucky because they all
took me under their wing.

-And on set, Joe Pesci
anoints Serrone with a new name.

-Joe Pesci gave me the name.

He used to say,
"Where's the kid?

There's the kid.
Go get the kid."

To the point where Paul Sorvino
in the film says,

"Hey, I want you to meet here,
the kid Henry."

-Some of the best things
that happen for an actor

are what we like to call
happy accidents.

Something happens
while we're rehearsing

and we keep it in
because it seems so right.

-Throughout the shoot,
Scorsese aims for perfection

in every take and creates
a classic cinematic moment.

-The Steadicam shot going
into the Copacabana

is considered one of the great
movie moments.

-To woo Karen, Henry Hill pulls
out all the stops

at the Copacabana nightclub.

And in "Goodfellas,"

Scorsese sets out
to capture it all in one shot.

-♪ He kissed me in a way

♪ That I've never been
kissed before ♪

-Hey. How you doing?
How are you?

-♪ He kissed me in a way

♪ That I want to be kissed
forevermore ♪

-That fabulous entrance
into the Copacabana.

What girl isn't seduced
by that kind of entry?

-Henry was flashy.
You were like a VIP.

You lived a good, fabulous life
that you could only dream of.

This is very evocative.
It's very sexy.

It's something that Karen
fell head over heels for.

-Marty wanted to have
that particular scene show

there's a glamour that
Lorraine Bracco's character sees

going from the outside in,
people waiting on line.

And she sees him
and the audience sees him.

And you say, "Well, I think
it's not a bad thing

to be a gangster in a way,

'cause you can go through
the back door.

They put a table
right in the front for you.

Somebody sends over a bottle
of champagne.

Pretty good life."

And that's part of winning --
winning over the audience.

I think that's why it works
so well.

-With all the moving parts,
what could go wrong?

-We spent the whole day
rehearsing it and writing it.

Make sure everybody had
their marks and their props

and everybody had
to be in the same place

and you couldn't see the lights.

And, you know, it was a very,
very complicated doing.

And it ends up on Henny Youngman
saying, "Take my wife, please."

And when we finally got a take
that was absolutely perfect,

at the end, he forgot his line.

-Scorsese captures
the scene in just eight takes.

-The Copa shot's
a really famous shot

in cinematography and film.

It's taught in film schools.

It catches every single detail.

It sucks you into the film.

In fact, it almost feels like
you're that character.

It's a genius moment
in cinematography.

-Marty set up the schedule.

We did all the young, meeting.

We did it basically
all in sequence.

The whole Copa scene,
going into the Copa,

which was just a marvel
to watch them shoot that.

-If you were to just make

a short film
of the Copacabana sequence,

it would feel like this
incredible historical document,

explained this great moment
kind of in New York history.

One of the things that's so
great about Scorsese,

he's so detail-oriented
as a filmmaker

that he he can't just be like,

"Oh, yeah, we're gonna
have them go to a club.

We're gonna have them go
to a club."

"No, they're gonna go
to the Copacabana

and it's gonna be
exactly like this

and the tables
are gonna be like this.

And this is who the act
is gonna be.

And you're gonna go through
this back door."

-Along with fans,

the actors themselves have
favorite scenes.

For Sorvino, Scorsese captures

what it's like in prison
for goodfellas.

-Well, the beautiful thing
about it is that Marty

put the scene together
in a very natural way.

It wasn't guys in prison
doing this.

"Alright. Watch them screws.
He's got an eye on us.

No. Come on,
get that stuff over here."

None of that.

He just had guys cooking,
ready to eat.

Just guys,
not gangster guys, guys.

"Don't put too many onions
in the sauce."

"I don't put too many onions."

"Alright."

He gets his -- his feelings
are hurt, you know.

"I don't put
too many onions in the sauce."

"Good.
And what else you got?

Okay. Everything ready?
Alright. Now we can eat.

Let's eat."

Just guys hanging out.

Wonderful experience.
My God.

Just felt like I was in...

on my tippy toes.

-Young Henry recalls

one of his own favorite moments
on the set of "Goodfellas."

-One of my favorite photos
from filming of "Goodfellas"

was it's the picture
of Paul Sorvino and I

from the sausage and pepper
scene.

I actually had it blown up and
it's on my little wall of fame.

Paulie took a little time
with me,

like he actually
interacted with me.

You know, "How you doing, kiddo?
You alright today?

That was a good take."

You know, he didn't
have to say any of that.

He didn't have to do
any of that.

But I feel like he really
was trying to interact.

I think he saw the youth in me,

and I was lucky
I had these guys.

But he wanted to help me.
He wanted to help mold me.

You know, I had like
20 uncles on set.

That's what it felt like,
a big Italian family.

-De Niro recalls
a darker moment in the film.

