‘Cocaine Bear’: Ray Liotta Had a Final Message for Elizabeth Banks 1 Week Before He Died
Movies can take us to distant lands and faraway places. But they can also lean into the particular kind of absurd that comes from a premise like “a bear goes wild after ingesting cocaine.” That’s the idea behind the aptly titled Cocaine Bear, which is also one of the final film releases starring the late Ray Liotta, who was in touch with director Elizabeth Banks just one week before his death.
Ray Liotta makes his final film appearance in ‘Cocaine Bear’
Liotta spent decades in both film and television roles. But he certainly made the biggest mark on the big screen. Films such as Something Wild, Field of Dreams, and Goodfellas established him as a breakthrough talent. And from there on, Liotta became the kind of reliable actor who could instantly elevate any project he touched. That is certainly the case with Cocaine Bear.
In the film, Liotta plays Syd White, a drug kingpin in St. Louis. The titular drugs belong to him, and he sends two of his men to locate and retrieve the missing cocaine. Needless to say, no one is expecting it to have been found and consumed by an American black bear. Banks dedicated Cocaine Bear to Liotta, and it’s clear the two hit it off while working on this over-the-top project.
Ray Liotta’s final message to director Elizabeth Banks
Liotta died on May 26, 2022, at age 67. And although he didn’t see Cocaine Bear released into the world, the actor made it clear to Banks what he thought of the movie. In a recent interview, Banks confirmed that Liotta was able to see his scenes and the bear itself – which was created entirely with CGI – mere days before his death.
“He never saw the final movie, but he did see all of his scenes,” Banks told Entertainment Tonight. “And he saw the bear, which is the most important thing, because … you just sort of hope that it looks cool. … He came in for ADR [to re-record some of his dialogue] eight days before he passed away actually, and he loved it. He was so happy. He was laughing. It was just delightful.”
‘Cocaine Bear’ has become a surprise box office hit
Cocaine Bear might seem like an unexpected choice for Liotta. But then again, the actor was known for trying his hand at a wide variety of genres. And as Banks told Entertainment Weekly, he completely locked on to the campy tone of the film.
“He asked for more jokes when he read the script, which I loved. He was like, ‘Everybody seems like they have some funny lines. I need to be quirkier in this movie.’ He was such a gift to me. He came to set every day excited, committed, professional. He gave a beautiful speech when he wrapped to our crew. He brought tears to people’s eyes. He was just a delight.”
Banks had previously worked with Liotta as an actor on the 2011 film The Details. And though the late star didn’t get a chance to see Cocaine Bear hit theaters, his instincts were correct. According to Variety, Cocaine Bear brought in more than $23 million in its opening week, well on its way to surpassing its reported $35 million production budget.
