See Young Henry Hill From "Goodfellas" Now at 45 Best Life
The cast of Goodfellas is made up of some of the most celebrated actors ever to be in the movies, with the late Ray Liotta starring as real-life mobster Henry Hill, who hobnobs with mafia dons played by Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. But it was Christopher Serrone who stole many of the early scenes, playing the younger version of the kid "who always wanted to be a gangster." While he didn't make as many movies in his youth as other kid actors who were his peers, his one major childhood role was a big one, among many heavy hitters. Serrone, now 45, has stuck around in the entertainment business, despite having a rough time finding roles post-Goodfellas. Read on to find out what else he's been up to since starring in the 1990 classic.
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While Henry Hill called Brooklyn home, Serrone grew up in Queens, New York. And he told The Daily Mail in 2015 that starring in Goodfellas didn't exactly impress his neighbors. "I wouldn't say I grew up always scared, but after filming Goodfellas every guy at high school, junior high, in my neighborhood and in other neighborhoods wanted to be the ones to beat me up," he explained. He also said that participating in boxing and Taekwondo programs for kids helped him hold his own and defend himself.
Serrone dealt with the unexpectedly negative consequence to his big break for a while after the movie came out, even into adulthood.
"When I turned 18 I'd been in at least a few hundred fights. My mom was scared and worried when I'd go out at night. 'There was a time, for about four or five years, where I would be out at a bar and I'd hear 'Oh, really?' And then a guy would appear and say, 'So you think you're so and so, do ya? Where are your mob buddies now?' There was definitely a lot of that," he recalled to the outlet.
Although he earned a reputation on the streets of Queens for playing the young mobster turned FBI informant, Serrone had trouble landing other roles afterwards. The actor, who first got his start doing modeling jobs as a kid, was reportedly up for characters such as Charlie Simms in Scent of a Woman, which ultimately went to Chris O'Donnell; Jack Kelly in Newsies, which went to Christian Bale; and Calogero Anello in A Bronx Tale, which Lillo Brancato landed. A 2010 profile in The Columbian notes that Serrone did do acting work in the stretch between onscreen credits, including an Off-Broadway play and four episodes of a TV series that unfortunately never aired. Finally, in 2011, he returned to the movies with a starring role in Pathfinders: In the Company of Strangers, and has since also appeared in A Strong Collected Spirit and last year's The Families Feud. He also has four projects upcoming, including the mob-themed TV series, K-Town.
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Serrone has said that filming Goodfellas was an amazing experience and that he always felt like part of a family. "It was almost like having 20 dads on set," he told The Columbian of the rest of the cast.
He's still especially close with De Niro, who played Henry mentor's Jimmy Conway. Speaking to The Daily Mail, Serrone recounted a time around Christmas when he was out in New York City with his mother and grandmother and spotted the older actor on the street. "I said, 'Oh my God, Bobby, how are you? I'm sorry to stop you while you're shopping but I just wanted to stop and say hi,'" he recalls. "And he goes, 'Oh it's OK, no worries, how are you, Christopher?' And then he turned and said, 'Hi mom,' and looked in the car and said, 'Hi Grandma.'"
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Serrone has four kids of his own these days and shares the occasional glimpse into his family life on Instagram. He also shares a lot of behind-the-scenes content from fan events and conventions he attends to celebrate Goodfellas. And, if you're in the market for some memorabilia, you're in luck, because he also auctions off autographed Goodfellas merchandise.
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