The veteran actor from ‘Goodfellas’ is coming to ‘Hanna’. The actor recently confessed his ideas about the show and why he has chosen to act in the “Amazon Prime” series.
Amazon Prime is pulling in the big guns for the ‘Hanna’ finale. It recently cast Ray Liotta for the final season and is planning to tell the ending of the action-drama. When telling a story like this, where a super-soldier child has been created, the story can veer too close to ‘Stranger Things’, Netflix’s pet project. So, Amazon is not stopping at any point to make season 3 function well. Here’s what has happened till now.
HIGHLIGHTS —
- ‘Hanna’ story
- Ray Liotta
- Season 3?
‘Hanna’ story
Growing up in the secluded forests of Eastern Europe, HANNA is an extraordinary child. Through a series of experiments and relentless training, she has become someone who can kill at a moment’s notice. She lives with her father, Erik Heller, and is trained in survival and assassination skills. However, she ends up wrapped around in a plot of CIA with a dogged killer trying to kill her and her father.
In season 2, Hanna ends up in a school for highly-skilled assassins. “The Meadows” is a school for to-be-assassins, off-the-books, and run by the CIA. The show digs its heels into the psychological trauma that the adolescent child has faced, and the story introduces “The Chairman”. The elusive dark man who has commanded the post is probably responsible for the entire off-the-books project.
As the adults around Hanna have to deal with the burden of her abusive past and her dangerous present, the story is quickly accelerating to the finish line. The series is also a visual spectacle, taking up the scenery of the secluded nordic country and expanding the view for everyone else, with talented actors and actresses, and a storyline that keeps on giving. ‘Hanna’ promises to be one of the best shows on OTT platforms this season and the next.
Ray Liotta enters the scene
Amazon has been pulling out all stops to rise to the top of the OTT chain. Part of this is survival. Prime needs to play catch-up with Netflix, Disney Plus, and HBO Max all turning out profitable assets. Alongside the epic screening of ‘Wheel of Time’ is the spectacle of ‘Hanna’.
One of the big guns it has brought to the season finale is Ray Liotta.
Starting with a supporting role in Melanie Griffith’s ‘Something Wild’, Ray Liotta is a Golden Globe-winning actor who has continued to outshine himself. He was also Henry Hill in the Scorcese classic, ‘Goodfellas’, and is well-known for his role in ‘Field of Dreams’ as Shoeless Joe Jackson.
When it comes to cinema royalty, his name appears in red. He has been described as “magnetic in every scene” by “The Guardian” and holds many film accolades to his name. More notably, he can take charge of a role and turn the entire film on its head.
When asked about joining the cast of ‘Hanna’ he confessed, “I had never seen the show and so before I read the script, I wanted to get a sense of what it was, and I liked the acting and the style in which they did it. I read the part, and I liked it”.
But, he was essentially an outsider to the cast of newcomers and people who were just getting their bearings. In the finale, he is portraying the primary villain of the series and will come home to his roots in crime movies, holding up the history of violent films he has played. But, he might have committed a crime even before the series was released. According to sources, Ray Liotta gave out the season 3 plot before it airs on the OTT platform.
Season 3?
“Entertainment Weekly” described Ray Liotta’s character as “a visionary with a rigid moral code and a true patriot who will do what needs to be done to protect his country and hold onto what’s dear”. In an interview with “Looper”, Ray Liotta ended up revealing a vital aspect of the season itself.
Ray Liotta details his villainous role in ‘Hanna’ Season 3 by saying, “I was playing a character that doesn’t connect with any of those people. So you sometimes want to step back or keep an arm’s distance just to continue the character that way a little off-camera”.
He essentially revealed that his character would not be at arm’s length of the main series’ protagonists. He also announced that he would be the main villain in the series in the interview. In a role that was described by “IndieWire” as “Despite the season’s efforts to add some emotional resonance to his involvement in the show’s overall tale, he’s mostly a means to an ending’s end”. Ray Liotta was limited by the script and ended up revealing much of the character’s ambitions before the series happened. However, that’s the risk of having a veteran actor on board. You can’t control them.
