“Clint was never considered a great actor on a DeNiro, Pacino, Nicholson level”: Fans Verdict on Ray Liotta Calling Clint Eastwood the Most Overrated Actor

The late Ray Liotta didn't think highly of Clint Eastwood's acting skills.

Ray Liotta, Clint Eastwood

SUMMARY

  • Ray Liotta revealed in an interview that he thought Clint Eastwood was an overrated actor.
  • He never worked with the director but according to Scott Eastwood, Liotta was "funny and incredibly dry."
  • Fans agreed with Liotta and believed Eastwood played the same type of role in every single movie.
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Ray Liotta’s passing in 2022 was a great loss to Hollywood. He was known for his work in 1986’s Something Wild, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Many fans would probably recognize him as Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas.

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Ray Liotta in Goodfellas / Warner Bros. Pictures

The actor and film producer was notable for his frank and unfiltered opinions, especially with costars he has worked with in the past. In fact, he was admired for his bluntness even in televised interviews.

Ray Liotta Called Clint Eastwood The Most Overrated Actor

In an interview with Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, actor Ray Liotta played the game Plead the Fifth with Jennifer Lopez. He was asked which actor from the ‘80s and ‘90s he thought was overrated and he responded, “As an actor? Clint Eastwood, probably.”

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Ray Liotta in Watch What Happens Live / Bravo

The crowd chuckled, and Liotta shouted back, “I don’t give a s—t!” They carried on with the game answering more nerve-wracking questions. It’s quite an intriguing choice to call Clint Eastwood an overrated actor because he had many iconic projects back in his days acting in films.

Interestingly, Eastwood traded his acting career to directing mostly Western films and it proved to be a better profession for him. His movies were recipients of Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards, to name a few.

Thankfully, Liotta and Eastwood had no collaborations in the past, or else it would have been a chaotic movie production. The former worked with the director’s son, Scott Eastwood, in the movie ‘April 29, 1992’. The young actor told ET Canada:

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He was brash, funny, and incredibly dry. There was no s—t with Ray, and I liked that. He had a very fun way of making sure there was no s—t, but in a way that kept it fun and kept people laughing.

Well, that explains why Liotta did not have any second thoughts about opening up during his interview with Cohen. He clearly did not care what people thought of his response – he just wanted to be as honest and straightforward as possible.

Fans Agree With Ray Liotta’s Opinion Of Clint Eastwood

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Clint Eastwood in The Gauntlet / Warner Bros.

Fans showed support for Liotta and agreed with this take on Clint Eastwood being an overrated actor. Some pointed out how he played the same type of role in many of his movies, while others thought he wasn’t as legendary as the likes of other cinema royalties.

On Instagram, showtownsound wrote, “Clint was never considered a great actor on a DeNiro, Pacino, Nicholson level”, while lainlv89 stated, “He’s not wrong. Great director tho.”

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Another user with the handle kahlil_godswarrior_smoot said, “Clint plays the same guy in every movie” while oblivion_mike argued, “Stuck playing the same Spaghetti Western character that made him famous.”

It seems like fans share the same observation as Liotta about Eastwood as an actor. It doesn’t take away, though, that he’s a master of his craft when directing movies. He solely didn’t have enough variety and this was the concern of fans.

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Written by Ariane Cruz

Articles Published: 2285

Ariane Cruz, Senior Writer. She has been contributing articles for FandomWire since 2021, mostly covering stories about the latest movies and series. With a degree in Communication Arts, she has an in-depth knowledge of print and broadcast journalism. Her other works can also be seen on Screen Rant and CBR.