Joe Pesci Returns To The Big Screen In ‘The Irishman’
Joe Pesci was and is a superstar of the acting world, from his iconic role in Goodfellas as Tommy DeVito to one half of the duo, The Wet Bandit’s in Home Alone and now with his triumphant return to the big screen as Russell Bufalino in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman.
Getting Joe Pesci to return was no easy task, even for Scorsese and DeNiro. It was reported that he turned down the role at least 50 times and it took DeNiro to personally plead with him, saying it was nothing like they had normally done, it was something new and powerful.
Eventually, and thankfully for us, Joe Pesci returned to dominate the role and give us one of his greatest performances of his career. Ironically, instead of a short-tempered hot head like he had been so used to portraying, in The Irishman Bufalino is calm and collected, calculating everything in his mind.
It is an unusual switch for Pesci but one that came naturally and beautifully on screen. Check out this video Netflix released on their YouTube channel today about Pesci’s return and hear from DeNiro and Scorsese themselves about getting him back and seeing him work.
Netflix Interview With ‘The Irishman’s’ Joe Pesci, Robert DeNiro, and Martin Scorsese
Whether Joe Pesci will continue to take on any other roles and go back to enjoying his personal life is up to him, but after this powerhouse performance, I as well as many fans would love to see him return. Though if he never returned to the big screen again, this may have been the perfect final role for him. Russell Bufalino was a perfect match for him and should be cast right next to his famous Goodfellas performance.
You can watch The Irishman on Netflix right now, and with a long Holiday weekend for us here in the United States, it would be the perfect time to enjoy this three-and-half-hour mob epic.
