Ray Liotta Interview

[Deuces_Muthafucca]

I was wondering if it was possible for anyone to post up the Ray Liotta Interview he did for IGN, I've been wanting to read this years, but not willing to subcribe and pay just to read it, if anyone has it, much appreciated

[Justin]

I have a feeling that if you have to pay for it somewhere, you'll have to pay for it everywhere. Illegal activities is out of the equation here, just in case the thought had crossed your mind.

 

Although:

 

#1

#2

 

Not sure which one/s (if any) you're after. Courtesy of a Google search.

[Deuces_Muthafucca]

Nah those arnt the ones, looking for the one interview about GTA Vice city

Edited August 6, 2006 by Deuces_Muthafucca

[Jordan]

Have fun:

 

 

When Grand Theft Auto III came out it in 2001 it was blatantly obvious that DMA Designs and Rockstar Games had taken the franchise to the next level. The improved features of the game, not to mention the violent intensity of the storyline, attested to that. But another one of the things that truly elevated the game to new heights was the type of talent they snagged for the character voices. The credits for GTA3 read like a mini Who's Who list of credible actors: Robert Loggia, Michael Madsen, Joe Pantoliano, Michael Rappaport Debi Mazar, Kyle McLaughlan, even rapper Guru.

 

With Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the caliber of acting talent remains equally as eclectic as that of its predecessor. Old School cinematic heavy Gary Busey is joined by the likes of Luis Guzman, Danny Trejo, porn star Jenna Jameson, David Paymer, and Lawrence "L.T." Taylor. But this time around, the marquee name behind the game's main character Tommy Vercetti, belongs to none other than Ray Liotta.

 

Liotta was recently in San Francisco attending the 2002 World Series (c'mon, the guy played Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams, so you know he's a hardcore baseball fan). He was also promoting his upcoming film Narc. Despite the preoccupation with baseball and his new film, Liotta wasn't beyond talking a bit about his involvement with GTA:VC.

 

"It was actually a lot of fun," he says of doing the voice of Tommy. "There's great people on this one and I did my homework with it. I know it's a pretty intense game" He smiles that wicked Ray Liotta grin, then quickly adds with a laugh, "I was trying to go under the radar with it."

 

Liotta is not only good humored, but also in possession of a quick wit. Who the hell does he think he's kidding with that "under the radar" quip, anyway? GTA3 sold like hotcakes. That said, there is no way he could fly under the radar, let alone keep a low profile of his involvement with the destined to be a bestseller follow-up. To this end, Liotta admits, "It went five million advance. That's huge."

 

Yeah it is. Furthermore, it's safe to say that his character Tommy Vercetti will leave the same kind of imprint on kids today that his portrayal of Ray Sinclair left on every high school and college kid who saw Something Wild back in 1986 (or the way that Liotta's portrayal of Henry Hill in Goodfellas forever changed the way Hollywood (and the general masses) looked at wiseguys).

 

In terms of the differences acting in a video game versus acting in a movie, Liotta keeps his wit pointed. "Ppffffbbbbtt," he intones with a laugh and a wave of his hand, before adding, "Cash." So maybe the paycheck for doing voiceovers isn't as hefty as that of a major studio picture, but most actors will admit that voiceover work is a cakewalk; they put you in a sound booth, slap some headphones over your ears, turn the mic on and let you read the lines.

 

"No, it's not a cakewalk," clarifies Liotta. "No way. Because, you know, you want it to seem real. It's a great challenge. You're creating a character that's not there before. I'm the player, so you see my guy, but it's kind of like I'm you or you're me. You're making me move and then talking to [this character] or you make a left [turn in the game] -- it's just so unbelievable. It's so intensive. What makes the game, aside from the graphics, is that if you make a left hand turn or you go into a car there's one scenario that happens. If you make a right hand turn, there's a whole other different thing. If I talk to one guy I'll be talkin' one way and if somebody else shows up and you choose to talk to somebody else, it's a whole other different thing. The scenarios that go on, it's exhausting."

 

So how did Ray record the voices? Was he shown the game and then went about acting out the role? "Oh no, no. They pre-shoot it with bluescreen, like I did with Hannibal [Ray is referring the infamous brain eating scene]. So it's all bluescreen. So you're lookin' at actors, the worst actors you've ever seen, who are doing the dialogue [Liotta is making fun of the actors for hire used to block out the game's action]. So I'm acting out [the game], I see kinda how it's gonna move, and I'm tryin' not to listen to the overactors. It's just this really complicated thing. [When you're watching the game] it appears that you're just doin' a voice. But it's not. It was really interesting."

 

Given that the experience was complicated and not only involved copious amounts of bluescreen, but also forced Liotta to endure the wraith of "overactors", does he harbor any regrets about doing it? "Noooo, no," confirms Liotta. "Just some of the stuff I'm sayin', though, is pretty raw."

 

But then again being raw is the whole appeal of the GTA franchise, isn't it?

 

I work for IGN, and this is now four years old. I'm invoking the four year rule................that doesn't actually exist.....

Edited August 16, 2006 by Jordan

[Vinny Sindacco]

haha cool

[GodfatherITB]

Ray Liotta's awsome.