Martin Scorsese’s upcoming crime drama The Irishman stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci — but while the first two names might be bigger, it was Pesci that proved the biggest challenge, Entertainment Weekly reports. By one accounting, the semi-retired Pesci was asked to join the movie 40 times — including regular pleas from De Niro — before he agreed to accept the role. (No word, sadly, on how many times David Spade needed to bug Joe Pesci before he agreed to costar in 1997’s 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag.) Scott Meslow
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