-The one with Lorraine
when I'm calling her down the...

-He wants to kill me.

-In "Goodfellas,"
De Niro's character

points Karen
toward an empty warehouse.

-Oh, no, no, no.

Hey, go ahead.
It's right in there.

-No, Jimmy. I'm in a hurry!

-Scorsese wants us to think
Karen's gonna be dead.

Scorsese thinks when
she's told to go in there

and get a dress,
the tension in that scene

covered by something
kind of glamorous,

a free, new dress, is genius.

-One of the keys to that
scene working

is these guys
are capable of anything.

The movie invests you
so much in it.

You're so much in the moment
that like,

you're terrified,
just like they are.

-Joe Pesci delivers perhaps
one of the most iconic

performances in "Goodfellas"

in a scene not originally
scripted, but improvised.

-I'm funny how?

I mean, funny like I'm a clown?
I amuse you?

I make you laugh?

-Joe Pesci had witnessed
something very similar

and whispered it to Marty.

He said, "You know,
I saw something.

Maybe we could use this."

-He saw that in life
around him

in a circumstance

I didn't want to know
anything more about.

But he apparently
saw that happen.

He's a genius, isn't he?

"What, I amuse you?"

That's genius stuff.

-Marty being very receptive
to ad-lib work

and very receptive to Joe Pesci

because he knew how good
Joe was from "Raging Bull."

So he said, "Yeah, go,
keep going."

So Joe Pesci does that.

You know, "You think I'm funny?
Wait a minute. I'm funny?

I'm here to make you laugh?

I'm here to amuse you?"

Amuse -- what a great word.

And the way he pronounces it.

I've never wrote any of that.

So there was this stuff
that was going on.

And Marty kept it secret.

Only Marty and Joe knew
what was gonna happen.

And the number of actors
are there.

And this is the first time
they hear that line.

"I'm here to amuse you?"

And they're looking
at each other.

It's sort of improvisational.
It's wonderful stuff.

-That scene was not in the book.
It was not in the script.

And Joe Pesci had told it
to Marty

a couple of days
before we shot it.

They rehearsed it
and rehearsed it

and then gone ahead and shot it,

out of nowhere.

But Marty encourages

that kind of participation
by the characters.

His attitude is the actor
should probably know more about

the character than the guy
that wrote about him.

-There are moments
where you think everything

is calm and normal,

and then there's sudden,
dramatic, overpowering violence.

That scene is a false alarm.

Like, that scene is something

that you think
the explosion is coming.

And to me,
that's the genius of that scene.

-Throughout the film,

Scorsese strives for perfection
in every scene,

despite the challenge
of capturing a criminal life

spanning 30 years.

-You really had to keep focus.
I mean, it's 30 years.

It's through the '50s,
'60s and '70s.

There's all different kind of
locations, different hairstyles,

different clothes.

I had 80 costume changes.

That's what makes acting fun,

keeping that focus
and energy going.

-What's so special
about this movie

is it starts in the '50s,
goes all the way to the '80s.

Scorsese captured every chapter
of American life in this movie.

Everything changed in the movie
as it did in real life.

The clothes,
the fashion, the attitudes,

all that is captured
in this movie.

What is so special
about this movie

is it gives you an overview
of America from the '50s,

the '60s, the '70s.

Every detail
is so carefully researched.

-Scorsese is interested
in reality,

but almost like
a stylized reality.

And to watch the way
that characters in his films --

I wouldn't say grow.

I would say regress actually
a lot of times.

But these are people
that you go on a journey with.

And Scorsese has
thought about them

really from the start
to the finish.

So when you look at Henry Hill
in this movie,

the character he is
at the beginning of the movie

and the character that he is
at the end of the movie

are obviously
dramatically different people.

But you're able to track
that entire progress.

A lot of that does
come from the details.

-Partly comical,
partly violent.

There's a little bit
of everything.

It is.
It really spans 30 years.

I think what Marty wanted to do
with this is do it more

in a documentary style

and show all
the different levels.

There's scenes
where I'm in prison

and I'm there with my kids.

He wanted to get everything,

everybody involved,
the whole lifestyle,

not just the events.

-The ideas was, again, to show

really what every aspect
of this lifestyle

is like
and the attraction to it.

-But it's not all glitz
and glamour in the underworld

when goodfellas spiral out of
control, gripped by addiction.

♪

-Welcome back
to "Behind Closed Doors."

I'm Natalie Morales.

An actor's director.

That's how many describe
Martin Scorsese

for allowing actors
cast in his films

to develop and nurture
their own characters.

Academy Award-winning actor
Robert De Niro

has hailed the famed director

as a boundary-breaking
visionary.

Throughout Hollywood,
Scorsese has earned a reputation

for masterfully
lifting his actors up,

elevating each of his films
to a golden standard.

