Your Voice Your Vote 2024

Live results
Last Updated: April 23, 10:42:16PM ET

'Goodfellas' Cast Reunites for 25th Anniversary, Shares Secrets From Set

Which cast member almost quit!?

ByABC News
April 27, 2015, 1:56 PM
From left, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Paul Sorvino, and Joe Pesci pose for a publicity portrait for "Goodfellas" in 1990.
From left, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Paul Sorvino, and Joe Pesci pose for a publicity portrait for "Goodfellas" in 1990.
Warner Brothers/Getty Images

— -- The cast of "Goodfellas" reunited on Saturday night at the Tribeca Film Festival and the movie's 25th anniversary.

Writer Nicholas Pileggi, along with stars Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino and Robert De Niro all appeared at the Beacon Theatre in New York City to talk about the classic film.

Entertainment Weekly was in attendance and shared some insight from the cast after a quarter of a century.

First, Pileggi said after he wrote the book "Wiseguy," the inspiration for the film, Scorsese tried again and again to reach him about making a movie, but Pileggi thought it was a joke from a co-worker.

PHOTO: From left, Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, Robert De Niro, Paul Sorvino and host Jon Stewart attend the closing night screening of "Goodfellas" during the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival at Beacon Theatre on April 25, 2015 in New York City.
From left, Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, Robert De Niro, Paul Sorvino and host Jon Stewart attend the closing night screening of "Goodfellas" during the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival at Beacon Theatre on April 25, 2015 in New York City.

"I never thought it was Marty calling,” Pileggi told the audience. “I was at New York Magazine at the time, and I’d get these little pink slips that would say, ‘Call Martin Scorsese.’ I thought it was David Denby, who was the movie critic at New York Magazine, so I didn’t respond.”

Also revealed during the special was that the iconic “funny how” scene between Liotta and Joe Pesci was actually a little improvised -- and how he went a little "off book" and needed to be brought back to the script a bit.

Finally, Sorvino said he almost quit the movie. He didn't like all the aspects of his character Paulie. So he told his manager before production began that he wanted to quit. He eventually changed his mind and everything else is cinematic history.