‘The Many Saints of Newark’ star Ray Liotta on surviving 40 years in Hollywood, being typecast as a heavy, and what he learned from daytime soaps
As someone who originated one of the most iconic gangster roles of all time — Goodfellas’ glorious flameout Henry Hill — it’s understandable that Ray Liotta wouldn’t want to pigeonhole himself with another Mob project just a few years later. Which is why, when Sopranos creator David Chase took a train all the way to Richmond, Virginia, where the actor was filming Ridley Scott’s Hannibal, to ask him to join Season Three of the series, Liotta politely but firmly declined. Joe Pantoliano was eventually given the role of Ralphie, and he won an Emmy. Ralphie literally has to lose his head. Liotta isn’t sorry.
“I think they got the right guy for that part,” He said. “It just wasn’t the right thing at that time, and I had some other things lined up. I was doing Heartbreakers right after that, I think. But I was really, really flattered that David did that. And because of that, I wanted to try to get to work with him again, because I really liked The Sopranos.”
Some 20 years later, they’ve both gotten their wish, as Liotta, 66, makes his mark in the Sopranos prequel film The Many Saints of Newark. Set in the late Sixties and early Seventies, the film centers on Alessandro Nivola as “Gentleman” Dickie Molitsanti, father to Tony’s “nephew” Christopher from the show. Liotta enters the film as Dickie’s own father, “Hollywood” Dick, just back from a trip to Italy with his beautiful young Italian bride Giuseppina (Michela De Rossi). Early in the movie, his performance is brash and voluble — offering a glimpse of a world where Liotta might’ve played Joe Pesci’s character in Goodfellas — but later on, he gets to do some of the quietest and most intense acting of his career.
Liotta spoke with Rolling Stone about his longevity in Hollywood, missed opportunities, his humble start in soaps, and more.
Joe Pugliese photographed Ray Liotta for Rolling Stone. Produced by Shelby Gordon and WalaaElsiddig. Ward Robinson designed the Wooden Ladder’s set design. Joanna Pensinger is the groomer for The Wall Group. Stephanie Tricola, Honey Artists. Jacket by Brioni Shirt by James Perse.
Joe Pugliese is Rolling Stone.
What was it that you liked about the movie?
It was something I’d heard of. I’m not sure if they didn’t want to see me, but I said I wanted to meet with David Chase and Alan [Taylor], the director. They said, “They’re in New York.” So my agent called and they said, “Yeah, he can come and meet us, but there’s no guarantee one way or the other.” So I flew myself out to New York. By the end of lunch, they said there’s a role they had in mind for me. It worked out. However, I was not sure what would happen so I flew out.
How often will you go in for a meeting where there’s no offer and maybe not even a part for you at all?
What do you know? It’s a lot. I don’t have pride like that. If I want something — you know, a lot of people have set ways that they think you are. They cast you. If I want a job, I don’t say, “Oh, fuck you, I won’t do that.” It doesn’t bother me if it gets you where you want to get. This business, it’s always a hustle. If you truly want to do this, you have to do what you have to do.
David told me he’d always admired your work. When he saw the climax of Something Wild, he thought to himself, “Boy, that guy’s dangerous.” Is that a sentiment you’ve heard a lot in your career?
Sometimes. I waited a year till I did my next movie [after Something Wild], because I was well aware that that could happen. I did this movie, Dominick and Eugene, where I was a medical student and Tom Hulce was my disabled brother. It was truly a beautiful, sweet, and lovely movie. Nobody saw it. Field of Dreams, I didn’t hit Kevin in the head with the bat. These bad guys are what make people laugh.
Left to right, Gabriella Piazza, Alessandro Nivola, Ray Liotta, and Michela De Rossi in ‘The Many Saints of Newark.’
Barry Wetcher/Warner Bros Pictures/New Line Cinema
Have you struggled with that typecasting?
