The Martin Scorsese Character You Are Based On Your Zodiac Sign
If fate conspired to lead you down some deserted back alley into a dive bar populated solely by a gang of characters from Martin Scorsese films, it's safe to say it would be a night to remember. It could also be a night you'd pray to forget. The characters that litter Scorsese's movies are not exactly renowned for their easy-going, amicable, and pleasant personalities. Drinking with these guys may be fraught, tense, unpredictable, intimidating, and even bad for your health — but one thing it would never be is boring. Characters in Scorsese films are larger than life, almost mythical creatures, but they all have a human face, a human heart, and, you guessed it, a sign of the zodiac to call their own.
Characters such as Travis Bickle and Rupert Pupkin are so richly complex that their motives, actions, and personalities have been the subject of academic essays. Yet finding out what drives such elemental forces of nature as Bill the Butcher, Jake LaMotta, or Max Cady through rational thought alone is like chasing rainbows with a net. Perhaps, only an ancient and unproven science such as astrology is capable of pinning down the color and form of these personalities. Fortunately, after much study, boundless debate, and unquantifiable research, we can assign a house of the zodiac to some of Scorsese's biggest characters. Without further ado, here is the Martin Scorsese character you are based on your zodiac sign. Remember, it ain't personal, it's just written in the stars, is all!
Aries: Bill the Butcher (Gangs of New York)
There's never a dull moment when an Aries is around. These hot-headed rams tend to light up proceedings like a firework. Yes, they're rash, yes, they're more direct than a freight train, and yes, they have an explosive temper that can turn on the toss of a coin, but if you want something done, and done with a passionate intensity, then ask an Aries. In Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York," Bill "The Butcher" Cutting, played with career-defining intent by Daniel Day-Lewis, is unmistakably Aries in mood, thought, and deed.
As a born leader, the Butcher's appointed place as head of his gang of "Natives" is undisputable in his eyes, or at least the remaining good one. The other he cut out after suffering the shame of being defeated by Priest Vallon. That's the sort of extreme behavior and code of honor that many born into this house possess. Like any Aries worth their salt, the Butcher has a strong moral code — it's just that he has a stronger prosperity for violence. As he snarls at Boss Tweed when he dares to suggest the Butcher cannot fight forever, "I can go down doing it!" And indeed he does.
Yet before he meets his end, he steals every scene he's in with his demented demeanor and Aries-like aura of lighting storms intensity. When an Aries turns this mean, it'll stop the hounds of hell in their tracks and curdle the milk of the gods.
Taurus: Jake LaMotta (Raging Bull)
As the horned beast of the zodiac, the Martin Scorsese character that fits all true Taureans like a well-lubricated boxing glove is, of course, Jake LaMotta. Bull by name and bull by nature, the pugilist who lights up "Raging Bull" is every inch a Taurus. That's not to say those born under the sign of the bull are all uncompromising hot-heads. Cooler than a freezer full of ice cubes, those born under this sign can effortlessly spend all day on the couch, looking regal and watching Netflix. Yet as anybody acquainted with a Taurean soul knows, they're complicated creatures. Scratch that untroubled demeanor and you'll often find a world of pain and hurt bubbling beneath. Such is the case with Jake LaMotta.
Robert De Niro channels the Taurean traits of obsessive focus to perfection in Scorsese's 1980 magnum opus. When they see something they want, a Taurus is unrelenting. No river is too deep or mountain high enough to stop them in their tracks. Their refined appreciation of creature comforts and single-minded determination is also their weakness and can spill over into a hot mess of paranoia, self-loathing, and self-destructive excess.
Witness LaMotta's fall from grace as king of the ring to couch potato. He goes from a prime player with a physique like a Roman gladiator to an overweight has-been. Of course, LaMotta is an extremely complex individual and personifies the extremes aspects of a Tauren personality. Nevertheless, it is true of all those born under this sign that if you mess with the bull, you get the horns!
Gemini: Teddy Daniels (Shutter Island)
Geminis are often accused of having a superiority complex and thinking they're better than everyone else. They've even been branded the low-key psychopath of the zodiac. That's a tad harsh because we should bear in mind that Geminis are born under the sign of the twins. As such, they can have two distinct aspects to their personality. This elemental split makes them incredibly adept at analyzing a situation from all perspectives. Their rock-solid confidence in their abilities can make them appear arrogant, but they are just in tune with their particular skill-set. Yet before any Geminis out there get carried away with their own brilliance it's a good idea to remember that there's a flip-side to being empathetic, intuitive, and an emotional sponge.
