# Val Kilmer lobbied hard for the 1990 role “everyone in town wanted”. He still didn’t get it

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/val-kilmer-lobbied-hard-for-the-1990-role-everyone-in-town-wanted-he-still-didnt-get-it/
- Published: 2026-10-25T14:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-25T15:10:46+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/val-kilmer-lobbied-hard-for-1990-role-everyone-town-wanted-didnt-get-it/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Kilmer wanted the lead in *Goodfellas*.
- Scorsese chose Ray Liotta, backed by De Niro.
- Many stars competed for the part.

## Summary

Val Kilmer pursued the lead role of Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 film *Goodfellas*, but Scorsese cast Ray Liotta instead. The story highlights the fierce competition for the part and the contrast between the studio’s reported preference for other stars and the director’s decision to back Liotta.

Kilmer’s audition may have been a conventional tape or a short film, accounts differ. Tom Cruise, Sean Penn, Aidan Quinn, William Petersen and Alec Baldwin were also considered or auditioned; Liotta was recommended by Robert De Niro after his performance in *Something Wild*. Liotta later recalled that “everyone in town wanted” the role and that Warner Bros was sceptical of Scorsese’s choice.

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