Unofficial Auditions at Rao’s in Harlem
They met in Scorsese’s apartment on West 57th Street in New York City. Bracco said she thought Ray was “really good-looking and very sexy.” They drank, talked about the script and the book, “and blah blah blah and that was that.” Then they went to Rao’s, an exclusive restaurant in Harlem. Goodfellas co-writer, Nicholas Pileggi, said they put the word out to the Mob guys: “Anybody who wants to be in the movie, come.”
Screening of ‘Goodfellas’ – Harvey Keitel and Lorraine Bracco. Photo By Bei/Shutterstock
They ended up hiring something like “half a dozen guys, maybe more, out of the joint.” Liotta recalled how during dessert, they started basically started auditioning. “I knew a guy who beat somebody up” or “I knew a guy who stole this, stole that.” They basically just kept topping each other. According to Ellen Lewis, the casting director, she was told she could consider some of the men for the film, but others were a little “too hot” and couldn’t be seen on camera.