Recasting Goodfellas If It Were Made In 2021

Though Martin Scorsese has directed countless classics movies in his legendary career, Goodfellas is regarded, by many, as his masterpiece. Though the auteur had dealt with gangster tales before, he found a new way to approach the genre to make it exciting, powerful, and insightful.

While it is Scorsese’s directing skills that make the movie so outstanding, the cast is also superb, with each member feeling perfect in their roles, despite the fact a few actors who were considered for Goodfellas but not cast. From the leading actors to the smaller parts, everyone shines brightly. But if the movie were made today, which actors could fill these iconic roles while still making the same unforgettable impact?

10 Tommy’s Mother: Margo Martindale

One of the things that makes Goodfellas so interesting is Scorsese’s talent for mixing in humor without ever taking it too far. No scene is a better example of this than when Tommy, Jimmy, and Henry have dinner with Tommy’s mother while they have a nearly dead man in the trunk of their car.

Scorsese’s own mother played this role so wonderfully in the movie, despite not being a professional actor. Margo Martindale is very much a professional with endless acclaimed roles in countless great television shows, and she’s one of the often forgotten actors in Dexter. She would bring that warm and motherly quality to this essential scene.

9 Paul Cicero: Dave Bautista

Paulie is the boss of the criminal outfit at the center of the movie. As it is explained in his introduction, he is a slow-moving man only because he doesn’t need to move fast for everyone. He has an intimidating stature but approaches this dangerous profession with ease and casualness.

Though Dave Bautista is mostly known for some of his best action roles, like Drax in the MCU and the recent Army of the Dead, he has shown he has real acting chops. He is especially excellent in quieter roles which are perfect for a character like Paulie.

8 Young Henry: Jaeden Martell

The movie is told through the perspective of Henry Hill and begins with his introduction to the gangster lifestyle at a young age. As he explains, he always wanted to be a gangster and demonstrates loyalty at a young age while also showing he might have too soft of a heart for the business.

Jaeden Martell is a promising young actor who has been popping up in a lot of interesting projects recently. His recent starring role in the limited series Defending Jacob proves he can bring a dark edge to his young and innocent roles.

7 Spider: Tony Revolori

Before joining another iconic mafia story in The Sopranos, Michael Imperioli had a small role in Goodfellas early in his career. He plays Spider, a nervous young man who gets on Tommy’s bad side with shocking consequences. Though he only appears in two scenes, it is an unforgettable part of the movie.

Tony Revolori first caught people’s attention with his starring role in The Grand Budapest Hotel. That performance shows how he could handle the role of Spider, as he comes off as a quiet young man who can be pushed around but has a surprising strength in him.

6 Billy Batts: Don Johnson

Goodfellas is filled with small character roles that might not last long but leave a lasting impression. Perhaps the best example of this is Billy Batts, a made man who knew Tommy from back in the day. Batts has a friendly demeanor, but he also likes to push people’s buttons.

Don Johnson can be an incredibly entertaining character actor and often steals the show in small roles. He also has that quality of someone who can smile at someone’s face, while insulting them.

5 Morrie Kessler: Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Along with those inside the world of crime, there are also the people just on the outside of it all, and Morrie is one of these people. He is an obnoxious businessman who gets involved with one of Jimmy’s heists and doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.

Isiah Whitlock Jr. is an accomplished character actor, but most well-known for his role as Clay Davis on The Wire. He has that same obnoxious personality that makes him unlikeable but also so compelling, at the same time.

4 Jimmy Conway: Jamie Foxx

Scorsese reunited with his frequent star Robert De Niro who played the supporting role of Jimmy Conway, a character with some of the best quotes in Goodfellas. Being an Irish gangster, Jimmy is a bit of an outsider in the group, but he commands great respect from those around him. He is also a quietly dangerous man who will not hesitate to kill anyone to protect himself.

Jamie Foxx is an incredibly versatile actor who can bounce between lead roles and supporting roles so effortlessly. He has a charismatic energy to him, yet in roles like Baby Driver, he shows that he can also be that threatening presence.

3 Karen Hill: Zoe Saldana

As much as the movie is about Henry’s rise and fall in the world of organized crime, it is also about his wife’s introduction into this world. Karen is a passionate woman who is not easily intimidated but also gets swept up in this exciting world.

Zoe Saldana is mostly known for her big-budget projects and doesn’t often get the chance to play down-to-earth characters. However, she has shown her talents that can deliver a character who is strong, loving, scared, and angry as Karen is.

2 Henry Hill: Jake Gyllenhaal

The role of Henry Hill made a star out of Ray Liotta and this is surely one of his best movies. Henry is introduced as this somewhat naïve and more innocent young man. While he develops a more unhinged edge over the course of the movie, he still has a likable quality that suggests he is not as bad as those around him.

Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the best actors of his generation and could certainly deliver a great performance with this complex character. He can play Henry’s more charming qualities, while also nail the third act when everything starts going off the rails.

1 Tommy DeVito: Stephen Graham

Though Henry Hill is the main character in the movie, Tommy DeVito is the character everyone remembers the most. Joe Pesci won the Oscar for this towering performance as a gangster whose unpredictable nature can change from laughs to violence in a second, as seen in the infamously improvised “How am I funny?” scene.

Stephen Graham might not be a household name, but he could be really interesting in the role of Tommy. He has also played a lot of characters whose smaller statures hide their moments of explosive rage.

About The Author

Colin McCormick
(2030 Articles Published)

Colin McCormick is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been a proud member of the team since 2019. In addition to his work as Screen Rant, Colin is also a writer of News, Feature and Review pieces at Game Rant. Colin has had a long passion and obsession with movies going back to the first time he saw The Lion King in theaters. Along with movies, Colin stays up-to-date on the latest must-see TV shows. While he loves to find interesting projects in any kind of genre, he has a special movie of crime stories that are infused with a little dark humor much like the work of his favorite author, Elmore Leonard.

More From Colin McCormick