Martin Scorsese says he regrets not working with Ray Liotta again

Martin Scorsese has said he has "regret" for never working with Ray Liotta again after Goodfellas.

In a column for The Guardian, the storied film director shared his memories of working with the late actor who died in his sleep on 26 May.

Towards the end of the piece, Scorsese reflects on them only working together the once, writing: "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."

Read More: Goodfellas star Ray Liotta dies at 67

He added that watching Liotta's performance in Marriage Story inspired him to want to work with him again: "When I watched Ray as the divorce lawyer in Marriage Story – he’s genuinely scary in the role, 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."

Scorsese also discussed casting Liotta in his most famous part as Henry Hill in Goodfellas, including the moment he realised he knew he was perfect for the role: "Ray and I saw each other from across the lobby, and he headed toward me to say hello and check in with me.

"He came near and then he hit a wall of security. Instead of throwing a fit and demanding that he be allowed through, he reacted quietly and calmly, observed the rules and patiently defused the situation."

He continued: "He looked at me, I looked at him, and we signalled that we would talk, and he walked away. I watched it all very closely, and I saw him handle the situation with quiet authority and a real elegance.

"Actually, that was just what the role needed. When I look back on it, I believe that was the moment when I knew I wanted Ray to play Henry Hill."

Liotta died on 26 May, aged 67, while in the Dominican Republic while filming Dangerous Waters, an upcoming movie of which he was the lead.

As well as Goodfellas, he is best remembered for his performances in Something Wild, Field of Dreams and Cop Land.

Some of his other notable movies include Marriage Story, Narc, Killing Them Softly and The Many Saints of Newark.

At the time of his death, Liotta had a number of projects awaiting release including the upcoming Apple series Black Bird which he starred in alongside Taron Egerton.

Watch below: Martin Scorsese is devastated by Ray Liotta's death