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The casting of Ray Liotta as Henry Hill, while effective due to his charisma, diverges from the real Hill, who was less charming and more insecure. Similarly, Robert De Niro portrays Jimmy Conway, based on the brutal gangster James Burke, yet De Niro's physique does not match Burke's imposing stature.
Joe Pesci won an Oscar for his role as Tommy DeVito. Pesci's character is grounded in the real-life gangster Tommy DeSimone, who was notably more violent than depicted. In fact, the raw intensity of Pesci's performance only scratches the surface of DeSimone's brutal history.