Yes. But that’s what fucked things up for me. I just waited too much. Some of the movies didn’t work, and then I said, “Well, I’m not gonna do two bad guys in a row.” You have this idealistic view of how you want it to happen, and when it’s not [going that way], then you have to adjust. I did movies with the Muppets — Danny Trejo and I were singing and dancing with Tina Fey in one of the Muppet movies, and I had to fall in love with Miss Piggy. I’ve done these other things: Dominick and Eugene; Corrina, Corrina. If you were to look at other actors who play edgy characters, that’s what you remember from them. You don’t remember De Niro in Stanley & Iris. You don’t remember the race-car movie Pacino did [Editor’s note: Bobby Deerfield]. I’m not sure why it happens. I got a lot of bad-guy scripts right after Something Wild. I said, “No, I’m not going to do it,” but I should have done it and capitalized on what was going on, because it could have been really successful. However, at the time I was a different person.
It was so much easier to work with Miss Piggy than some of your co-stars throughout the years.
She’s a bitch! But, I gotta say, she’s the only actress I slept with.
Do you recall if any of those movies that you rejected back then were huge hits?
No. It was something I let go of. I played sports my whole life, in high school and after, and sometimes I look at this as a one-on-one competition, which it’s not. It can also be quite crazy. I had people calling me up when they heard that Marty was circling around me for Goodfellas. A stranger called me, like an actor I didn’t know. I don’t know if he was trying to psych me out or what. But they’re all fucked up. We’re all competitive.
Are you looking at potential roles differently today than you did in the past.
Yes, there are more opportunities. After doing this for over 30 years, there’s a body of work now. Producers and directors see that you are capable of doing more. I’m doing something for Apple with Taron Egerton, and that part is just beautiful. In Blow, I played a nice dad. So, I’ve done it. And for some reason, I’m busier than I’ve ever been. I think Marriage Story helped a lot. This is something I love to do, so I pursue the things I want. And luckily, there’s so much stuff going on because of all these new stations and streaming services.
What attracts you to the roles now?
The story and the people involved in it. Although I was able to save money after the pandemic it certainly put a damper on what I did. So there’s things that came along I think I would have done no matter what, and then things you do just to right yourself. People are more tolerant. When I started out, television was the end of the line. And now, you do commercials, it doesn’t matter. People understand. It’s amazing how much the business has changed.
When you’re given a character like Hollywood Dick, where do you start in building the performance? How do you find the character?
It just came out of nowhere. It was funny. It showed me a lot of looseness. I’m bragging about this young girl I picked up and married in Rome, and showing pictures of her to a priest. The information is available. Harry Mastrogeorge was my acting teacher. I was on a soap. After three years, I decided to quit and move to L.A. with Steven Bauer, Melanie Griffith, and their acting teacher. I met him, fell in love with his style and he worked for me. I got Something Wild, and then after I did a movie, I would go back to class. It was a 12-year-long practice. His greatest gift is that he teaches self-reliance.
Actors who leave daytime soaps speak often about the discipline it taught them. Did you pick up anything from your days on Another World that proved useful later in your career?
I remember when I got offered it, I was like, “I don’t want to do a soap opera. I want to go and do a Scorsese movie.” But I got Another World six months out of graduating. It happened quickly. It was a great training. They were amazing people, great stage actors and really experienced. Our producer also made sure that they could go to plays whenever they wanted. They were a wonderful group of people and I learned so much from them. It was something I enjoyed. It didn’t bother me at all.
Because of your reserved and still posture, there are some scenes in the movie that are very intense. It’s a note you’ve gotten to play in your career before, but not often. It appealed to you to show a different side as an actor.
It was more about the challenge of trying it. [But] it wasn’t a reason to do it. It was a complete surprise. It wasn’t set up that way from the beginning when I got the part.
David told me he might’ve asked you to be Tony Soprano back in the Nineties, if he thought there was a chance you’d do it. Ultimately, what did you think of James Gandolfini’s performance in that role?
He was absolutely amazing. I’ll be honest, at that time, I wasn’t following any shows like that. I didn’t want to commit, so I only watched it sometimes. But whatever I saw — even if you just saw a picture [of him as Tony] in a paper or a magazine — he was just fucking there. He went deep, which I really appreciated. And that’s unusual. The one who feels the deepest, whether it’s love or anger, that’s how you move people.
Alan Sepinwall is Rolling Stone‘s chief TV critic and co-author of The Sopranos Sessions.