‘Sopranos’ Boss David Chase On His ‘Many Saints Of Newark’ Star Ray Liotta: “We All Felt We Lucked Out Having Him On That Movie”

David Chase employed many of the Goodfellas cast in his HBO series The Sopranos, but it took until the prequel film The Many Saints of Newark for him to finally bring Ray Liotta in the fold. Chase made the most of it, as Liotta played two roles: Hollywood Dick Moltisanti, and his brother Salvatore Moltisanti. Like everyone, Chase is today mourning the shocking death of Liotta, who died on location in the Dominican Republic where he was shooting the film Dangerous Waters.

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“This is a massive, unexpected shock,” Chase said in a statement to Deadline. “I have been an admirer of Ray’s work since I saw him in ‘Something Wild,’ a movie he wrenched by the tail. I was so glad he worked on ‘The Many Saints of Newark.’ I believed strongly in my heart that he could play that double role. He created two distinctly separate characters and each performance was phenomenal. Ray was also a very warm and humorous person. A really superior actor. We all felt we lucked out having him on that movie.”

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