# The one “degrading” thing Joe Pesci always hated about being an actor

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-one-degrading-thing-joe-pesci-always-hated-about-being-an-actor/
- Published: 2026-10-26T21:45:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-26T22:36:26+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/one-degrading-thing-joe-pesci-always-hated-about-being-an-actor/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment

## Key points

- Pesci called acting’s casting process degrading.
- He initially turned down Raging Bull.
- A rewrite persuaded him to play Joey LaMotta.

## Summary

Joe Pesci said the part of acting he found most demoralising was the casting process, which he described as “degrading”. His experience helps explain why he initially rejected a role in Raging Bull, despite Robert De Niro personally urging him to take it.

By 1979, Pesci had stepped away from show business and was working at a restaurant in the Bronx after years of career setbacks. He agreed to play Joey LaMotta only after screenwriter Paul Schrader expanded the character, giving Pesci a role he felt could demonstrate his ability. The performance helped restart his career, leading to later work with director Martin Scorsese and De Niro, including Goodfellas in 1990.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.