Black Bird's Taron Egerton Shares A Heartbreaking Story About His Late Co-Star Ray Liotta

The entertainment industry was hit by tragedy earlier this year when Ray Liotta, star of such films as "Goodfellas" and "Field of Dreams," passed away at the age of 67. Liotta was a force to be reckoned with, primarily known for his tough-guy exterior, but he was beloved by everyone who worked with him.

He continued working up until his untimely death. After recently appearing in "No Sudden Move" and "The Many Saints of Newark," he'll be seen in various posthumous releases, such as "Cocaine Bear" and an upcoming comedy written and directed by Charlie Day. However, fans of the actor will next be able to see him in a bittersweet capacity within the Apple TV+ miniseries, "Black Bird." The crime drama sees Liotta as James "Big Jim" Keene, where he stars alongside Greg Kinnear, Paul Walter Hauser, and Taron Egerton. Egerton had the chance to speak on Jimmy Kimmel Live (with guest host Chelsea Handler) about what it was like to work with the actor and what Liotta meant to him. 

"Black Bird" premieres on Apple TV+ on July 8. The first two episodes come out on that date, with four others following weekly. Anticipation is high thanks to the immensely talented cast, led by Taron Egerton as James Keene, the son of Liotta's character. 

Egerton talked about what it was like to do scenes with Liotta, describing, "Sometimes actors can be ... we're a weird bunch, we do weird stuff, so I thought I'd leave him to it, give him his space, and across the room, he sort of caught my eye and just stood up, walked towards me in a sort of frail way. He's in ailing health in the show, and he just embraced me, and we stayed that way for a little while. It was kind of weird but really nice as well."

Egerton got emotional discussing Liotta, and it's readily evident that they were more than just coworkers. Egerton looked up to Liotta professionally, as he goes on to say, "He was something of a hero to me, and when I read this script, it's got a very touching and really dysfunctional relationship at the heart of it." The actor goes on to mention how they recently had the premiere, and Liotta's fiancée and daughter were in attendance. He concludes with, "I loved, loved working with him."