Geminis are so absorbed by their inner musings that they can experience a complete detachment from reality. Take Teddy Daniels in "Shutter Island." He's a gifted, insightful, and highly-perceptive U.S. Marshal. He's the sort of cop that always gets his felon and from whom no detail escapes. The irony is, Teddy's entire personality is a delusion created by psychiatric inmate Andrew Laeddis. Like many Geminis, Teddy is the very personification of a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. He's a fine example of how in extreme circumstances a Gemini will go to any ends to make sense of a world gone wrong. Venturing into the dark corners of the soul without a compass or map leading homewards is a Gemini's prerogative. Sometimes they return triumphant, other times they don't.
Cancer: Tommy DeVito (Goodfellas)
In "Goodfellas," Tommy DeVito rubs shoulders with a colorful cartel of street-savvy wiseguys whose Machiavellian moves, cynical opportunism, and cold-blooded ruthlessness would see them banned from certain circles of Hell. Yet, in such company, the little man with the big bite still stands out. He's the psychopath's psychopath, and he's also Cancerian to the core of his crab-like shell. Little Tommy, played by Joe Pesci, is one moody, hyper-sensitive, and crabby son of a gun. DeVito sees imaginary slights everywhere. Yet despite his unlimited capacity for extreme violence, in true Cancerian fashion, he is a sentimental softie who loves his mom and is loyal to the point of death to those he regards as his true buddies.
DeVito even sees burying a body of an old rival as an opportunity to enjoy some quality bonding time with the guys. A Cancer's Achilles' heel is an irrational sensitivity, and in the scene where Spider tells DeVito to go forth and multiply, it proves to be his undoing. Mocked and insulted by the wiseguys, he broods like a volcano on the verge of eruption for a few seconds before pulling out his gun and shooting the poor bartender dead. On the bright side, when you catch a Cancer in a good mood, they are the life and soul of a party. They have a quicksilver personality and the sort of smile that could arrest an angel. Yet as DeVito proves quite poignantly when these crabs retreat into their shell, give them plenty of space and time, and under no circumstance start prodding them with a stick.
Leo: Jordan Belfort (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Leos don't just sing when they're winning, they roar savagely. Don't hold it against them, though, as those born under the sign of the lion have a lot of expectations on their shoulders. Leos instinctively feel they were born to win or at least give it their best shot. Second place is not in their vocabulary, and the urge to go bigger, better, and bolder bubbles perpetually in their blood. Ten minutes in the company of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) in "The Wolf of Wall Street," and you know he might as well walk on all fours, shake his mane, and chew lazily on a meaty bone — he's all Leo! The Wall Street wizard and stockbroker sorcerer always brings his A-game to the table and is the kind of guy everyone wants to share a cocktail with.
He's charming, makes great company, is a master of the one-liner, and his natural flamboyance crackles like a charisma bomb. During his rise to the top, Belfort's typical Leo-like aggression, self-belief, and ability to get it done and done with style is breathtaking. Yet his fall from grace reveals the dark side to the seemingly god-like ability and ambition of the Leo — their arrogance. They tend to be dazzled by their own brilliance. When things start going wrong for Leos, as they do for Belfort in the film, it can be difficult for them to comprehend. So instead of waving the white flag, they dig in deeper and up the ante. As Belfort roars, "You can watch me, mock me, try to block me, but you cannot stop me."
Virgo: Rupert Pupkin (The King of Comedy)
Virgos love a joke. They often use humor as a way of transforming a pig's ear into a silk purse. Sarcasm ofter comes as easy to those born under this sign of zodiac as breathing. In Scorsese's 1982 satirical "The King of Comedy,' Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) loves a good prank. However, the aspiring stand-up comedian does not deal with rejection all that well and loses himself in the obsessive delusions all Virgos are prone to. Pupkin's elaborate fantasies concerning talk-show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) are so meticulous, their source can only be the hyper-analytical mind of the natural-born Virgo. In Pupkin's head, he and Langford are the firmest of buddies. In reality, that talk-show host views him as a disturbed individual who is potentially dangerous.
