Sumith Prasad
It isn’t an exaggeration to say that the demise of Ray Liotta shocked the world. The actor was and is adored for his performances in ‘Goodfellas,’ ‘Field of Dreams,’ ‘Something Wild,’ and many more. Apple TV+’s crime series ‘Black Bird’ is Liotta’s first posthumous release. The actor plays James “Big Jim” Keene, the father of Jimmy Keene, who goes undercover to elicit a confession from suspected serial killer Larry DeWayne Hall in return for his freedom. Since the show premiered after the death of Liotta, the viewers must be wondering whether he was able to complete his portions in the same. Let us share the answer!
Did Ray Liotta Complete Black Bird?
Yes, Ray Liotta did finish ‘Black Bird.’ James “Big Jim” Keene is Liotta’s last completed television role before his demise on May 26, 2022. The actor died while filming ‘Dangerous Waters,’ directed by John Barr. For Dennis Lehane, who developed the show, Liotta was an essential part of his cast. “It was a dream come true. I wrote the part for him and he jumped at it. He’s [Liotta] always been one of my favorite actors and I consider him one of the most underutilized actors out there,” Dennis told New York Post.
“We’d [Dennis and Liotta] never met, and when he came on set, Ray was there to work, which I love. He wasn’t there to party, to get to know anybody, and we completely hit it off on that level,” Dennis added about the filming experience with Liotta. “[…] he wasn’t a touchy-feely, huggy guy, but the first thing he did when he saw Taron was he walked up and hugged him and that established the father/son relationship right there,” the developer told NYP in the same interview. While filming the show, Liotta and his co-actor Taron Egerton formed an admirable bond, as Dennis indicated.
“I developed a very special bond with him [Liotta]… and I actually, I didn’t develop a very special bond with him, it just appeared the moment I met him,” Egerton told EW. “I couldn’t quite work out why we just clicked in a way that was lovely. I felt very relaxed in his company. He and I would sit in silence and it’s not often that you get that with somebody. […] And I absolutely adored working with him. It was one of the more special experiences of my career,” he added.
Dennis and Liotta’s collaboration for ‘Black Bird’ was supposed to be the first of many if the actor hadn’t passed away. “He [Liotta] was an absolute joy; we had plans from that point on that he was going to be in everything with me,” Dennis told NYP. The developer reminded the last conversation they had in the same interview. “The last conversation we had was three weeks before he died and he was such an actor, he was like, ‘Am I in the next thing?’ and I was like, ‘Of course you’re in the next thing’ and he said, ‘Make it a big part this time!’ Dennis said.
James “Big Jim” Keene is one of the best performances of Ray Liotta regardless of the character’s minimal screentime. Liotta succeeded in commendably bringing a unique sort of vulnerability to his character, which enhances the bond between Big Jim and the protagonist, Jimmy Keene.
Read More: Did Paul Walter Hauser Lose Weight to Play Larry Hall in Black Bird?
