It was the role of his lifetime.
In the late 1980s, New York prosecutor Edward McDonald was an informal advisor on “Goodfellas.” He told director Martin Scorsese’s team about his work, in real life, with mobster Henry Hill — the protagonist in the film who is played by Ray Liotta — and helped them get all the details just right.
McDonald was even set to be a character in the film, and industry rumors suggested Brian Dennehy might play him. But McDonald quipped to Scorsese’s assistant, “What about me? I would be great!”
McDonald, now 79, recounts his unlikely casting and his work prosecuting crime, in his new book Chasing Goodfellas: Lufthansa, Henry Hill, Point Shaving, and Making Movies (Post Hill Press, Oct. 13).