By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Liam Neeson is one of the most famous examples of an actor who managed to completely reinvent his career. Once upon a time the guy was cast as the charming romantic lead, and he occasionally did wild card genre films such as Black man And The Phantom Menace. The Taken films transformed Liam Neeson into a true action icon, but he recently announced that he would stop playing such action-heavy roles next year.
When will Liam Neeson retire from action films?
Recently, Liam Neeson sat down for an interview with People, and they discussed how the actor would use his special action skills to star in the upcoming film. Absolution. The director (Hans Petter Moland) praised Neeson’s ability to handle action scenes, but the actor himself was quite blunt, saying, “I’m 72, it’ll have to stop at at some point.” Although he doesn’t know exactly when he will take over the role, he has set a deadline for stepping down: “maybe the end of next year.”
Hearing Liam Neeson speak so humbly about him, we understand why he is so beloved by action fans. The actor stressed, “We can’t fool the audience,” and he knows the audience is there to see him fight, not an understudy. “I don’t want Mark to fight my fight scenes for me,” he said.
As Star Trek fans, it’s hard to hear Liam Neeson talk about the need to step away from action roles without thinking of Patrick Stewart returning to his most famous film character. Picard spin-off. Stewart was 79 when the series began and, like so many NuTrek series, there was way too much action and violence.
It was hard to see how slow Stewart looked in some of these action scenes, especially when most of us remember him as a much younger man bringing great physicality to the role in movies like Star Trek: First Contact.
The Taken franchise makes Liam Neeson a certified action star
It seems Liam Neeson doesn’t want fans to see him that way, and he knows he’ll always be held to the standard of the action roles that have redefined his current career. After the success of Takenthe actor starred in two sequels and took on numerous action movie roles in films like Gray And The commuter. Next month, his latest action film, Absolutionwill be released in theaters on November 1st.
In fact, Liam Neeson’s fame as an action star is a big part of why he’s starring in the upcoming film. The naked gun restart. Original franchise star Leslie Nielsen was once known for her more serious roles before branching out into comedy. Neeson appears to be making the same pivot, and knowing all about his performances in those previous action films will likely help audiences appreciate his slapstick transformation in the upcoming police procedural spoof.
“I’m 72 years old, this will have to stop at some point.”
Liam Neeson on playing action roles
Once upon a time, we thought the reinvention of Liam Neeson’s career seemed absurd… like, how were we supposed to take a guy whose career spanned both Schindler’s List and Star Wars seriously as an enthusiastic action hero? But he blew us all away with Takenproving that he knew exactly when and how to reinvent his career. Now, it seems like he knows the perfect time to take a step back from those action roles, which represent a special skill set that far too many aging stars (like Roger Moore playing James Bond in 57you all) never master.
Source: People