Martin Scorsese on why he never worked with Ray Liotta again — and why he regrets it

Ray Liotta’s death last month, mourned by so many, has left a void in perhaps the most celebrated director he ever worked with, Martin Scorsese.

In a new essay, the Oscar-winning director says he wishes he had collaborated with Liotta again after they teamed up on 1990’s “Goodfellas," but the timing never felt right.

“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,” Scorsese wrote in The Guardian.

Scorsese says he was reminded of Liotta’s talents when he saw him in 2019’s “Marriage Story.”

“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,” he wrote.

“I wish I’d had the chance to see him just once more, too — to tell him just how much the work we did together meant to me. But maybe he knew that. I hope so.”

Scorsese also recalled how Liotta managed to shoot a scene in “Goodfellas” after he learned his mother was dying of cancer.

“I told him that he had to go to be with her, but he was adamant: he wanted to do the scene before he left,” Scorsese wrote.

“We walked to the set together, everyone was told what was happening, and something extraordinary happened when we rolled. The scene was all about the euphoria of the characters after making their first big score, and everyone came together in an emotional bond around Ray: As everyone was laughing and celebrating, they were mourning with him at the same time.

“Laughter and tears, tears and laughter … they were one and the same. Ray did the scene so beautifully, and then he left to be with his beloved mother. It was a rare experience.”

Liotta, 67, died in his sleep on May 26 while filming a movie called "Dangerous Waters" in the Dominican Republic.