- [Narrator] Joe Pesci came out of retirement
for "The Irishman," and reminded us
that he's a one of a kind performer.
- You're back in business, kid.
- [Narrator] Here are the acting trademarks
that we know and love him for.
What's your favorite Joe Pesci performance?
Let us know in the comments.
High-pitched and rapid fire...
- Pow, Pete.
- [Narrator] Pesci has one of the most recognizable voices
in film history.
- Go get me a fucking drink.
Move it, you little prick.
You walk like fucking Stepin Fetchit.
Where the fuck you get off talking to people
about me behind my back, going over my head?
What you gotta do is, you know,
put a firecracker up Dorfman's ass.
Fitz will get the message.
- You shot him in the foot, Tommy.
- These fucking doctors.
All right, so he got shot in the foot.
What is it, a big fucking deal?
You said I'm bringing heat on you?
I gotta listen to people because of your fucking shit?
You're ordering me out?
You better get your own army fucking army, pal.
- [Narrator] Though Joe stands at five foot five,
he's never had a problem being larger than life on screen.
- What the fuck are you looking at?
You're fucking.
Come here, fucking moron.
- [Narrator] Confident and fully in control,
Joe doesn't walk, he struts.
- [Joe] Who the fuck where they gonna run to?
So I started getting everybody in line.
- [Narrator] Even when having to look up at someone
a bit taller, he demands your respect.
- Go over there and apologize.
Do me a favor,
go with Steve down to his place, take Vito with you.
Just hang around for a while, these guys keep coming around,
so straighten them out.
- I'll take care of it, Russ. - Okay.
- [Narrator] It just goes to show that
if you want to command a scene,
it's all about owning your physicality.
- Don't ever go over my fucking head again.
You motherfucker, you.
- [Narrator] You probably saw this one coming,
but many of Joe's performances
have one thing in common: intensity.
- Motherfucking mut!
You you fucking piece of shit!
- [Narrator] While that mostly comes
with a little yelling and swearing,
Pesci has always managed
to give his characters quite a range.
Sometimes it's a quiet intensity.
- And he said to me,
"You don't blow up at all in the scene."
- [Narrator] No matter what volume,
Joe can still make you uneasy about what happens next.
In "The Irishman," Russell, barely above a whisper,
tells Frank it's time for Jimmy Hoffa
to live up to his legacy.
- But it's gonna happen.
Either way, he's going.
- [Narrator] He's anything but loud,
yet there's still an ominous energy in the air
that's just as effective.
Then there's Joe's famous slow cook intensity.
- Why don't you go fuck yourself, Tommy.
- [Narrator] When one of his characters gets disrespected,
like Tommy does in "Goodfellas,"
Pesci tends to let the tension come to a slow boil,
making the person squirm in the process.
- I'm funny how?
I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you?
I make you laugh?
I'm here to fucking amuse you?
What do you mean funny?
Funny how, how am I funny?
- [Narrator] Sometimes, he's just pulling your leg.
- Get the fuck out of here, Tommy.
- You motherfucker.
I almost had him!
- [Narrator] Sometimes he's not.
(gunshots)
While many of his characters could be described
as quick-tempered and volatile.
- What's the matter, you got a problem with that?
- [Narrator] Joe always gives them a relatable quality too.
- This cap is loose.
It ain't supposed to be loose.
- [Narrator] Many times, they've got a major sense of humor.
Though, it may not be for everyone.
- I said all right, I'll tell you something,
go fuck your mother.
(laughing)
- [Narrator] With plenty of attitude,
Joe's characters may be a little rough around the edges,
but when they're not cracking skulls,
they're cracking jokes.
- You're a funny guy.
- Oh I am?
That's it, Henry! - No no no!
- That's it, Henry! - Come on, come on.
(laughing)
- [Narrator] Not just funny,
Pesci's characters often have a softer side too.
- So nice.
- [Narrator] This helps make them more sympathetic
and three-dimensional.
That said, Joe never forgets who his character is.
- Make sure they put their shoes on,
they'll burn their feet.
(speaks in Italian)
- 45th Infantry.
(speaks in Italian)
- [Narrator] It's a difficult balance to achieve,
but when done just right,
it gives the viewer a new perspective on a character.
- What a smart kid you are.
- [Narrator] Then there are those times
when we can see a hidden vulnerability in Joe's characters.
A great example of this is at the end of "The Irishman,"
when Russell goes from being the guy with the answers
to a helpless, incarcerated old man.
- Ain't got no teeth.
Put a little piece.
Just a little piece right there.
- [Man] That's it.
- [Narrator] As mentioned before,
Joe Pesci has been officially retired
from acting since 1999.
However, that hasn't stopped him
from doing an occasional project.
Especially ones involving his friends,
Robert de Niro and Martin Scorsese.
- And him too, always up my ass about something.
- Well he only-- - Yeah.
- [Narrator] This was definitely the case
with "The Irishman," which was Pesci's first
on-screen performance in nearly 10 years.
Being quite the comeback,
he even earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
Which actor trademarks would you like to see next?
Let us know in the comments.
- You're supposed to be doing this stuff too, you know?
(jazzy music)