Editing Goodfellas (section)

=== Casting ===
Once [[Robert De Niro]] agreed to play Jimmy Conway, Scorsese was able to secure the money needed to make the film.<ref name="Goodwin, Richard">{{cite news |last=Goodwin |first=Richard |title=The Making of ''Goodfellas'' |work=[[Hotdog Magazine|Hotdog]]}}</ref> [[Ray Liotta]], who played Henry Hill, had read Pileggi's book when it came out and was fascinated by it. A couple of years afterward, his agent told him that Scorsese was going to direct a film adaptation. In 1988, Liotta met with Scorsese over a period of a couple of months and auditioned for the film.<ref name=Linfield /> He campaigned aggressively for a role, although [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]] wanted a well-known actor; he later said, "I think they would've rather had [[Eddie Murphy]] than me".<ref>{{cite news |last=Portman |first=Jamie |title=''Goodfellas'' Star Prefers Quiet Life |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=October 1, 1990}}</ref>

Scorsese cast Liotta after De Niro saw him in [[Jonathan Demme]]'s ''[[Something Wild (1986 film)|Something Wild]]'' (1986); Scorsese was surprised by "his explosive energy" in that film.<ref name="Gilbert" /> [[Al Pacino]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.shortlist.com/news/50-useless-but-genius-facts-about-goodfellas|title=50 genius facts about GoodFellas|date=February 11, 2011|website=Shortlist|access-date=August 21, 2021|archive-date=September 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918043846/https://www.shortlist.com/news/50-useless-but-genius-facts-about-goodfellas|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[John Malkovich]] were considered for the role of Conway, and [[Sean Penn]], [[Alec Baldwin]], [[Val Kilmer]] and [[Tom Cruise]] were considered for the role of Hill.<ref name="gq">{{cite web|url=https://www.gq.com/story/goodfellas-making-of-behind-the-scenes-interview-scorsese-deniro|title=Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas: A Complete Oral History|publisher=gq.com|date=September 20, 2010|access-date=August 21, 2021|archive-date=March 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321004107/https://www.gq.com/story/goodfellas-making-of-behind-the-scenes-interview-scorsese-deniro|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2015/07/29/alec-baldwin-goodfellas-audition-henry-hill/|title=Alec Baldwin auditioned to play Henry Hill in 'Goodfellas'|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=September 27, 2021|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927233911/https://ew.com/article/2015/07/29/alec-baldwin-goodfellas-audition-henry-hill/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/25-didn-goodfellas-article-1.2194719|title='Goodfellas' at 25: Here are 25 things you never knew about Martin Scorsese's mobster flick|first=Rachel Maresca, Philip|last=Caulfield|website=New York Daily News|date=April 23, 2015 }}</ref>

To prepare for the role, De Niro consulted with Pileggi, who had research material that had been discarded while writing the book.<ref name="Arnold">{{cite news |last=Arnold |first=Gary |title=Real Fellas Talk about Mob Film |work=[[The Washington Times]] |date=September 25, 1990}}</ref> De Niro often called Hill several times a day to ask how Burke walked, held his cigarette, and so on.<ref name="Wolf, Buck">{{cite news |last=Wolf |first=Buck |title=Rap Star 50 Cent Joins Movie Mobsters |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=November 8, 2005 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WolfFiles/story?id=1338853 |access-date=June 24, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312054917/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WolfFiles/story?id=1338853|archive-date=March 12, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Papamichael, Stella">{{cite news |last=Papamichael |first=Stella |title=GoodFellas: Special Edition DVD (1990) |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=October 22, 2004 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2004/10/22/goodfellas_se_2004_dvd_review.shtml |access-date=June 24, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717052614/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2004/10/22/goodfellas_se_2004_dvd_review.shtml |archive-date=July 17, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> Driving to and from the set, Liotta listened to FBI audio cassette tapes of Hill, so that he could practice speaking like his real-life counterpart.<ref name="Papamichael, Stella" />

[[Madonna]] was considered for the role of Karen Hill.<ref name="gq" /> To research her role, [[Lorraine Bracco]] tried to get close to a mob wife but was unable due to the insular nature of Mafia communities. She decided not to meet the real Karen, saying that she "thought it would be better if the creation came from me".<ref>{{cite news |last=Witchel |first=Alex |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/27/movies/a-mafia-wife-makes-lorraine-bracco-a-princess.html|title=A Mafia Wife Makes Lorraine Bracco a Princess |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 27, 1990}}</ref> [[Paul Sorvino]] had no problem finding the voice and walk of his character, but found it challenging to find what he called "that kernel of coldness and absolute hardness that is antithetical to my nature except when my family is threatened".<ref name="Van Gelder">{{cite news |last=Van Gelder |first=Lawrence |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/12/movies/at-the-movies.html|title=At the Movies |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 12, 1990}}</ref>

Former [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York|EDNY]] prosecutor [[Edward A. McDonald]] appeared in the film as himself, re-creating the conversation that he had with Henry and Karen Hill about joining the Witness Protection Program. McDonald, who was friends with Pileggi, was cast on a whim; while a location scout was taking pictures of his office, McDonald casually remarked that he would be happy to play himself if needed. Pileggi called him an hour later asking if he was serious, and he was cast. The scene was unscripted, with McDonald improvising the line referring to Karen as a "babe-in-the-woods".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Slater |first1=Dan |title=A Q&A With "Goodfellas" Actor (and Dechert Lawyer) Ed McDonald |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-LB-5842 |website=The Wall Street Journal |date=May 21, 2008 |access-date=June 26, 2021 |archive-date=June 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626034739/https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-LB-5842 |url-status=live }}</ref>