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The part of Henry Hill was a role that Ray Liotta wanted without any doubt, and with determination and a lot of talent he got the part. This is what he said when he heard he had the part: “Eventually I got the phone call, and Marty said I had it. I think I broke down and cried. My mom was really sick at the time.” AT THE START The first time Ray Liotta met Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill) they met at Marty's apartment on West 57th Street, right next to the Russian Tea Room. They all went to Rao's, a restaurant in Harlem, that Ray states “ It's so exclusive that people have set times and days when they go to eat there....” While they were having dessert, people in Rao's started auditioning for them, or at least that's what it seemed like to Ray. Attention to detail was the key to keeping it all real. Ray Liotta stated that “Marty would tie my tie everyday, he wanted it a certain way.” Ray Liotta also explains for the scene in the film which is at Tommy's mum's house, he didn't think that Marty had given his mum a script. In that scene there was a lot of improvisation including the part about the painting of the man and two dogs. “To this day it's really funny” states Ray. Ray Liotta did research the role of Henry Hill before filming commenced, Ray said: “Nick Pileggi gave me I don't know how many hours of cassettes of himself interviewing Henry Hill, and I would listen to them continuously. Henry would be telling what happened, and it was so casual, talking with food in his mouth.” I'M A CLOWN.... One memorable scene in GoodFellas (one of many) is the scene when Tommy tells a story and Henry states at the end “You're funny” The people in the background were picked very carefully, so the tension comes from seeing their reactions to what's unfolding between Tommy and Henry, not what Tommy and Henry are saying. The key was that the people in the background had no idea where the scene was heading, the rehearsal of the scene had just been with Ray and Joe. The questioning and how there are different tones to the scene was never scripted, it was all down to Joe and Ray. Ray explains the last line of the scene as a moment that they made up literally, he wasn't supposed to say “You really are a funny guy.” But decided that's the way to end it after letting the moment breathe, just to see what happened before he delivered the line. PERSONAL During the filming of GoodFellas sadly Ray Liotta's mum passed away after her brave fight with cancer. He said of this time during the filming: “ You're dealing with real anger. My mom had cancer, and she was dying. There was a lot of anger about her being sick.” On remembering the scene when Henry pistol whips Bruce, Ray remarked:” I was wound up. I might have gotten a phone call about my mom. My mom died in the middle of filming.” IT'S A WRAP The iconic film GoodFellas is something that has stood the test of time, gaining new fans year after year, and a film that will probably be around forever. The last word has got to go to Ray Liotta: “For twenty years now, there's not a day that goes by that I don't hear somebody mention GoodFellas. Unless I stay home all night. It's defined who I am, in a sense.” Ray Liotta quotes taken from the GoodFellas Interview by GQ
Rare footage of Ray Liotta and the cast of GoodFellas filming on location/set.
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© Warner Bros
© Unknown (Ray with the real Henry Hill)
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