While shooting "Goodfellas,"

Martin Scorsese leads some
of Hollywood's biggest actors

through the ups
and downs of mob life.

At times, the content
turns dark and gruesome.

But the director
cultivates an atmosphere

of kindness and support.

-Martin Scorsese
is an extremely polite man

and he creates an atmosphere
of extreme politesse,

friendliness, even love,

so that you always feel

that you are in an atmosphere
of kindliness and goodness

so that you don't seem
to be able to make a mistake.

Because if you do,
he's gonna say,

"That's good, good, good."

If you get lucky enough

to be directed
by Martin Scorsese

in whatever you're doing,

you are indeed a lucky actor.

-Scorsese achieves a level
of ultimate professionalism

while pulling out
all the stops for his actors.

-It's like 3:00 in the morning,
something like that.

Mind you, we'd been on set
for like 12, 13 hours already.

It was like a 16-hour day
that day.

He goes, "Chris, you know,
are you hungry?

Is there --
do you need anything?

Is there something you want,
something I can get for you?"

"Yeah. I'll take a cannoli."

It's like 2:30,
3:00 in the morning.

Not an open business for miles.

And about 45 minutes into it,
he calls me over.

"Come here, come here,
come here."

So I go over.

He goes, "Hold out your hand."

So I go like this.
He puts a box on my hand.

It's a dozen cannolis.

The crazy thing about it was
the bottom of the box was warm.

He had someone bake
a dozen cannolis

at like 2:00-whatever a.m.
in the morning

and then had them shipped there.

I was the most popular guy
on that set at that time

with that box of cannolis,
let me tell you.

-And Scorsese leaves
no detail behind.

-He's got a great eye.

He was very, very prepared.

Every shot is laid out
in advance, usually on paper.

He looks for innovative ways
to do things

because he has such a knowledge
of cinema

that he finds ways to tell
a story that most directors

don't have the imagination
or the knowledge of.

-He gets the details right.

And I think that's
what's exciting about the scenes

in the '50s
and the '60s and the '70s.

These are not things that
Scorsese personally experienced,

but he's so focused
on every little detail

that it becomes not just
the story of these characters,

but a recreation of the age.

-Robert De Niro,
who has worked with Scorsese

on five films
before "Goodfellas,"

shares that drive for accuracy,

even on the smallest level.

-When they were shooting
that scene,

De Niro, who's genius
in his own way, obviously,

just wants to get into character
so much

that he was curious
about one thing.

This was an Italian house.

It was Joe Pesci's mother.
Forget it.

They don't have ketchup.

That doesn't have ketchup.

But Jimmy Conway,
the Irish guy in the crew,

there would be ketchup for him
at the table.

And there is.
Nobody else uses it.

But he does.

So Bob was curious.

"Okay. How did the real guy
use ketchup?

Did he pop it like that?

Did he roll it in his hand
or did he shake it?"

I didn't know.
So I had to get ahold of Henry.

I called him.
He was in California.

Oh, no. He used to roll it
in his hands.

So I came back
with an information.

And if you look at that scene,

Bob just rolls it
and it's perfect.

-Scorsese knows his actor,

and De Niro
knows his director.

The fact is,
he could even tell him,

"We're just doing the eyes."

"Got it, Marty."

And that is all you need.

It speaks of, frankly, not just
the understanding

those two have,

but the intelligence
of the two men

and the trust
that they have with each other.

The idea that like,
"Trust me, I'll get it.

I'll just focus on the eyes.
That's all we got to do."

And it makes a moment
that much more powerful.

-And Scorsese extends this trust
to all of his actors.

-Scorsese is called
the actor's director

because he really trusts
his actors here.

He's not a director, but he
poses himself on the movie.

He wants to capture those
small details, the chemistry,

the energy
that's going on the set.

And I think in this movie,
he really did.

-We all had these feelings
engendered

by the great director,
Martin Scorsese.

So it just,
it becomes automatic.

He does very little direction,
point of fact is,

he has you improvise.

And he says, you know,
"If you did this..."

And all of a sudden,
you're high.

And I don't mean by drugs.
You're just floating.

In Italian, we say, "Agaldo."

-And when Scorsese
hits the ground running,

clear the way.

-Marty is a...

He's a guerrilla filmmaker.

He's looking for actors
and ad libs

and naturalness in a scene

that comes from people
who are articulate

and are able to say
what they mean.

-I remember asking him like,

"What are you thinking about
when you're doing that?"

He says, "I want to shoot
this like a gangster.

I want to shoot it
the way I want to shoot it.

If I want to freeze frame,
if I want a voiceover

or if I want it, whatever."

And that's what he did,
I think,

which gave him a lot of liberty
to just be him.

