What You Never Knew About the Mob Classic ‘Goodfellas’

For Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese broke from tradition. Instead of casting one of his familiar leads, he chose Ray Liotta to play Henry Hill, chasing a new energy for the film’s central voice. To preserve that rawness, Scorsese advised Liotta not to meet the real Henry Hill before filming, fearing it would color the performance with imitation rather than instinct.

Liotta listened. He built the character from the inside out. It wasn’t until 2004, long after the film had become a classic, that actor and inspiration finally met in Los Angeles—two versions of the same story, shaking hands.