TV - Movies
Ray Liotta
Regretted Passing
On Two Parts That
Could Have
Changed His Career
By MARK D. MCKEE
Ray Liotta, who died at the age of 67 in late May 2022, did a great job of creating a career with diverse roles, from Shoeless Joe Jackson in "Field of Dreams" to Henry Hill in "Goodfellas" to Manny Singer in "Corrina, Corrina." But before his passing, he spoke about the regrets he had over the roles he turned down.
While promoting his role in the Jennifer Lopez cop drama "Shades of Blue" in 2016, the actor told The Irish News, "When I did my first movie, Tim Burton was getting ready to do Batman, and he was interested in me because he wanted it to be edgy and real." Liotta said he thought it was “a stupid idea” but admitted that he regretted not auditioning for the iconic role.
Liotta's career-defining role was without a doubt Henry Hill in "Goodfellas" but after the hit 90s gangster flick, he didn’t want to be typecast as a mafioso. He passed on the role of Ralphie on HBO’s smash hit “The Sopranos” which he also eventually regretted but luckily got a second chance to join the Soprano’s universe with "The Many Saints of Newark."