-All the while
allowing his film actors

to nurture their own characters.

-He knows what he wants,
but at the same time,

he'll tell you, you know,

"Here's the script,
here's the lines.

But make it your own.

If you would never say it,
then don't.

Use this as a guideline."

He lets the actor find the truth
in their role, in their part.

You know,
it's one thing for an actor

to take an interpretation
of a role,

and it's another thing
for a director

to put his interpretation
into the actor.

Marty just let
the actor develop.

He let the -- the --
the character come to life.

-The first part of "Goodfellas"

is told through
young Henry Hill's eyes,

something Scorsese
takes to heart.

-You need that kind of childlike
look to be a good director?

-I think you have to be
as excited as a child in a way.

You have to be like a child
in order to direct.

I mean, the kind of film I like
to make, it is like fantasizing

when we're children
and playing little games.

That's when you direct.

"Okay, you be the man.
He comes in.

And this is the wife.

You want some coffee
and you're a boxer.

And there's Uncle Joe
sitting there."

But actually, you have to have
that kind of enthusiasm

as a child.

-He's making this movie
for him.

He's not making it to get
the true story of Henry Hill.

That's why the movie
is so entertaining,

because the movie is about more
than Henry Hill and more

than about this specific group.

You want to get
the details right.

You want to make it
all believable and all work.

But his loyalty is to the story

and to the movie,
not to the hard truth.

-But a part of Henry Hill's
reality cannot be ignored

as he spirals out and a rat
jumps off the sinking ship.

♪

-With shooting of "Goodfellas"
well under way,

Martin Scorsese
takes a hard turn

into an even darker side
of a criminal organization --

drugs.

-The first half of the movie is,

"Let's seduce Henry
with the fun of life,"

and that's what we wanted.

That first half of the movie
is pure seduction.

And then they start
with the drugs.

Once the drugs came in,
it was over.

They lost the power
that they had earlier.

Drugs destroyed Henry
and destroyed a lot of them.

-In "Goodfellas," Paul Sorvino's
character, The Boss,

warns Hill not to push drugs
with an unscripted

and unexpected heavy hand.

-When I slapped Henry
in the face,

that was not planned.

But as I was talking to him,
I saw him kind of looking away

and I just felt he wasn't
really listening to me.

So I whacked him one.

And then I apologized
after the scene.

He said, "Oh, no,
Paul, that was great."

So there's a true artist.

-With Hill moving drugs

behind his boss' back
in real life,

"Goodfellas" depicts
the next series of true events,

starting with one of the biggest
crimes in American history.

-There was a holdup
of historic proportions

at New York City's Kennedy
Airport this morning.

-In 1978, a robbery
at JFK Airport of $5 million

in cash
and nearly $1 million in jewelry

becomes the largest cash robbery
at that time.

-The Lufthansa heist was huge,
one that will live in infamy

and captured
beautifully in this film.

-Last night,
city police recovered

the black Ford Econoline van
used in the holdup.

They say they are processing
fingerprints picked up

by the forensic unit.

-Along with the FBI,

federal prosecutor Ed McDonald
works the case.

-They knew right away that
it was the Jimmy Burke crew

of the Lucchese crime family
that had executed the robbery.

Electronic surveillance
was the investigative tool

that the FBI wanted to use.

And so they came to my office
to do that.

And I had some expertise
with electronic surveillance.

So I was assigned to the case.

And I began to investigate.

Our object, our goal was to
prosecute the people

who were responsible
for the robbery.

-Front and center
in the heist, Henry Hill.

-The FBI identified Henry Hill
as a close associate of Burke's.

And they tried
to come up with ideas

on how to get him to turn
and how to flip.

And unfortunately,

they couldn't come up with
anything on him.

-In the movie, after each
involved with the heist

receives
their cut of the robbery,

they're instructed
by Robert De Niro's character,

Jimmy Conway, to lay low.

-In real life and in the film,

Jimmy told everybody
to not buy anything.

They've doled up the cash.

All the stolen money
has been divided.

The most wise, smart,
seasoned criminals

would put that money somewhere
and leave it.

That didn't happen in real life,

and it didn't happen
in the movie.

-One of the robbers,
Angelo Sepe,

went out and bought
a brand-new Thunderbird.

And we promptly put a bug
in the Thunderbird

and we were recording
the conversations of Sepe

and whoever happened to be
in the Thunderbird.

Most of the time
it was his girlfriend.

And what we got was engine noise

and we got the worst disco music
you could ever imagine.

-Spending a lot of money
gets the attention of the police

very, very quickly, which is not
what you want to happen

when you're trying to lay low.

-While the crime family
enjoys their spoils,

luck will soon run out
for Henry Hill

after a tip from authorities
in New York.

-The Nassau County District
Attorney's office in 1979

was investigating a narcotics
ring in Nassau County.

