Good Friends: Did you know this iconic scene from the movie never happened?

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2023 marks a big anniversary, the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. And to celebrate it appropriately, the studio has stopped by to invite its audience to discover or rediscover its most iconic film, either in theaters or through premium boxes.

Find the 25 best Warner Bros. classics now. In This exclusive Blu-Ray Dramas and Thrillers box setAccompanied by a 32-page booklet in French.

The opportunity was too good not to evoke one of the icons of Warner’s rich catalog, namely Goodfellas. While Martin Scorsese is about to reveal his latest achievement, let’s go back a few years to 1990 to be exact, the year this heist movie monument was released, with the late Ray Liotta sharing the poster with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. .

Joe Pesci at the top

A true journey into the heart of New York in the 1950s, into the ruthless world of mobsters, Goodfellas immerses us in the fate of Henry Hill. having “I always dreamed of being a robber”This young man will work under the name of a certain Paul Cicero in the company of two bosses, Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.

From his beginnings, both shy and now confident, to his heights, to his downfall, this anti-hero’s journey allows the filmmaker to paint a fascinating mural of this setting, with interpretations as memorable as certain scenes. As proof, Joe Pesci won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Tommy DeVito. An award that could not be more deserved, especially when we know that one of his improvisations created an iconic scene of the feature film.

“Funny how”, clown?

Anyone who has seen Goodfellas will surely smile at the mention of the word “clown”. And for good reason. While they’re at a restaurant drinking, a gang of mobsters is on Tom’s lips as he tells a joke. While the atmosphere erupts with laughter, it snaps into tension after Henry (Ray Liotta) explains to his friend how funny he thinks he is.

Both violent and impulsive, the man played by Joe Pesci instantly loses his smile to begin with. “How funny?!” who excites his audience and creates discomfort to the point that he confronts the interlocutor by even asking if he is a clown. After only a few seconds of awkwardness, Tom releases his awkwardness with a laugh.

Underscoring Martin Scorsese’s impeccable direction, this dialogue especially highlights the acting of Joe Pesci, who here was inspired by his past as a waiter who had already seen the gangster take it so badly that we find him funny. After narrating the anecdote to the director, the latter decides at the last moment to add it into the film, giving full responsibility for the dialogue to his two actors to film the sequence.

Scorsese even took care not to tell the other actors what was going to happen so that their reactions would be authentic. If Joe Pesci had never talked to the filmmakers about this memory, we would never have been able to make this anthology scene! Behind the scenes, which is fascinating to say the least for an equally fascinating film!

Rediscover this masterpiece now from the Warner Collection in a box set of dramas and thrillers to celebrate the studio’s 100th anniversary!