Ray Liotta: ‘Today’s movies would not have made the cut in the 1970s’

The Best Picture nominees on this year’s (18) Oscars shortlist wouldn’t have made the cut in the 1970s, according to Goodfellas star Ray Liotta.
The movie veteran insists quality is being made on the small screen these days, and most of the movies that have landed Academy Award nominations in recent years would not have come close to the golden man four decades ago.
“Without naming names, if you look at the 10 movies that were up last year for an Academy Award, there’s no way that would have happened in the 70s,” Ray tells WENN. “Maybe one or two of them would have gotten up for Best Picture, as opposed to what they have now, because they’re not making movies like they did then.”
And Liotta believes his future is on the small screen after enjoying his role as a twisted cop in Jennifer Lopez’s drama series Shades of Blue, which comes to an end this summer.
“I would play a bad guy in a superhero kind of movie, that would be fun but television is more compelling,” he explains.
And he admits he’d love to bring his twisted Shades of Blue character back for a spin-off, adding, “I would do a 13-episode thing again just with this character, especially now the way the business is.
“When you do a show that 10 to 12 million people are seeing, you definitely feel the attention. There are a lot of people who really like this show.”
And he has a new relationship with cops after playing one on the big and small screen: “I have a real appreciation playing make-believe cops. I truly respect and admire the service that they provide,” he explains, “and in terms of the way cops behave towards me, I have a really good relationship with them. Every cop in New York will say hello and I’ll end up talking to them. It’s nice.”