Ray Liotta Once Called Clint Eastwood the "Most Overrated Actor"
The late star was put in the hot seat on Watch What Happens Live.
The late actor Ray Liotta, who passed away at age 67 in 2022 while shooting the film Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic, is remembered for iconic and frequently menacing performances onscreen, as well as a dry, unapologetic bluntness off-screen. The latter was a quality that served the actor well when he was roped into a truth-telling game called "Plead the Fifth" in a 2017 episode of Watch What Happens Live. The Goodfellas actor never took the so-called Fifth, instead delivering some forthright thoughts without hesitation—including dropping the bomb that he considered Clint Eastwood the most overrated actor of the '80s and '90s. Read for more about his appearance and the surprising connection he would make with Eastwood before his untimely passing.
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First, Liotta dished on his worst ever onscreen kiss.
Liotta was promoting the television show Shades of Blue alongside co-star Jennifer Lopez on the Bravo late-night show when host Andy Cohen slapped a pair of handcuffs on them and subjected Liotta to a series of uncomfortable questions. In a twist on the segment, Cohen offered Liotta the option to plead the Fifth and pass a question on to Lopez should he find it unanswerable.
Cohen jumped right in, asking Liotta which of the leading ladies he had worked with was the worst kisser. The actor took a moment to think about it, before replying, "Sigourney"—as in his Heartbreakers co-star Sigourney Weaver. "This is the worst game in the world!" Lopez then exclaimed, but Liotta looked unfazed.
Next, he dissed Eastwood.
The real bomb dropped with the next question, when Cohen asked Liotta who he thought the most overrated actor of the '80s and '90s was. "Pbbbt, Clint Eastwood probably," the star replied, alluding to the actor's long run of critical and commercial successes including Pale Rider, Heartbreak Ridge, Dirty Harry sequels Sudden Impact and The Dead Pool, and the Academy Award-winning Unforgiven, which made Eastwood one of the highest-grossing stars of the era. After a beat, Liotta shouted, "I don't give a [expletive]!" However, he was never able to clarify what exactly what he had against Eastwood's acting or the reception of it, as Cohen soon moved on to asking Liotta yet another uncomfortable question.
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Liotta even admitted he couldn't name a J.Lo song.
For his third and final question, Cohen asked Liotta to name his favorite and least favorite Jennifer Lopez songs. The actor admitted, "I really don't know any of 'em," despite the handcuffed singer noting he had been to one of her shows. He finally ended up naming "the 'Jenny From the Block' thing" and "that little bit from Bye Bye Birdie." Lopez was, at one point, set to appear in a live TV version of the musical and posted a clip of herself singing one of the songs to her Instagram.
Liotta later starred opposite another Eastwood.
Although he never elaborated on his grudge against Eastwood, Liotta would later be connected to the actor a second time when he acted in the movie April 29, 1992, which completed production the December before the actor's death and is slated to be released this year. Liotta was cast as half of a father-son duo who orchestrate a heist during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Amusingly, the actor cast to play Liotta's son was none other than Scott Eastwood, the real-life son of Clint. Upon Liotta's death, the younger Eastwood remembered his onscreen father as the straight-talker that he was: "He was brash, funny, and incredibly dry!" Eastwood told ET Canada, adding: "There was no [expletive] with Ray, and I liked that. He had a very fun way of making sure there was no [expletive], but in a way that kept it fun and kept people laughing."
