How did you come to this and were you a fan of Foot Fist Way?
Ray Liotta: "I changed agencies and this is something that they gave me that they had read before. I read it and really liked it. I knew the casting director, so I called her and hustled it and then went in and met Jody [Hill] and I said, I really want to do this.' Every time I’ve done a comedy, I’ve had to read for it. I said, 'I’ll come in and read for it,' and sure enough I had to read for it, which is fine for me I didn’t care and I got it."
What is it like working with Jody since he’s a relatively new director?
Ray Liotta: "He’s great - I’m not just saying that too. There is only one other director - and I consider like a first-timer like Joe Carnahan was - and I just got the same vibe of somebody who really knows what they want they are very secure with who they are and what they want their movie to be. And I guarantee that he is going to be something later on."
Jody said there are some intense fights between you and Seth Rogen. Can you talk about those?
Ray Liotta: "Well, I don’t see dailies or anything but they said they want to be funny, but also want it based in a reality and the fight was something that he really wanted based in a reality. Seth is one of the better actors I’ve worked with - he really is. I trust him and he trusts me. Usually with things like that an actor’s ego gets in the way and they don’t like getting hit or they don’t know how to do it or they want to get close. Seth really knows the camera and we wanted to do it all ourselves, so yeah it was intense."
Are you the straight man to his funny man?
Ray Liotta: "I think so. Hopefully, if there is any humor from my character’s point of view it is the fact of how serious I am and I just want to get my job done. Seth is just so extreme, so the way that he does things kind of upsets my character and hopefully within that there is some humor."
Does it take all of your strength to not laugh at some of these one-liners he’s throwing out there?
Ray Liotta: "Sometimes, sometimes it does. But after that I just sort of lock in and I think that it is supposed to be funny and if anything it is supposed to be annoying so you just kind of stay in character, especially when he’s with Michael Pena and the other guys. They like to lay it on thick and you can’t help but laugh because sometimes it is really funny and sometimes it’s not. But I think that is what makes anything good is they are willing to try anything. And that’s what makes it kind of on the edge, which is good. I think it is better that they try and fail than not try at all, and that is including myself too."
Does it keep you on your toes?
Ray Liotta: "Yeah, definitely. I would like to think that if I do my homework, then whatever the actor throws at me I’m there for them so I’m not thrown by it. I saw early on that that is the way they like to work and I like it. It keeps the attention going."
Can you give us a little background on your character?
Ray Liotta: "I didn’t really go that deep. No, he’s just a cop who would rather be involved in real stuff than to come to a mall to check out what a pervert was doing. In one of the previous scripts, and it is something I kind of remembered, it was like I got the short straw. We are all sitting around and I’ve got to go to the mall because I was here before. And then after the pervert the shoes are stolen, so as far as I’m concerned I’d rather be out investigating a murder than looking for a shoe thief."
Do you have a special understanding of cops from all the ones you’ve played?
Ray Liotta: "I wouldn’t say special understanding, but having gone on ride-alongs and things like that, you definitely see a human being. I don’t know how much you’ve dealt with or if you know any cops, but at first you just see the uniform and you know you are either going to be in trouble or you need help. And I just realized that there is a human being under there, there is method to their madness and a reason why they stop you for something you think is ridiculous. They’ve seen so many bad things and accidents that really they are helping you and it is for your own good, but you don’t notice that at first. But from hanging out with them, same thing with doctors, I’ve met a lot of doctors and gone to open heart surgeries and things like that for a movie and again you see there is a human being there aside from just the white [uniform]."
Do you have more fun playing the cops or the criminals?
Ray Liotta: "I guess the bad guys because I’ve never been in a fight in my life. My friends laugh that I’m playing these kinds of characters, so it is always fun to play something that you’re not."
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Observe and Report hits theaters on April 10, 2009 and is rated R for pervasive language, graphic nudity, drug use, sexual content and violence.
