Joe Pesci Refused to Be Interviewed for Apple TV’s 'Mr. Scorsese' — Here’s Why

Martin Scorsese's rise as one of the most prominent directors in Hollywood was documented in Apple TV's Mr. Scorsese. While A-list actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jodie Foster, and more jumped at the opportunity to be interviewed, Joe Pesci refused.

Rebecca Miller, the movie's director, revealed, "The only person who said 'no' was Joe Pesci. He really didn’t want to be interviewed for this."

Some may find it odd, seeing as Pesci became a household name as a ruthless gangster in the 1990 cult classic crime thriller, Goodfellas. The movie even earned Pesci an Oscar win for his portrayal of Tommy DeVito.

Miller alludes that Pesci turned down being interviewed because of how he was able to portray his famed mobster characters. Pesci knew a thing or two having grown up in Newark, New Jersey surrounded by criminals.

"Marty explains it a little bit in the documentary," she said. "He talks about how Joe just doesn’t want to talk about the experiences that made him so perfect for this kind of role."

Pesci has portrayed hardened mobsters in more than one Scorsese film. He appeared in Casino as Nicky Santoro and Russell Bufalino in The Irishman.

"Joe was marked far worse than Marty was by those people," she adds. "I don’t think he wants to go over all that."

Based on his own experience, Pesci improvised the famed "funny" scene with Ray Liotta in Goodfellas. Pesci worked in restaurants and nightclubs before becoming a well-known actor, and witnessed a mobster get offended when he was called funny.

Scorsese loved the story and its authenticity so much, he had them improv it and it was later officially added to the script.

Pesci has given far and few interviews about his mob characters, once calling DeVito "terrifying" because he knew people like that growing up. He said the same to Rolling Stone in 1995 for Casino.