Martin Scorsese Pays Tribute To Late Goodfellas Star Paul Sorvino
Goodfellas director Martin Scorsese pays tribute to late actor Paul Sorvino, who played Paulie Cicero in the film. Sorvino passed away on July 25th of natural causes, just months after another Goodfellas star passed away, Ray Liotta, who played the lead in the film, Henry Hill. Sorvino and Liotta shared many scenes together in the film, with Sorvino acting in a mentor capacity to Liotta's character throughout.
Sorvino's character was based on Paul Vario, a mobster in the Lucchese crime family, a role the actor was hesitant to take originally for fear of not being able to portray the character's aggressive nature convincingly. Fortunately, Sorvino accepted the role and ended up turning out a career-making performance. Sorvino would go on to star in a host of projects, including parts in Oliver Stone's Nixon, Disney's The Rocketeer, Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy, and most recently in Epix's Godfather of Harlem with Forest Whitaker.
Related: Goodfellas: Why Paul Sorvino Almost Quit Playing Paulie Cicero
In a touching tribute (via The Wrap), Scorsese commented on his working relationship with Sorvino, noting that the actor was«tireless» in his pursuit of seeking "a deeper emotional truth" to the character of Paulie. «I learned a lot from him,» said Scorsese, who recalls working with the actor on set when a scene wasn't quite coming together. After a few takes, Sorvino asked Scorsese to come away from the monitors and watch him specifically, which turned out to be a great lesson for the famed director. Read Scorsese's full quote below:
I loved working with Paul on that picture. It wasn’t always easy, but that’s never the point to begin with. Paul was tireless — he never settled for less than a deeper emotional truth. I learned a
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