Goodbye to a Goodfella

A farewell to the great actor Ray Liotta

Ray Liotta has died at the age of 67, and while one does not expect the death of anyone, that of this great actor was surprising to me. I don't know, he was that kind of actor who with his great personality and strong stage presence stood out and made highlights any production where he participates, creating that famous phrase that only appears when a great actor is in a film, series or other acting work: "you know, that one where Ray Liotta comes out".

To say "Goodfellas" is basically to refer perhaps his most important role, although for baseball fans " Field of Dreams" is a more endearing reference. However, the truth is that Ray Liotta was never "afraid" to work in all kinds of productions, small and large and standing out in each of them, personally at this time I remember him in a very good film where he also participated with other famous actors such as Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendez, "The Place Beyond the Pines".

While as I said at the beginning ray Liotta's death surprised me, it was something I read minutes before I heard the news and that gave it an even greater impact. A debate about the "usefulness" or importance of doing or studying things when one has reached a certain age; for some it was a waste of resources, others said is something worthy of applause and one more, perhaps the one that most accentuated the death of this great actor was the following: "it is absurd to do it at that age seeing that the average life span is 65 years". This probably one of the brainless and stupid comments I've read lately highlights the poverty of the mind and spirit of certain humans and makes us wonder things like: so was it perfect for Ray Liotta to die at age 67? In the same way, the average lifespan had already passed, hadn't it? Did he no longer have the right to try anything new, perhaps some experience that because of his acting activity he had not done and that today he could finally enjoy?

Those same questions that can be applied to any of us and that in the face of the stupidity and obtuse mind of some people who live under the weight of invented and ridiculous schedules (because no one knows how long they will live) seek that we all live in the same way as them, in their small and miserable world.

In the meantime I will continue to enjoy from time to time the great performances of the wonderful Ray Liotta, one of the best modern gangsters we have ever seen, an actor always committed to his roles and definitely a "goodfella".

Gabriel Soberanis