A star of the Martin Scorsese-directed GoodFellas has criticized AMC for issuing a “trigger warning” ahead of the iconic gangster film.
“This film contains language and/or cultural stereotypes that are inconsistent with current standards of inclusion and tolerance and may offend some viewers,” a message warns when it is shown on television.
The disclaimer caught the attention not only of the larger American public, but also of actor Frank Sivero, who played gangster Frankie Carbone in the 1990 film.
He mentioned the message ‘an insult to [him] and De Niro’ – who co-starred in the decorated drama alongside big names like Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta – and filmmaking in general.
“I’m a little bit disturbed in a way that AMC – even AMC – is pausing the film,” said the 72-year-old Italian, describing the move as a telltale sign of cancel culture.
Scroll down for video:
Italian-born actor Frank Sivero slammed AMC on Monday for issuing a “trigger warning” during TV screenings
A message before the film warns viewers: ‘This film contains language and/or cultural stereotypes that are inconsistent with current standards of inclusion and tolerance and may offend some.’
“You don’t hear the language, they remove the language, so why are they so angry?” he told TMZ Edits were already made to the network TV version of the film on Monday.
“I’m a little disturbed, because – thank God – I was able to do my job by improvising,” he continued, referring to a particular scene in which he came up with some lines on the cuff and offered up some of the film from the other film. gangster some coffee.
“I created that,” he said, referring to the extraordinarily natural exchange with Pesci, now 81, which eventually made it to the finals for theaters and TV.
“I made those moments real, to take the tension away from those horrific moments.”
He continued to insist that there is nothing stereotypical about the film, nor about its character, not to mention that of the main cast – who helped propel the film to greatness.
They did this largely through improvisation, he said – “bringing some dark humor into these people’s lives.
“Don’t just make a violent scene, like a horror movie,” he further explained about the complexities involved in filmmaking, which he believes are hindered by post-production edits.
“A horror movie that will make you dream, you know? You wouldn’t dream of that [with Goodfellas].
He played the role of gangster Frankie Carbone in the Martin Scorsese-directed film, which after more than thirty years is still one of the most beloved films of all time – despite its adult themes.
He called the message “an insult to” [him] and De Niro’ – who co-starred with big names like Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta in the decorated drama – and filmmaking in general
Sivero is seen here in a scene that he says he improvised – a facet of filmmaking, he says, that is hampered by disclaimers, nixings and additions
“You’ll remember the coffee pot scene. You’ll remember me warming up the car,” he continues, as streaming services continue to face criticism for removing potentially offensive scenes or themes from their titles.
“Instead of thinking, what’s his name, how does he get shot and killed, I think about the card game,” he said.
“I’ve got a packed house, I just lost,” he recalled of another classic, organic scene. ‘So I make humor. “I just lost a big pot of money with a full house.”
He further concluded that people already know what they’re getting into when they prepare for GoodFellas, citing the fact that the film has been out for decades and is widely accepted as one of the most groundbreaking films of the past century.
Not only that, the film is considered by some to be one of the very best ever made and was entered into the National Film Registry in 2000 for perpetual preservation.
As a result, it joins classics like Casablanca and Citizen Kane, both of which were made more than a century ago but still exist today.
Such films serve as a kind of time capsule that harks back to another era, say critics like Sicily-born Sivero, and do not need to be changed.
He said he and the other actors improvised much of the film – and said such choices were made tactfully and in good taste, and that no trigger warning was necessary. Stars Ray Liotta, Robert de Niro, Paul Sorvino and Joe Pesci are seen on the 1990 film set
Actors also enhance many moments in such films, Sivero explained on Monday. He emphasized that such choices are made tactfully and in good taste and therefore do not require a trigger warning.
“Why are they so angry about a movie that is known all over planet Earth in every language you can imagine, and all the leaders of the world have seen that movie?” he said.
He concluded that improvised and sometimes risky exchanges make the characters, especially in the mafia film, more real and ‘sympathetic’.
He called it an insult to write them off as offensive stereotypes.