Alden Ehrenreich Says Ray Liotta 'Loved' Working on 'Cocaine Bear': He Had a 'Ball'

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage; Vincent Sandoval/Getty

Ray Liotta "loved" his time spent filming one of his last roles in the upcoming comedy thriller Cocaine Bear.

Liotta's costar Alden Ehrenreich shared how the late actor, who died suddenly at 67 in May 2022, had a "really good time" with his role as the head of a drug smuggling ring and Ehrenreich's character's father in the Elizabeth Banks-directed movie.

"He loved it. I'm very grateful for the opportunity that I got to work with him, and especially now," the 33-year-old actor told UPROXX. "Liz had such a great set and he came and he really seemed to be having a ball being a part of this."

He added, "I mean, he really was having, I think, a really good time. And so it was really nice to be able to work with him and see him have so much fun with it."

RELATED: Elizabeth Banks Says Ray Liotta 'Had a Great Time' Making 'Cocaine Bear' Weeks Before His Death

Banks, 49, previously also shared Liotta's excitement about the movie, which will ultimately be one of his final big-screen performances. In an interview with Variety, Banks recalled how the Goodfellas actor had a positive attitude approaching the role.

"He came to Ireland with the best attitude. He had a great time," she said. "He came for ADR and saw the film, and was like, 'Oh, my God, the bear looks so good!'"

She also posted a touching tribute when he passed, sharing how she was grateful for the respect he gave her as his director on the film.

"I had been told in the past by Hollywood producers that men wouldn't follow me, that I couldn't direct action because of that," she wrote. "Ray's respect for me as a director, actress and artist, as his boss on set, meant everything to me because if you can direct Henry Hill, you can do f---ing anything in this town. I am so grateful Ray Liotta blessed my life. May he Rest In Peace."

Allen Berezovsky/Getty; Vincent Sandoval/Getty Elizabeth Banks; Ray Liotta

RELATED: Ray Liotta's Fiancée Jacy Nittolo Pays Tribute on His 68th Birthday: 'Today We Celebrate You'

Ehrenreich went on to add he shares in Liotta's previous excitement for the film, especially as people grow more comfortable returning to theaters post-pandemic.

As the first project the actor worked on since 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story, he found it to be the perfect role to remind him of his love for the job, he told UPROXX.

"I think that's one of the great gifts of this movie is we've all had this crazy last few years and we're all in different, to different extents, out back in the world again," Ehrenreich said. "And this feels such a great movie to go gather at a movie theater and have this rip-roaring time at."

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Cocaine Bear is in theaters Feb. 24.