Goodfellas
Goodfellascounted on an all - star cast that has been endlessly praised for their incredible performances , and turning down a boastful role in a very unlike type of motion-picture show is what led Ray Liotta to play Henry Hill inGoodfellas – and here ’s what that theatrical role was . Although Martin Scorsese has explored a kind of genre throughout his career as a film maker , he ’s better known for his gangster movies , and the one wide regarded as his best not only from this musical style but in ecumenical isGoodfellas , secrete in 1990 and base on the bookWiseguyby Nicholas Pileggi .
Goodfellastook the consultation back to the seventies to tellthe true storey of Henry Hill(Ray Liotta ) , present his days as a teenager running errands for Paul Cicero ( Paul Sorvino ) in his Brooklyn neighborhood to his full affaire with the Lucchese offense household , culminating with Henry ’s decision to become an FBI informant and entering the attestant protection programme along with his house . During his time in the mob , Henry became closelipped to some of the most notable mobster at the time , as were his friends Jimmy “ The Gent ” Conway ( Robert De Niro ) and Tommy DeVito ( Joe Pesci ) , and together they were involve in a motley of criminal offense , such as the Lufthansa heist and adrug dealing job that Paulie never approved .
colligate : Why Goodfellas Does n’t Show The Lufthansa Heist
Goodfellaswas a vital and commercial-grade success , clear various nominations for dissimilar awarding and take the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor thanks to Pesci ’s unforgettable performance as Tommy . One of the strengths ofGoodfellasis its cast , and critic praised Liotta ’s performance as Henry Hill , a function he was able to take because he turn over down an offer to star in a movie from a very different genre and style : Tim Burton’sBatman .
Why It’s Good Ray Liotta Turned Down Batman For Goodfellas
After years in development hell , in 1988 Warner Bros greenlit a hot - action mechanism Batman movie with Tim Burton as film director . However , Batmanwent through many changes before that , and in 1986 , Burton wanted Ray Liotta to join the task . Speaking at the Savannah Film Festival tribute back in 2014 ( viaIndieWire ) , Liotta divulge that he had just done the movieSomething Wildwhen Tim Burton asked to gather him for a role inBatman , to which Liotta said “ What are you jolly me ? I ’m an histrion ” . In an interview withIrish Newstwo years later , Liotta lucubrate on that experience deal that Burton was interested in him because he wanted his Batman to be “ edgy and real ” , but Liotta think a movie about the Caped Crusader was a “ stupid approximation ” – however , he admitted he regretted not auditioning for it , and even mention that his career “ could ’ve taken off in a unlike kind of way ” withBatman ’s success and that of Jack Nicholson .
According toCheatSheet , Burton also tried to shift the roles of Harvey Dent and the Joker to Liotta , but as they never in reality take on to talk aboutBatman , that never happened . Although Liotta evince sorrow over not meeting with Burton , in the end , turning down a character inBatmanled him toplay Henry Hill inGoodfellas , which give his career a much bigger boost thanBatmancould have . While Burton’sBatmanwas a decisive and commercial success , it does n’t fit Liotta ’s more grounded way , and while he could have been a good Batman or Joker , a braggy part of the success of Burton ’s movie were the performances of Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson . Goodfellashelped establish Ray Liotta as one of the best actors of his generation , and had he accept a role in Tim Burton’sBatman , his calling would have gone in a very different direction , though not necessarily a bad one , andGoodfellasand Henry Hillmight have never happened for him .
