How Melanie Griffith helped Ray Liotta to land his big break
Getting started in the film industry is never easy unless you’re the relative of someone who has already established themselves. Nepotism dictates who gets a chance in Hollywood a large percentage of the time, although you need the talent to prove yourself. Luckily for Ray Liotta, who grew up in a normal family without any industry connections, it was his old college friend Melanie Griffith who put in a good word for him and helped him to become a star.
After becoming an active member within his university’s theatre productions, he sought out an agent and landed a role in the series Another World. It ran for several years, with Liotta gaining his first taste of professional acting. However, he finally landed his first role in a movie in 1983, when he appeared in The Lonely Lady.
From there, Liotta began starring in all sorts of movies, ranging from crime drama hits like Goodfellas and Cop Land to Muppets From Space, Hannibal, Blow, Bee Movie, and Marriage Story. Clearly, no genre was off limits for Liotta, who threw himself into whatever he fancied, regardless of whether it aligned with other projects he became known for.
Yet, Liotta might not have been afforded the opportunity to break through into Hollywood if not for his part in Something Wild, directed by Jonathan Demme. It featured Griffith in the leading role, who recommended Liotta to Demme, who subsequently cast him in his film.
The actor explained to Empire, “I’d heard about the role in class, guys asking me whether I was up for it. I talked to my agent but he couldn’t get me an audition. My parents were both involved in politics and they said, ‘You’ve got to make some calls.’”
He continued, “It turned out Melanie was already on board, and she had some say in casting, so I finally called her. That was hard; I wanted to do things by myself, but she called Jonathan Demme and said, ‘I really want you to meet Ray.’”
So, Liotta had a meeting with Demme, and then “he called me back to do a scene with Jeff Daniels,” who was also cast in the film. “I’m doing my push-ups, getting ready and getting nervous. But I went in and I was ready! I did everything Harry taught me and everything Buckets [his acting coaches] taught me. I did a scene where I was just raging at him. I walked out and I felt good.”
After much waiting, Liotta started to wonder if he had even got the part, gearing himself up for rejection. “Monday comes, I’m already getting anxious. Tuesday to me is the middle of the week so I’m thinking, ‘I guess it didn’t work out.’ Wednesday, and still nothing. I’m like, ‘Fuck it. Here I am, 30 years old, haven’t even done a movie yet.’ Thursday I get a call and Jonathan tells me I got it. I think I cried.”
Liotta ended up earning a Golden Globe nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture’ following his performance, subsequently becoming a rising star in the industry.