After Pupkin kidnaps him and demands a slot on his show to showcase his talents, that suspicion is proved correct. Yet despite his lack of quality gags, unnerving detachment from reality, and brazen criminality, there's something likable about Pupkin, and that's because he's a Virgo. These star signs are governed by Mercury and have a whimsical quality that is hard to pin down. They have an easy-going friendliness that sees the best in everyone and possesses a strong desire to make things work. If something's broken, a Virgo will believe they can fix it. They also have a strong sense of living in the moment and believe in making things happen instead of letting them happen. Above all, they have a capacity for laughing at the world, even if the world refuses to laugh back.
Libra: Jimmy Hoffa (The Irishman)
Libras are the loveable rogues of the zodiac. They may throw a brick through Heaven's window, but the angels will forgive them because they have a winning smile and can talk themselves out of tricky situations. In Scorsese's 2019 epic "The Irishman," troubled Teamster Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) is every inch a Libra. His effortless climb to the top exudes that potent mix of Libra's likeability and grace. Yet when he slides down the greasy pole of corruption, we see the darker side of Libra's personality. After being released from prison and determined to reclaim his old place in the pecking order, Hoffa just can't admit the ship has sailed.
Libras can be as cool as a cucumber and as playful as a field full of lambs when things are going their way, but in the face of adversity, they can crumble quicker than a castle made of sand. Libras are prone to debilitating self-pity and can carry grudges. They are also susceptible to uncontrollable bouts of rage that can have serious consequences. When Hoffa is told to back off and tone his behavior down because it's making the mob bosses uneasy, it's like a red rag to this Libra's bull. In a spontaneous outburst typical of this star sign, Hoff snarls that he "knows things," particularly where the bodies are buried. This doesn't sit well with those doing the burying. Not even a likable Libra can appease a Mafia don who feels disrespected. Hoffa gets whacked and put in a hole even he can't talk himself out of.
Scorpio: Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver)
Standing in front of the mirror and asking their reflection if it's talking to them is something most Scorpios have probably indulged in at one time or another. These star signs love their own company and often use it to carry out elaborate and dramatic discourses on anything that crosses their mind. In Scorsese's 1976 classic "Taxi Driver," Travis Bickle carries his Scorpio credentials like a neon red sign over his head. He's a loner trying to make sense of a world he feels both detached from and swamped by. Scorpios often feel like they're forever outside looking in, but their great secret is they like it that way. Viewing things from a different perspective is their calling card.
Bickle's Scorpio nature is so blatant that Jodie Foster's character Iris bursts out in mid-conversation, "Are you a Scorpion? That's it. You're a Scorpion. I can tell every time." Bickle's attraction to the darker side of reality, his nocturnal wanderings, his constant search for meaning in the unlikeliest places, and his solitary lifestyle mark him out as the star sign with a sting in its tail. In Bickle, the Scorpion's fear of weakness and natural attraction to anything that exudes power is magnified and proves to be his undoing. Bickle's obsession with the reality behind every facade and his propensity for violent self-sacrifice almost reads as a cautionary tale to all Scorpios. The message is simple — when you gaze too long into the abyss, be careful that the abyss does not gaze back at you.
Sagittarius: Henry Hill (Goodfellas)
Sagittariuses bring a rock-star quality to the things they love doing. In the case of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), it's a life of criminality. In Scorsese's 1990 homage to low-level hoodlums, Hill is no dour-faced gangster. He's the wise guy all the guys want to share a drink. In other words, he's a Sagittarius. Famous Sagittarius and the late Doors frontman Jim Morrison once described astrology as a "bunch of bull," directly after describing Sagittariuses as "the most philosophical of all the signs" in the same sentence. It's a typical Sagittarius thing to do. They have a bold spirit that sees little sense in playing by the rules when they can devise a better game of their own. They're passionate, adaptable, and their quest for new experiences is insatiable.
In "Goodfellas" Hill is first attracted to the criminal underworld because he respects the guys who live life on their terms outside of the law. Plowing their own path, and marching to the beat of a different drum, has an irresistible appeal for all those born under the sign of the archer. Sagittarius are renowned for being brutally honest, and their sharp tongue can get them in trouble. Yet the biggest weakness is their overwhelming appetites for life can get them in way over their head. Their ruling planet is Jupiter, which dictates that they should live life king-size and accept no substitutes. Yet as we see with Hill when his carefully constructed kingdom of crime comes crashing down, the devil always collects, and no one is immune to the laws of cause and effect — not even a Sagittarius.