And Henry was in the midst
of that ring.

They had electronic surveillance
on Henry.

-Scorsese captures this era

of the cocaine-fueled
downward spiral

as investigators close in.

-What Marty did is
he created a whole sequence

which runs, I don't know,
about 12, 13 minutes,

where you really sense
all the paranoia.

And he did it through music,

terrific sequences
of editing and sound.

And it's driving all the time,
driving forward all the time.

And at the end of it,
you really are exhausted

from his drug high as he is
from his drug high.

And that's just really,
really great filmmaking.

-I understand the shoot
was rather --

was fast and rather intense.
-Yeah.

You know, Marty, he's
a very intense personality

and there was just
such an energy

in this story to begin with.

Then, you know,
why sit around wasting time?

So, yeah. Plus, he'd worked
with people before the crew

and the actors.

-As he hits rock bottom,
Time's up for Henry Hill.

-They got enough evidence
on him

and they arrested him and
indicted him on felony charges,

all of which
would have warranted

his being sentenced
to life in prison.

They also indicted his wife
on three charges as well.

And Henry decided
to cooperate.

-In "Goodfellas,"

Ed McDonald, the man
in the know, plays himself,

and as shown in this scene,

discusses the Witness
Protection Program

with Henry and Karen Hill.

-The only way they can get
to him is by getting to you,

getting to your kids.

If he goes into the program,
forget about it.

You're in a great deal
of danger.

-I don't know anything.

-Come on.
You don't know anything.

You don't give me the "babe
in the woods" routine, Karen.

I have no idea how it came out.

It was a line that I used to use
when I was talking to witnesses

and trying to get
people to flip.

And I'm sure I used it
all the time.

I know I used it all the time.

It was just sort of my stock
and trade.

And I didn't go in there
with the idea

that I was gonna say that.

Nothing was scripted.

Everything was just
off the cuff.

-For the film, Scorsese
simplifies the scene,

which in real life,

McDonald remembers
as much more complicated.

-His wife, his two kids,
his mother-in-law,

his father-in-law came down

and so did two
of his girlfriends.

He got word to them,
and they showed up.

And he wanted to put them all in
the Witness Protection Program.

We had two girlfriends who were
bickering with each other

because they were vying for
Henry's attention and affection.

And the mother-in-law was
screaming at Henry.

Two poor kids
are sitting in an office,

wondering what's happening
to their lives.

It was bedlam.
It was absolute bedlam.

-In the end, Henry
and Karen Hill take the deal.

-They had no other choice
because he was

facing a lifetime jail sentence.

And he knew that if he stayed
on the street

that Burke and Paul Vario crew,

with which they were affiliated,
would execute them.

-Paul Sorvino recalls
the iconic courtroom scene

when Hill testifies
against the family.

-What you're seeing in that
face is my absolute fury

of what this boy has done.

I mean, after all I've done
for him,

this is such a betrayal.

And he has done it
in a public way.

He's just cut me down.

I can't believe it.

But he's done it, so...

It's hard for me to believe.

And of course,
if you're an actor,

you know what to do
and you go for it.

-The tragedy of this movie
is not that he goes

in the Witness
Protection Program.

It's not that these guys
go to jail.

It's not even necessarily
that people die in the movie.

The tragedy of the movie --
he learned nothing.

Like, he learned nothing.

His reaction to having risen so
high and fallen so far

is not, "I made mistakes.

I got in too deep.
I shouldn't have done this."

It's a, "Hey, I don't get any of
the stuff I used to get anymore.

I'm just a regular schnook
like everybody else."

That's the tragedy of the movie,
is that he learns nothing!

-With Henry Hill
still in hiding,

Hollywood braces
for the official release

of one of the most exciting

and anticipated films
of the year.

♪

-"Goodfellas" begins
as a best-selling book,

but in Hollywood,
everyone knows

there's no guarantee.

Even an A-list director,

an all-star cast
will have to wait in the wings

to see if this gamble
will pay off.

Warner Bros.
presents "Goodfellas"

at a star-studded premiere
in September 1990.

-I met Tony Bennett that night,
Christopher Reeve that night.

It's funny because my dad is --

He was a hardworking
Italian guy,

didn't -- didn't get a raise
out of him any which way

until the premiere
of "Goodfellas"

because he sat next
to Mick Jagger.

You should have seen my dad.

My dad's looking at the screen,

"My son, Mick.

My son, Mick."

The whole time was...

Like a [speaks indistinctly]

You know,
what he's doing there.

-Great to see the guys again,
like a reunion of any kind.

It brings up the good feelings
that you have had

when you did the movie,

because acting is sort of
like a brotherhood,

either man or woman.

And you may not see
a person for 20 years,

but all of a sudden,
you see that person

and all of it comes back.

