Entertainment
‘Devastated’ Kevin Costner pays tribute to Ray Liotta with incredible Field of Dreams storyAlistair McGeorgeEntertainment – Metro
Incredible!
Ray Liotta died in his sleep this week (Picture: Valeria Macon / AFP via Getty Images)
Kevin Costner has paid tribute to Ray Liotta with an incredible story from Field of Dreams.
The 67-year-old actor appeared in the classic 1989 baseball movie alongside the late star – who died in his sleep on Thursday aged 67 – and he has treated fans to a wonderful tale from their time on set.
Kevin shared a clip of the iconic moment Liotta – as Shoeless Joe Jackson – swings and hits, sending the ball soaring out of the field during a late night practice.
It turns out it wasn’t just for the camera – and the reactions were real.
He tweeted: “Devastated to hear the news of Ray Liotta’s passing. While he leaves an incredible legacy, he’ll always be “Shoeless Joe Jackson” in my heart.
‘What happened that moment in the film was real. God gave us that stunt. Now God has Ray.’
It’s said Liotta actually had no experience playing baseball, and he trained with USC coach Rod Redeaux to work on his swing.
The actor once admitted he regrets not being able to hit left-handed to match real life baseball star Shoeless Joe Jackson, who featured in W.P. Kinsealla’s 1982 novel Shoeless Joe, which was adapted into Field of Dreams.
Speaking in the DVD extras, he said: ‘To this day I regret it because I’m a bug, making sure things are accurate.
Costner – seen here with wife Christine Baumgartner – has paid tribute to his late co-star (Picture: Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
‘There used to be Monday Night Baseball and they were talking about the movie and how wonderful the movie was and some announcer who shall remain nameless said, “Yeah, but Shoeless Joe was batting the wrong way.”
‘Well, he didn’t come down from heaven either, so…’
Liotta first rose to prominence in 1986 when he starred in Something Wild, which earned him his first Golden Globe nomination.
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Other acting credits include the likes of Goodfellas and thrillers Unlawful Entry, and Unforgettable while, more recently, Liotta featured in the Oscar nominated film Marriage Story, alongside Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson.
On the small screen, he featured in a range of TV shows, from Saturday Night Live Modern Family, to and Phineas and Ferb.
Liotta is survived by his daughter, Karsen – who he shared with his ex-wife Michelle Grace – and partner Jacy Nittolo, to whom he was engaged at the time of his death.
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