Joe Pesci Makes A Candid Confession About His Rise To Stardom
Joe Pesci's image is synonymous with hot-tempered, darkly comedic, often criminal characters. Even he knows that he makes the perfect bad guy, which is part of a larger problem. For Joe, diving into the brains of morally ambiguous men hasn’t come without a critical price. From a young age, Joe could attract important and influential people, then quickly win them over. The way he wielded his charisma opened doors to many different life paths, and in the end, he chose to be an actor. Throughout his life, he revisited that fateful decision and wondered what else could have been.
Craving The Simple Life
Ten-year-old Joe Pesci appeared in New York City plays and secured a recurring role on the variety show Startime Kids. He was on his way to fulfilling his father’s greatest ambition of becoming a showbiz man, but he craved a simpler life.
Keeping It All Inside
If it wasn’t for the pressure on Joe’s shoulders, he might've had a career that didn’t involve channeling the minds of killers, villains, and schemers. He would have picked something, “More calming, in a different area where I did not have to use my emotions.”
The Neighborhood Barber
For a while, he’d found that normal career in cutting hair. Joe, a mama’s boy at heart, followed in her footsteps as a licensed barber. He enjoyed the camaraderie of the shop, the hum of the clippers, and hanging out with all his New Jersey friends.
Making Connections
One of the neighborhood Italian boys that sat in Joe’s barber chair was singer Frankie Valli. Friendship with Joe had more merits than discounted haircuts. It was Pesci who introduced Frankie to his future Four Seasons bandmate Bob Gaudio.
