A Natural Henry Hill
According to Barbara De Fina, the film’s executive producer, there weren’t a lot of choices about who could play Henry Hill. “There weren’t a lot of actors who could pull it off. He had to do terrible things, and yet you had to somehow care about him.” At the time, Liotta wasn’t a big star. Believe it or not, Tom Cruise was discussed for the role. Can you imagine? According to producer Irwin Winkler, Marty wanted Ray badly.
Goodfellas, Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino. Photo By Moviestore Collection/Shutterstock
“Frankly, I thought we could do a lot better, and I kept saying, “Let’s keep looking.” But Winkler described how he and his wife were having dinner one evening in a restaurant in Venice, California, and suddenly Ray Liotta came over to him. Liotta told him he really wants the movie, and just by the way he spoke, he convinced Winkler on the spot that he was good for the role. The next morning, he called Scorsese and said, “I see what you mean.”