Martin Scorsese and Ray Liotta. Image Source: Showbiz Cheat Sheet 

Martin Scorsese has regrets.

Director Martin Scorsese recently wrote an op-ed for The Guardian in which he describes how he is always going to regret not being able to work with the late actor Ray Liotta after they worked on "Goodfellas".

Ray Liotta recently passed away, and director Martin Scorsese, in his recently published op-ed, shared why he was not able to work with him. Martin wrote that the two of them had many plans to work together again after they worked on "Goodfellas," but either the timing was always off or the project was not impressive or right for the duo to work on. Martin also expressed immense regret for not being able to work things out and collaborate with him.

The director wrote in his op-ed that when he saw the late actor Ray Liotta as a divorce lawyer in Marriage Story, he was impressed because he was genuinely scared in that role, which is why he’s so funny. He added that he remembered the feeling that he wanted to work with him after witnessing how good he had become, to explore the gravity in his presence, which was so different from the time they worked together when Ray Liotta was young and the director met him.

Martin Scorsese said that he wished he had a chance to see him once more, just to tell him how much it meant to him when they worked together, but added that maybe Ray knew all along. Martin continued to detail some of the behind-the-scenes stories from Goodfellas, stating that Ray Liotta was someone who never missed a beat and their relationship was like the one where Martin felt that they had worked for years. Martin Scorsese shared an incident where he recalled that Ray Liotta was in bad shape when he found out that his mother had passed away. Martin told him to go and be with her, but Ray was adamant about completing the scene before leaving, and he did.

Ray Liotta passed away in his sleep in the Dominican Republic. Image Source: Deadline 

The director writes that watching Ray Liotta perform was a rare experience, and he was so beautiful while watching him film the scene before he left to see his mother. He went on to say that once the news arrived, the two of them strolled onto the set together, and everyone was notified of what was going on. When they rolled, something unusual happened: the scene was about the characters' excitement after making their first major score, and everyone joined together in an emotional bond around Ray; although everyone was laughing and celebrating, they were also mourning with him. Martin added that tears and joy, laughter and tears, were all the same. Martin Scorsese writes that the word 'fearless' is often used to characterize performers, and for good reason, and added that actors must be fearless. He continued that the actors have to simply get in and go, and they have to fall and fail and risk looking silly while they're learning the ropes of a job. It's all part of the job.

Ray Liotta’s publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed the news of the actor's passing away in his sleep in a hotel room while he was in the Dominican Republic filming for a movie. Ray’s fiancée, Jacy Nittolo, was with him. Martin Scorsese remarked in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter after the news broke that the actor was "uniquely skilled, daring, and gutsy as an actor." Ray Liotta, who played Henry Hill in the film, was a huge assignment, according to the director of Goodfellas, since the role had so many different features and depths, and he was in every long and demanding scene.

The director added in his statement that Ray Liotta amazed him and he will always be proud of the work they both did together. Robert De Niro and Lorraine Bracco, who starred in the movie alongside Ray, also paid tribute to the late actor. Robert said that he was extremely saddened to learn of his dear friend Ray Liotta’s death and added that he was too young to have left the world. Lorraine said that she was utterly shattered to hear the news and explained that the best part of the movie for her was Ray Liotta, and that’s what she had mentioned from the start and to everyone who asks her about the best part of working in Goodfellas.