Ray Liotta Reveals His Four Career-Defining Performances
The late actor opened up about the roles that meant the most to him, from his breakout gangster performance to an unexpected musical adventure with beloved puppets.
When Ray Liotta looked back at his decades-long acting career, certain performances stood out as particularly meaningful to him. During a candid Reddit discussion, the actor shared insights about four roles that he considered his most significant work, ranging from his career-defining breakthrough to some surprising personal favorites.
The Role That Changed Everything
Liotta's portrayal of Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's crime masterpiece remains his most recognized work. The actor desperately wanted this part and met with Scorsese years before filming began. However, landing the role wasn't guaranteed – Warner Bros had reservations about casting a relatively unknown actor in such a crucial part. Despite these initial concerns, Liotta's performance became legendary.
When reflecting on his body of work, he acknowledged this career-defining moment, stating "Obviously Henry in Goodfellas" as one that clearly "stands out." The film opened doors that had previously been closed and established him as a serious dramatic actor capable of carrying major productions.
Hidden Gems and Personal Pride
Beyond his most famous work, Liotta expressed particular fondness for Joe Carnahan's gritty police thriller Narc. In this neo-noir film, he played a detective hunting down the killer of an undercover officer. Despite being made on just $6 million, the movie earned critical praise and landed Liotta an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Male.
More surprisingly, he also mentioned The Identical among his favorites, despite the musical drama receiving terrible reviews and failing spectacularly at the box office. In this widely panned film about separated twins, with one becoming an Elvis-style performer, Liotta played their father. His affection for this project remains puzzling given its poor reception.
Dancing with Beloved Characters
Perhaps his most unexpected favorite was Muppets Most Wanted, where he reprised his role as Big Papa, an inmate character he'd previously played in Muppets from Space. Liotta described the experience enthusiastically: "Dancing with Kermit and everybody in Muppets Most Wanted, singing and dancing with Danny Trejo and The Muppets is a once-in-a-lifetime thing."
While this wasn't a major role in terms of screen time or dramatic weight, the sheer joy of working alongside the iconic puppet characters clearly left a lasting impression on the actor. Sometimes the most memorable experiences come from the most unexpected places.