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Of the many celebrity deaths in recent years, Ray Liotta’s is certainly among the ones that hit movie fans the hardest. The actor died in May 2022 at 67 years old, leaving behind an impressive, beloved body of work. And as Liotta’s fans reflect on his legacy, it’s worth remembering that time he gave Bradley Cooper a hard time on The Place Beyond the Pines.
Ray Liotta starred in a wide variety of movies over the years
Liotta made his film debut in the 1983 drama The Lonely Lady starring Pia Zadora. And while he’d play a variety of roles over his nearly 40-year career, the actor became best known for playing tough guys. In fact, his best-known film remains Martin Scorsese’s 1990 hit Goodfellas, in which he plays gangster Henry Hill. That became the role that defined Liotta’s screen persona.
Over the years, Liotta would lean into his Goodfellas reputation, either playing more tough customers in movies like Wild Hogs and The Many Saints of Newark or riffing on that image in movies such as Muppets Most Wanted. In real life, Liotta might have shared little in common with these characters. But he still had a reputation for being a straight-shooter when it came to his craft.
Ray Liotta had a wild experience working with Bradley Cooper
On The Place Beyond the Pines, for instance, Liotta confronted Cooper during the scene in which Detective Peter Deluca (Liotta) shakes down Avery (Cooper). As Liotta’s agent Beth Holden-Garland told Esquire, the director urged Liotta to emotionally raise the stakes of the scene because Cooper just “wasn’t getting there.”
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“[Director Derek Cianfrance] pulled Ray aside and goes, ‘I want you to really f****** let loose on him now. Just say whatever you want to say to him. Ray got in Bradley’s face and said, ‘You are the luckiest actor in this town. You suck. Hangover II sucked.’ He just ripped into him like nobody’s business. Then Derek was like, ‘Action!’ And then they got the scene.”
In the same piece, Cianfrance elaborates on how much he loved the resulting take. “Those moments on set that were so emasculating and humiliating,” he said. “I can say they are some of the greatest moments in my life.”
Ray Liotta died in May 2022 at 67
Liotta died in his sleep on May 26, 2022, at 67. Although the actor’s precise cause of death remains a mystery, associates, colleagues, and loved ones took to social media to pay tribute to him. Among those who spoke up about their respect and admiration were actors Sigourney Weaver, Andy Garcia, Melanie Griffith, and Giancarlo Esposito.
But Liotta fans haven’t seen the last of him just yet. The actor currently stars in the 2023 hit Cocaine Bear with an ensemble cast. Moreover, he’s set to appear in a thriller titled Dangerous Waters, which remains in development. Liotta was midway through filming the movie when he died in the Dominican Republic.
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