This iconic dinner scene in Goodfellas was almost completely improvised. Scorsese cast his own mother, Catherine Scorsese, to play the mother and gave her just one direction: “Act motherly.” Her natural performance and authentic Italian-American presence bring warmth and humor, making the family moments feel incredibly real. Goodfellas is a masterpiece of storytelling, blending the intensity of mob life with rich, lived-in details like this. Scenes like this show Scorsese’s genius for capturing

2.5K views · 105 reactions | Tonight we’re going behind-the-scenes of Goodfellas! Tune in at 5pm PT/ 8pm ET to see how Martin Scorsese created a masterpiece. #WBFilmmakers Follow along with CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend podcast hosts Kevin McCarthy FOX, Jake Hamilton Fox 32 Chicago & Sean O'Connell on Twitter. Stream on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3mi0bWO | Warner Bros. Entertainment | Facebook