It's there.

It's like no time
has passed at all.

And that's one of the nice
things about acting.

-Young Henry Hill remembers
one special moment

in particular
with costar Ray Liotta.

-My best memory of Ray was at
the premiere of "Goodfellas,"

there's actually a really,
really good picture

of all of us.

It's like the main picture.

It's from MOMA,
Museum of Modern Art.

Me, Ray, Joe, Paul, Marty,
and Mr. De Niro.

I walk up and he's like,
"Oh, my God.

You look like
my yearbook picture."

And everybody
just started laughing.

So the whole night
he called me "Yearbook"

because I looked like he did
in his yearbook picture.

So I don't know.

To this day, I like that.

If you look at the picture,
I look like his younger brother.

We're both standing profile.

We have, like, the hair
is the same.

The nose is the same.

It's a little eerie.

-The film garners a lot
of attention.

From "Mean Streets"
to "Taxi Driver,"

from "Raging Bull" to "The Last
Temptation of Christ,"

the films of director
Martin Scorsese

have always been hard-edged
and provocative.

His latest is no exception.
It's called "Goodfellas."

-This is an epic movie.

This was one of the first movies
in my lifetime

that felt like an event.

I remember this was
the movie you had to see.

Everybody was talking
about "Goodfellas."

-Prosecutor turned actor
Ed McDonald

watches nervously with his wife.

-It was probably about
40 degrees in the room

where we were watching the film,

and I was drenched
by the time it came on.

I was so nervous.

I said, "I don't know.
I thought I was pretty good."

And then when it came out,
I saw it.

I said,
"Oh, my God, I was terrible.

I'm just really awful."

And my wife said to me,

"Do you think
if you were really bad,

Scorsese would've left you in?"

So I guess it wasn't so bad.

-The film changes
some lives forever.

-I was 13 and a freshman
in high school

and I was in the biggest film
to come out

in New York in, like, how --
how long?

I couldn't walk down the street.

I can't imagine never doing
"Goodfellas."

I could have did
10 other movies.

My life would not be the way it
is just from doing "Goodfellas."

-It's a highlight.

It's a great film,
and I'm proud of it.

-Even Henry Hill
himself weighs in.

-You heard from the real
Henry Hill, didn't you?

-Yeah, he called me
about a week ago.

We decided not to meet him
before we started filming.

-Not that you could have.
-No, exactly.

-He is in the Federal Witness
Protection Program.

-He did make himself available
for some people,

but I figured
it was best to stay away.

But he called me, he
saw the movie and he liked it.

So that felt nice.

-You think it a little strange
that he called you?

-A little,
it was a little bizarre.

And then I went
to meet him at a location

that he wanted to meet at.

You know, just to know that
someone lived that kind of life

and now has to live
the rest of his life

because of the life he lived,

it's a little -- it's different
from where I came from.

-"Goodfellas" received
six Academy Award nominations.

-Irwin Winkler, producer.

-Best Picture...
-"Goodfellas."

-Scorsese for Best Director.

-Nicholas Pileggi.

-Best Adapted Screenplay
by Scorsese and Pileggi.

Best Editing by Academy
Award-winning film editor

Thelma Schoonmaker,

who has worked closely with
Martin Scorsese for decades.

-Scorsese, you know, is a great
editor himself.

And when we screen
dailies together

is a very important time for me.

He tells me what he thinks
about every shot.

I tell him what I think.

And then I start to strip down
to select.

And then I start to cut.

Then he comes in and cuts
with me completely

after he's through shooting.

He's a wonderful editor.

And he trained me.

He taught me everything I know.

I mean, we've worked together
for half a century.

He told me that the other day.

I said, "What?!"

And we work just like this.
We're just...

We're like one mind almost.

It's a wonderful partnership.

-Joe Pesci.

Joe Pesci scores a nomination
for Best Supporting Actor.

-Lorraine Bracco.

-And Lorraine Bracco
for Best Supporting Actress.

-As you walk in,
what are your expectations?

How high are your hopes?

-You know, I have
to keep my hopes high.

That's the way I am.

I'm just really pleased
to have been nominated.

I think that's that real gift.

-The picture that's up
for Academy Awards...

-Mm-hmm.
-..."Goodfellas."

I think that's one
of the best pictures

that's been made
in a very long time.

Are you proud of that movie?
-Yeah, sure.

Anything that I do with Marty,
I'm always especially proud of.

-In the end, only Joe Pesci
takes home an Oscar.

-Did you think
you were gonna win?

-No.

-Why?

-Boy, I wish I could answer
that question.

I just set --

I was set to lose.

I was set to lose in my mind.

I mean, you always have this --
this hope after a while.

It becomes such a --
It becomes such a horse race.

