10. The Character That Pesci's Tommy DeVito Is Based On Was 6ft 2in And 15 Stone In Real Life
Size isn't everything boys and girls. Joe Pesci may not be the most physically intimidating individual in terms of height, but his performance as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas is by far and away one of the most unsettling performances in cinema. It may come as a surprise then, that the real life criminal that Pesci's DeVito was based on - Tommy "Two Gun" DeSimone - was a 6ft 2in, 15 stone brick wall of a man. Described in interviews by the real Henry Hill as a "burly enforcer", you have to wonder why Martin Scorsese went for the short yet stocky Pesci for the role. Ultimately, Scorsese's decision was obviously a brilliant one, because Pesci's Tommy ended up being truly terrifying. Pesci is clearly no featherweight, but the way in which he makes Tommy an unsettling presence without having to resort to physical intimidation is a far greater alternative to a meathead. Pesci didn't need to be a physically huge character - his facial expressions, dialogue and complete emotional detachment from murder made him far scarier than any physically large character could ever hope to be.
Joe is a freelance games journalist who, while not spending every waking minute selling himself to websites around the world, spends his free time writing. Most of it makes no sense, but when it does, he treats each article as if it were his Magnum Opus - with varying results.