Capricorn: Sam Rothstein (Casino)
Capricorns have a habit of looking perpetually perturbed. These serious-minded signs of the zodiac were seemingly born prematurely aged and carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. Capricorns are serious, hard-working, diligent, and extremely hard to corrupt. If there's any responsibility being shirked, get a Capricorn on the case. Their methodical approach to everything from making a cup of coffee to creating and managing a successful casino empire is second to none — just ask Sam "Ace" Rothstein. In Scorsese's 1995 movie "Casino," Sam is every inch the old goat. Played in a restrained fashion by Robert De Niro, Rothstein plods along slow and steady, but like a true Capricorn, he gets things done.
Building a business empire can make an individual feel like a god, but in familiar Capricorn style, Rothstein keeps his feet firmly rooted to the ground. When everyone around them loses their head, Rothstein keeps his to work out who will pay. Self-control is a point of pride with a Capricorn. Despite being surrounded by unpredictable characters such as his wife, Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), and best friend Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), Rothstein refuses to engage in their madness and digs in like a true goat.
Capricorns often harbor a deep-rooted contempt and distrust for nearly everyone they know. This makes them prickly, but on the plus side they're superb poker players who are almost impossible to bluff. Their hardcore practicality can render them stubborn, condescending, and unwilling to change — even if that change could save their skin. Yet when the chips are down, it's a Capricorn's ruthless and pragmatic approach you need.
Aquarius: Max Cady (Cape Fear)
There's something of the outlaw in every Aquarian soul. They carry the air of the wilderness about their person and often fetishize freedom. They're also obsessive types who have an inherent passion for detail and the infinite possibilities present in any situation. If you've got a friend who spends too much time wallowing in conspiracy theories and harboring grudges until they become vendettas, chances are they were born under the eleventh sign of the zodiac. In "Cape Fear" Max Cady (Robert De Niro) stikes a typical Aquarian figure. He's the tattooed loner, with the unsettling air of an individual who could charm the birds from the trees and then causally decapitate them. Cady's free-spirited demeanor, eccentric manner, epic problems with authority, and snarling defiance are all tell-tale Aquarian traits.
Cady's blind determination to reshape the world in his furious and self-righteous image reveals an Aquarius who feels wronged. Caging an Aquarius either mentally, physically, or spiritually is a recipe for disaster. After suffering 14 years behind bars for what he believes was the purposefully botched defense of his lawyer, Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte), Cady goes on the rampage. When not busy winning people over with his old-world charm and jailhouse philosophies, the cigar-chomping ex-con tends to talk in tongues and spit out biblical passages. Try this for size — "I am like God, and God-like me. I am as large as God, he is as small as I. He cannot be above me, nor I beneath him." Such statements are, of course, run-of-the-mill for your average Aquarius.
Pisces: Johnny Boy Civello (Mean Streets)
Those born under the sign of the fish often have a hard time drawing a line between what's real and what's a by-product of their imagination. You'll often find Pisces swimming contentedly in their own little dream world until reality crashes in and pours shade on their parade. Not only are these little fish often disappointed by the lack of magic in the real world, but they're also governed by their emotions. The result can be a hypersensitive soul tossed and turned relentlessly by the tides of times. Such is the case of "Johnny Boy" Civello in Martin Scorsese's 1973 crime drama "Mean Streets." Played by an impossibly young Robert De Niro, Civello is a classic Piscean.
Above all, Pisceans believe in romance and dreams and construct their world and principles accordingly. When they crash headfirst into a different reality, their default setting is to deny, dismiss and discredit. Check out Civello's complete refusal to work or take the threats from mobsters he owes money seriously. Pisceans are adept at adapting to their surroundings, but only if they can relate to them.
Civello is a product of the New York streets. He has romanticized them and in him, their charm, mystery, ebullience, and violence are personified. It's a classic Pisces trick. Pisceans can be kind and gentle, flaky and delusional, inspirational, and, at times, unbearable. Civello is all these and more. Like all Pisceans, he can try, test, and torment his friends but boasts an elusive spark and spirituality that lights the way for others to follow.