It's -- it's terrible in a way.
It really is.

I mean, I --

It's -- it's terrific
being nominated,

it's terrific winning.

I mean, I'm thrilled that I won.

But to be one of five people,
it has to --

I feel like
it's a popularity contest

after a while.

I felt like
I'm not that popular.

-But the members of the Academy
fooled you tonight.

-They sure did.

I mean, they caught me off
guard totally.

I had nothing to say
except thanks.

And it's -- and it was
my privilege.

I know I said that.

And it is a privilege
and it was my privilege.

-I think the reason
that performance broke through

is the sheer honesty.

Awful things were done
without apology.

They were very matter of fact.

There was very little
judging this character.

I think that's what made
that performance so special.

-As "Goodfellas" carries
the cinematic Mafia torch

into current times...

-I'm alive today.

-...the world hears from
Henry Hill himself in hiding.

♪

-In 1990, "Goodfellas"
opens to rave reviews.

Film critic Roger Ebert writes,

"No finer film has ever been
made about organized crime,

not even 'The Godfather.'"

The film goes on to bring in
almost $47 million domestically

and over the years
cements its place

in American cinematic history.

-30 years later,
"Goodfellas" is now a classic.

This movie is never gonna die.

I think it's because
of the honesty, the detail,

the insight into the life
that most of us will never see.

-I wanted it to resonate.

I wanted people
to think about it.

I wanted people to think
about it long after

they saw the film to understand
what their life has really been.

Life is really, really like
and to, in a sense,

show the excitement, at first,
of living a life of crime,

how it could attract young kids.

And then, well, after
a certain period of time,

it's just inevitable,
they wind up one of two ways,

either killed or in jail.

Or they begin a long process
of going to jail

and coming out of jail,
going back and going out.

It's just an ethically
bankrupt existence.

Anybody who wants to live that
way after seeing the movie,

especially in the last day
when he gets arrested,

it's got to be something else.

-Prophetic words from
a world-renowned director.

In the end, Paul Vario,
a.k.a. Paul Cicero,

played by Paul Sorvino
in "Goodfellas,"

dies while incarcerated
in Texas.

Jimmy Burke,
portrayed in the film

by Robert De Niro
as Jimmy Conway,

dies while serving time
in western New York.

And as seen in the movie,

Tommy gets whacked
before the end credits.

-Henry, you're obviously
in disguise.

-No longer in the Witness
Protection Program,

but keeping a low profile,

Hill appears on NBC
and describes his life.

-What's it like
to live this way now?

-It's wonderful
because I'm living.

I mean, you know,
I'm alive today.

I survived.
Not too many --

Go ahead, Faith.

-I was just gonna ask,
"Don't you worry that

that may not always be the case,
that you're still at risk?

-Faith, let me
tell you something.

I have today
and I have this afternoon.

I know that I'm not --
I know that I'm gonna, you know,

I'm gonna see this afternoon,
I think.

Uh...

-Do you think that you bring
a little added risk to yourself

by doing television interviews?

-Probably.
But I'll tell you what.

I'll tell you what.

If there's one kid out there

that sees me and knows
that he can --

he doesn't have to
lead the life that I led,

that's -- that's all I want
to get through --

to that one little
boy from Brooklyn

or Cleveland
or Detroit or Chicago.

And he doesn't
have to live the way I lived.

-Ed McDonald later reflects
on Henry Hill, the man.

-What did you think of him
as a person?

-Well, he's a career criminal.

I mean,
there's no question about it.

He has serious character flaws.

On the other hand,

he can be very warm
and charming and engaging.

You know, it's certainly not

a black and white situation
with Henry.

I still stay in touch with him.

And I can't help
but be fond of him in some ways.

On the other hand, I recognize
that he still has

his terrible character flaws.

I wouldn't
trust him completely.

-Brooklyn mobster
turned informant

who inspired the classic film
"Goodfellas"

has died in Los Angeles

after a long battle
with an undisclosed illness.

In his character's words,

after becoming
a regular schnook,

Henry Hill succumbs
to heart disease.

-Henry was the inspiration.

I mean, I've been covering
those guys a long time,

had talked to lots of them.

But he was quite different.

He was of it, but not of it,

which is what makes
his character so interesting.

And he was also very articulate
and had great memory

and understood
how to tell a story.

-The original crew
may be gone,

but "Goodfellas" lives on.

-I've seen it probably 30 times.
-Yeah.

-Okay.
-Probably 30 times.

-I had no idea how the movie
would turn out.

I mean, it was a great
experience and all that.

But you never know
what the impression is --

it's gonna make on people.

-When did you realize
that it was going to be

what it became?

-Today.
-Yeah, right.

[ Laughter ]

-Why do you think this film
has resonated

with so many for so long?

-It's good.

It's just a good movie.

