The film that almost “ruined” Jon Stewart’s life: “One of my most favourite movies”
Since he hosted his first episode of the satirical news programme The Daily Show, Jon Stewart has been one of the most recognisable faces in the US comedy scene. During his initial 16-year stint as the show’s anchor, Stewart tackled major news stories, went toe-to-toe with colossal political figures, and produced millions of laughs from the audience watching at home. The show won three Peabody awards during his tenure, while Stewart himself is a 22-time Emmy winner.
The popular comedian, who made his return to the show in 2024, has also turned his hand to movies. He can be seen on the big screen as far back as 1994, with a turn as the unnamed ‘Rollerblader’ in the Nora Ephron-directed, Steve Martin-starring Christmas comedy Mixed Nuts. He’s played characters in Big Daddy, IF, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and has cameoed as himself in Evan Almighty, The Adjustment Bureau, and even the “Ultimate Edition” director’s cut of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Presumably, he’s what makes it “ultimate”.
Stewart’s extensive list of film credits betrays his love for the movies. He got the chance to meet some of his cinematic heroes at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, when he hosted a panel to celebrate 25 years of Martin Scorsese’s classic gangster flick, Goodfellas. The event, which featured Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi among others, was not only a chance to celebrate the movie but also for Stewart to geek out about it.
“What a thrill for me tonight,” he told his guests, “This is one of my most favourite movies of all time; one that, when I saw back in 1990, nearly ruined my life, because at that point, I could only talk in ‘Goodfellas’. I was a comedian, so you can only imagine our conversations ended with ‘funny, how?’”
To be fair, we’re pretty sure Stewart wasn’t the only one repeating lines from this highly quotable movie when it first came out. The scene to which he is referring, where Liotta’s Henry Hill accidentally upsets Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito by calling him “funny”, is one of the most recognisable and imitated scenes in cinema history. When the American Film Institute compiled their list of ‘100 Years… 100 Movie Quotes’, it was long-listed. Moreover, Pesci used his real-life experiences with the mob as a basis for this iconic moment.
That’s not the only Goodfellas dialogue that has passed into the public lexicon. Henry’s opening statement of, “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster”, is another proclamation that has been spoofed, parodied, and paid homage to just about everywhere. Even the movie’s title has become synonymous with gangster culture, despite the best efforts of a certain brand of oven pizza. This is why it was so surprising when Scorsese and Pileggi’s screenplay lost out at the Oscars, and to Dances with Wolves of all things.
Like every other movie buff, Jon Stewart would probably speak exclusively in film quotes if he thought he could get away with it. Hopefully, he didn’t spew too many lines back at the people that originally said them, as that could get irritating quickly. And these are the sort of guys you don’t want to get on the wrong side of!
