In preparation for his role as David "Noodles" Aaronson, Robert De Niro requested a private meeting with renowned crime boss, Meyer Lansky, upon whom the character was loosely based. The request was denied.
The actor at the end who walks up to the garbage truck was not James Woods, but an actor made up to look like James Woods.
Joe Pesci originally auditioned for Max, but Sergio Leone convinced him that he wouldn't be quite "right" for the part. As a favor to Pesci's friend Robert De Niro (the star of the film), Leone told Pesci that he could pick whichever of the available roles he wanted as his own instead. He chose the part of Frankie, which was considerably larger in the original script than it is in the finished movie.
Don Cardi
Five - ten years from now, they're gonna wish there was American Cosa Nostra. Five - ten years from now, they're gonna miss John Gotti.