You're finding out and learning
about this lifestyle

that -- that, thank God,
99% of us don't know about.

-Mobster films started with,

[As James Cagney] "Yeah, see,
I'm little Caesar, see?"

[ Normal voice ] This is
a different kind of movie.

This is not mythic.
This is actual.

-"Goodfellas" cements its place
in Mafia media history,

handed the torch
by acclaimed film

"The Godfather" more than
a decade earlier

and later relaying to a new
connected family, the Sopranos.

-With "The Godfather"
in 1972, the movie,

suddenly that becomes
a major movie.

And then number two comes, which
is really even more phenomenal.

And people not born
in the Northeast,

people who didn't ever
come across a mobster

suddenly become interested
in this world

because it's families.

It's not just comic,
buffoony characters.

It seduced America into, "Oh,
this is an interesting world."

And that started it.

And I think "Goodfellas"
coming along after it

picked it up again.

And then comes "The Sopranos."

And "The Sopranos" goes on
for many years.

And now you have them
in your house.

So I think
the "gangster" movie

with the beginning
of "The Godfather"

really began to take off as
a subject of national interest.

And "Goodfellas" was smack
in the middle of it.

Between "The Godfather" series,

then comes the "Goodfellas"
and then "The Sopranos."

So it's a rich area.

-If you're gonna contrast

"Goodfellas"
with "The Godfather,"

"The Godfather" in many ways

is about what passed down
to generations

and what your
responsibilities are.

It's a family drama
in a lot of ways.

"Goodfellas" is a family drama
in a very different kind of way.

It is blue-collar guys.
It's guys scrapping.

You know,
I think there's something

fundamentally American
about that idea.

"The Godfather" wants to be --
it's great at this --

is an epic tale
about the world that we live in

and this particular
part of it.

"Goodfellas" is "This
is how the mob works.

This is how the money
gets from here to here.

This is how this guy
works for this guy."

-Years later, in 2019,

Pesci again
joined Scorsese and De Niro,

along with Al Pacino
for "The Irishman,"

the director's latest,

and many believe,
final mob movie installment.

-"Goodfellas" is a movie made
by a filmmaker

in his absolute prime,
in control of everything.

"The Irishman" is a director
at the end of his career

who still can make
a corker of a movie,

but is looking back
and is like, "You know what?

This isn't cool."

Scorsese's made these mob movies
at certain parts of his life.

He makes "Mean Streets"
when he is that young punk.

He's that young kid
full of energy

and rage and guilt.

And everything is almost

spilling out
all over the screen.

He gets a little older, he gets
a little bit more mature,

but he still has,
like, that fire,

and he makes "Goodfellas,"

which is kind of combination
of everything about him.

And "The Irishman,"
it's a movie made by

and about old men
looking back at their lives.

Whereas "Goodfellas,"
in many ways --

he's not romanticizing
what they do,

but he wants to show that
the mob life can be attractive.

That's not a problem
in "The Irishman."

"The Irishman" sees the gravity
of every decision

that they make all along the way

and how it weighs
on them later in life.

-While Scorsese enjoys
another cinematic success,

more than 30 years later,

the impact of "Goodfellas" grows
generation after generation.

-It's one of the most
influential films

of our generation,

if not the influential film
of our generation.

And it's because
it was that real.

It took guys my age now
at the time watching the film,

showing their kids
and their sons.

And then I think
it was the younger kids

that actually really started
to embrace "Goodfellas"

because "Godfather,"
that's not their era.

That's not their generation.
They can't relate to that.

Maybe their dads and grandpas,
but not them.

So finally, there's
an up-to-date American mob movie

that nowadays we can relate to.

And I think -- I think
it was my generation

that actually picked up
that gauntlet of "Goodfellas"

and put it out there.

-"Goodfellas" is still
one of those few --

Put it on on television
and you watch 10 minutes,

you want to watch
the whole thing.

There's always something
different going on,

whether it's a piece of music,

whether a character says
something

completely strange and crazy
and something's very winning.

It's all part of that
filmmaking process

that Marty is so good at.

Every scene in itself
is interesting.

So you could tune in
almost any time and say,

"Wait a minute,
I'm gonna stick with this."

"Goodfellas" has that quality,
which few films have.

-Look, Scorsese was --

I think
it's his greatest movie by far

and maybe 'cause I'm in it.

But it's just it's
a wonderful movie

and the acting is terrific.

The directing was
just mind-boggling.

It's just it's a fabulous movie.

The music -- I mean, you could
just listen

to the soundtrack of the movie

without even watching it
and just enjoy yourself.

I mean, it's just
it's a great soundtrack.

And the characters
are unforgettable.

-There's something about it
that's inescapable.

It touches your heart.

It touches your mind,

and it doesn't let you go.

♪