20 Things You Didn't Know About Goodfellas
17. Edward McDonald Appeared As Himself
Towards the end of the film, Henry and Karen meet with U.S. Attorney Edward McDonald to enroll in the witness protection program, as the couple did in real life.
McDonald, however, isn't portrayed by an actor. It's actually the man himself.
Apparently, when McDonald's office was being scouted for research on the movie, he volunteered to appear as himself. Scorsese cast him after successful screen tests.
The cast and crew put in a lot of effort to make the film as authentic as possible, so why not cast someone who was involved in the real-life events?