Martin Scorsese has said he regrets not reuniting with Ray Liotta after working together on Goodfellas.

The director penned a tribute to the actor in The Guardian, following the sudden death of the actor last month at the age of 67.

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Scorsese first reflected on how “fearless” Liotta was on set, determined to keep filming after he received difficult news about his family.

He later went on to reveal he and the actor had many plans to work together but never managed to make it work.

“We had many plans to work together again but the timing was always off, or the project wasn’t quite right. I regret that now,” Scorsese said.

“When I watched Ray as the divorce lawyer in Marriage Story — he’s genuinely scary in the role, which is precisely why he’s so funny — I remember feeling that I wanted to work with him again at this point in his life, to explore the gravity in his presence, so different from the young, sprightly actor he was when I met him.”

The filmmaker added: “I wish I’d had the chance to see him just once more, too — to tell him just how much the work we did together meant to me. But maybe he knew that. I hope so.”

Martin Scorsese initially paid tribute to Liotta when news of his death was first shared, writing: “I’m absolutely shocked and devastated by the sudden, unexpected death of Ray Liotta. He was so uniquely gifted, so adventurous, so courageous as an actor.”