MOVIE NEWS – Liam Neeson hints that his action star career is coming to an end…
Liam Neeson made a name for himself as an action star quite late in life, but that name is not just any name! However, it seems that he is almost ready to close that part of his life in the near future. After giving audience-friendly performances in films such as Taken, The Ice Road and Cold Pursuit, fans will want to watch his latest film, Absolution, as if it could be one of his last action roles.
While Neeson has been a favourite of dramas and romantic comedies for many years, the 2009 revenge thriller Taken changed all that forever. It turned the Irish actor into a famous action star overnight. In a new interview with People, he first recalled that something about that film simply resonated with audiences. Neeson explained:
“It just seemed to have touched something in the psychic nerve of moviegoing audiences.”
Although he gets back in touch with the bad guys in his new film, he’s already started thinking about retiring from the genre. As he put it:
“I’m 72 — it has to stop at some stage. You can’t fool audiences. I don’t want [stunt collaborator] Mark [Vanselow] to be fighting my fight scenes for me. Maybe the end of next year. I think that’s it.”
Liam Neeson to clown around in Naked Gun in 2025
While Neeson plans to end his string of action roles, that doesn’t mean he’s completely retiring from the film industry. He’s returning to comedy next year in the Naked Gun reboot! The actor has dabbled in comedic roles before – just think of Love Actually. But now he’s tackling a completely different kind of comedy.
The franchise was a huge hit in the 1980s/1990s thanks to Leslie Nielsen’s deadpan delivery, and living up to that legacy is something that has left Neeson with some doubts. While he admitted that “Whether I can carry it or not, I honestly don’t know,” co-star Pamela Anderson said it was just “being humble.” She said of Neeson’s performance:
“It was hard to keep a straight face in scenes together.”
Whether this will be another permanent career change for Neeson remains to be seen. However, as one of the most popular actors in the industry, the actor has a dedicated fan base that is willing to follow him wherever it takes them. There are still plenty of action movies to come before he stops shooting people and beating people up. Neeson currently has four movies waiting for release dates. These are Thug, Cold Storage, The Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky, and Hotel Tehran. Here’s hoping he adds a lot more to this list!
Source: People
