One scene in the 1983 Tom Cruise movie Risky Business made his co-star, Joe Pantoliano, decide to get a nose job, after seeing an image of himself next to the lead actor. The ’80s teen comedy follows Joel Goodsen (Cruise) as he hires a sex worker, Lana (Rebecca De Mornay), after being left home alone for a few days. However, his mother’s Steuben glass egg falls into the hands of Lana’s boss, Guido (Pantoliano), with Joel forced to find a way to get the egg back, and pay for damages when his father’s car crashes.

Speaking with Empire Magazine about the film, Pantoliano revealed how a particular image of him and Cruise from Risky Business made him decide to get a nose job. The actor explained how much bigger his nose was contrasted with his co-star’s, making him fear he’d be typecast as a villain because of the way it looked. He also joked that, now that he’s gotten it done, he instead portrays “bad guys with smaller noses.” Check out what Pantoliano had to say about his decision below:

You see those two noses? When I saw this movie I was like, I gotta get a nose job, because I’m just going to play bad guys, and I want to be a leading man. Tom Cruise has got a very distinguished nose, but my nose dwarfed his, so I literally had a nose job. And now I just play bad guys with smaller noses! (Laughs) But I just remember Paul Brickman [director] wanted all of the characters, including Guido, to be likeable. Tom was, what, gosh, was he like 21? Or 22? I was the old man on the job!

What Pantoliano’s Nose Job Meant For His Career After Risky Business

He Still Portrayed His Fair Share Of Bad Guys

Following his role in Risky Business, Pantoliano began to take on supporting roles in a variety of films. While he was still a villain sometimes, like Francis Fratelli in The Goonies, he also played a variety of archetypes in films like Empire of the Sun, Memento, and The Fugitive. In 2001, he joined the cast of The Sopranos season 3 as Ralph Cifaretto, a capo who becomes one of Tony’s major enemies as the series progresses. This variety of roles shows that, while he’s still played the bad guy sometimes, it’s not all he’s done since his nose job.

Some of his most recognizable work also includes Cypher in The Matrix, as well as Captain Conrad Howard in the Bad Boys movies. His more recent work includes a cameo as himself in the Chucky TV series, as well as a major role in the 2021 horror thriller Hide and Seek. While his work has included plenty of villain roles since Risky Business, it’s also clear he’s expanded to plenty of other roles, despite his initial worries about being typecast. How much his nose job had to do with his career progression, though, is unclear.

What We Think Of Pantoliano’s Nose Job Story

The Procedure Was His Decision To Make

While there’s no way of knowing how much Pantoliano’s nose job impacted his career after Risky Business, it seems like his villain roles afterward were because of how well he’s able to portray antagonists. However, his acting abilities were likely the deciding factor for his stints in movies like Bad Boys, showing the versatility of the kinds of characters he could play. Even if his nose job didn’t play a major role, it’s clear his confidence was boosted by the decision he made.

Pantoliano’s recent credit is a short appearance in 2024’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die , reprising his role as Captain Howard.