The Character Ray Liotta Was Originally Supposed To Play On The Sopranos

Spoilers ahead for "The Many Saints of Newark."

Martin Scorsese's 1990 film "Goodfellas," adapted from Nicholas Pileggi's 1985 nonfiction book "Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family," is about the life of former mafia member Henry Hill and stands tall as one of the best movies about the mob in cinema. It also boasts one of the best performances from Ray Liotta, who plays Hill in the film. Playing the character has, arguably, permanently marked Liotta as the kind of actor who could perfectly play similarly shady mob types in movies and television.

For the release of Warner Bros.' "The Many Saints of Newark," a feature-length prequel to HBO's "The Sopranos," Liotta has returned to the press circuit to promote the project and his role. In the movie, audiences get two Liottas for the price of one. It's revealed he plays "Hollywood Dick" Moltisanti, the father of Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), and his twin brother, Salvatore "Sally" Moltisanti.

While discussing "The Many Saints of Newark" recently on "Late Night With Seth Meyers," Liotta shed light on his surprising connection to "The Sopranos," a project that is as integral to the mafia genre as "Goodfellas." The show, which ran for six seasons (and features Liotta's "Goodfellas" co-star Lorraine Bracco), follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a beleaguered mobster who contends with personal struggles while trying to make a life in organized crime feasible in New Jersey in the early '00s. According to Liotta, he was approached for a part in "The Sopranos" that was completely different from his dual role in the new prequel movie.