How Ray Liotta convinced Martin Scorsese that he was perfect for ‘Goodfellas’
Goodfellas is one of the best Italian-American crime films of all time. The Martin Scorsese-directed flick features a truly envious cast, including Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. Liotta’s performance as the mobster Henry Hill was an absolutely heroic feat of acting, though somehow, Liotta did not win the Oscar for Best Actor.
Sadly, Liotta died earlier this year. He passed away in his sleep, and a stream of tributes for the legendary actor poured in. Scorsese wrote an op-ed in The Guardian, talking about his experiences working with Liotta and how he knew he would perfectly take on the role of Henry Hill in Goodfellas.
“When The Last Temptation of Christ had its world premiere at the Venice film festival, I was crossing the lobby of the Excelsior hotel on my way to an interview,” Scorsese wrote. “Ray and I saw each other from across the lobby, and he headed toward me to say hello and check in with me. He came near, and then he hit a wall of security. Instead of throwing a fit and demanding that he be allowed through, he reacted quietly and calmly, observed the rules and patiently defused the situation.”
He continued, “He looked at me, I looked at him, and we signalled that we would talk, and he walked away. I watched it all very closely, and I saw him handle the situation with quiet authority and real elegance. Actually, that was just what the role needed. When I look back on it, I believe that was the moment when I knew I wanted Ray to play Henry Hill.”
Scorsese had frequently collaborated with many of his actors, most notably Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. Sadly though, Scorsese would never get the chance to work with Liotta again, although, in the op-ed, he expressed that he had wanted to cast him in his movies once more.
“We had many plans to work together again, but the timing was always off, or the project wasn’t quite right. I regret that now. When I watched Ray as the divorce lawyer in Marriage Story – he’s genuinely scary in the role, which is precisely why he’s so funny – I remember feeling that I wanted to work with him again at this point in his life, to explore the gravity in his presence, so different from the young, sprightly actor he was when I met him.”
Scorsese added, “I wish I’d had the chance to see him just once more, too – to tell him just how much the work we did together meant to me. But maybe he knew that. I hope so.”
