Golden Globe nominee Ray Liotta discussed his childhood and his upcoming role in the dramatic film "The Identical" in an intimate interview published Friday.
Liotta revealed to The Christian Post that he had negative experiences with the Catholic Church when he was growing up, and could relate to some of the family dynamics in "The Identical" because he was adopted himself.
In the film, which spans the 1930s through the 1970s, twin brothers are separated at birth. One of them becomes a rock 'n' roll star, while the other struggles with pursuing his love for music while trying to please his father, who is a pastor.
Liotta plays the religious father, Pastor Reece Wade, in the movie. The actor said that his own experiences with church were less productive.
"We did go to church, we were not raised in a strict home," he told the Christian Post. "We went to church every Sunday but we had a horrible priest.
"I was brought up Catholic and he was just scary, [church] was just so heavy and scary. [He] gave me this huge fear of death ... I'd definitely say I'm much more spiritual than religious.
"We went to church as a kid and I did my first communion and was confirmed so I did all of that but we didn't pray before every meal or anything like that. Im a work-in-progress but yet if I'm in a fix I'll pray ... if I'm feeling uncomfortable about something I'll say "Our Father's" and "Hail Marys" to this day."
Liotta, 59, said that his early experiences with church affected the way he parents his 15-year-old daughter, Karsen.
"My daughter went to a Christian school [and] I was involved in a lot of [her schooling] and I think it goes back to [me] having that scary priest," he said.
Like his son in "The Identical," Liotta was adopted as a baby. He revealed that his ex-wife is the reason he connected with his birth mother.
"At the end of [the 'Oprah'] show... there was this guy named Troy who was a locator and [my ex] called him without me knowing it and within a day he found out who my birth mother was... the biggest thing that I got out of [our reunion] was 'thank God I was adopted'."
"The Identical" will appear in theatres on September 5.
