Ray Liotta made you believe everything he did, no matter how absurd it might have seemed on paper. mattzollerseitz writes on what made Liotta one of the best screen actors this country has ever produced
No matter how big or small his performances got — and almost nobody was better at dialing it up and down — we never doubted him onscreen. Photo: Orion Pictures Corp/Everett Collection For Ray Liotta, being an actor was better than being president of the United States, but if there was a secret to why he was so good at it, he kept it to himself.
Best known as the star of Martin Scorsese’s classic Goodfellas — a two-and-a-half-hour film that he carried on his back and that is as much associated with his face as Psycho is with Janet Leigh’s — Liotta was a workhorse actor. He made you believe everything he did, no matter how absurd it might have seemed on paper.
Liotta had a dancer’s body, a lush head of hair, and piercing blue eyes with thick lashes that imbued his close-ups with a feminized aspect of suffering you didn’t expect to see in the sorts of films he often ended up in. But these aspects were counterbalanced by a scary-clown grin, acne scars, deep lines around the mouth, and a braying laugh that could signal boyish glee or impending murder.
I interviewed Liotta eight times over the course of his career. He was always blunt, unpretentious, and bereft of political or intellectual banter. Once, for the Dallas Observer, I spoke to him about saying yes to 1994’s No Escape — a combination jungle-adventure thriller and science-fiction prison flick — and spending three months working out to get an action-hero physique.
“I read profiles of me where the writer comes up with all kinds of stuff that I didn’t mean to convey and analyzes me up and down in ways that have nothing to do with who I really am,” he said. “It makes me wanna find the guy and get in his face and yell, ‘Hey, man, fuck you, all right? You wanna know me? Walk around in my skin for 38 years. Then you’re qualified to say shit. Not before.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ray Liotta to Be Honored by His New Jersey HometownRay Liotta will be honored by his hometown of Union Township, New Jersey.
Read more »
Ray Liotta to be Honored in New Jersey Hometown Following His Sudden DeathRay Liotta died in his sleep on Thursday, May 26, while filming a movie in the Dominican Republic — details
Read more »
Sonos Ray Review: The start of something awesome | Digital TrendsThe Sonos Ray might be smaller and cheaper than its soundbar siblings, but it packs a surprising punch and can become the basis of a great home theater system.
Read more »
First 3 Child’s Play Movies Getting 4K Blu-ray ReleaseThe original ChildsPlay trilogy will release in 4K Blu-Ray this August, and is also available to purchase with exclusive merchandise bundles.🙌 Get the details ➡️
Read more »
Ray Liotta to Be Honored by His New Jersey HometownRay Liotta will be honored by his hometown of Union Township, New Jersey.
Read more »
Ray Liotta to be Honored in New Jersey Hometown Following His Sudden DeathRay Liotta died in his sleep on Thursday, May 26, while filming a movie in the Dominican Republic — details
Read more »