Scorsese Finally Explains The Reason He Never Worked With Ray Liotta Again

In May, the film-loving world was hit with the tragic news that movie star Ray Liotta had passed away at the age of 67 while filming in the Dominican Republic. While he's known for appearing in a wide array of memorable movies like "Copland" and "Marriage Story," many would agree that Liotta's career-defining role was as wiseguy Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas." The film went on to become classic in the gangster movie genre, with the two creating movie magic that was somehow never rekindled.

While Scorsese's career has been marked by repeated collaborations with fellow "Goodfellas" stars Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, Liotta never reunited with Scorsese after their initial partnership. When asked why they never worked together again, Liotta gave an honest response saying, "I don't know, you'd have to ask him. But I'd love to." Of course, the actor occasionally ventured back into stories about crime and corruption, appearing in the likes of "Killing Me Softly" and, most recently before his passing, "The Sopranos" prequel "The Many Saints of Newark," but it was never quite the same. Now though, following Liotta's passing, Scorsese has finally revealed if plans were ever made to get his "Goodfellas" lead in front of the camera again, and it's an answer that's truly bittersweet.

In a recent guest piece in The Guardian, Martin Scorsese himself revealed that while he and Ray Liotta never worked together after "Goodfellas," it wasn't for lack of trying. In a heartwarming tribute to the star of his 1990 classic, the director wrote, "We had many plans to work together again but the timing was always off, or the project wasn't quite right. I regret that now." Furthermore, it appears that Liotta was never off Scorsese's radar, as the director revealed that he'd made time to see one of Liotta's most recent high-profile performances before his death. "When I watched Ray as the divorce lawyer in Marriage Story – he's genuinely scary in the role," Scorsese gushed, "which is precisely why he's so funny – I remember feeling that I wanted to work with him again at this point in his life, to explore the gravity in his presence, so different from the young, sprightly actor he was when I met him."

Regardless of the projects that never came to pass, Scorsese added some kind words for the star at the center of one of his greatest works, from one goodfella to another: "I wish I'd had the chance to see him just once more, too – to tell him just how much the work we did together meant to me. But maybe he knew that. I hope so."