Too old for that stuff: Liam Neeson says no more action films for him
Liam Neeson is to retire from making action movies in 2025.
He told PEOPLE: “I’m 72 – it has to stop at some stage. You can’t fool audiences. I don’t want (longtime stunt collaborator Mark Vanselow) to be fighting my fight scenes for me.”
Neeson went on to set out a timetable for his action movie retirement, adding: “Maybe the end of next year. I think that’s it.”
He is set to show off his comedy chops in his next movie – a reboot of Leslie Nielsen’s police comedy The Naked Gun – but Neeson isn’t sure whether he will be able to swap action for funny roles going forward.
He said: “Whether I can carry it or not, I honestly don’t know.”
In the interview, Neeson also revealed how his part in the Taken franchise has infiltrated every part of his life – confessing a clerk at a New York court started reciting his speech from the first film when releasing him from jury dury.
He said: “(The clerk is)calling, I don’t know, 55, 60 of us. He gets to me, but all I’m hearing is, ‘I have a particular set of skills. Skills that would make me …’
“And I thought, ‘Oh f*** no’ … It was actually really sweet and flattering. As I was leaving, people started to applaud.”
Neeson previously revealed he felt nervous about taking on the role of Frank Drebin Jr – the son of Leslie Nielsen’s protagonist Detective Frank Drebin from the original Naked Gun films – and is wary of the expectation that comes with reviving the spoof comedy franchise.
Neeson told MovieWeb.com: “I’ve done a couple of, like, TV skits with Stephen Colbert and Ricky Gervais, but those were two minutes, three minutes tops. But I’m a bit nervous about Naked Gun, because it’s a feature film … There’s lots of funny gags, lots of funny visual gags happening at the same time while ‘serious things’ are being discussed, you know? …
“It’s not a remake. It’s a reboot. It’s a totally different thing … I’ll do my own thing. I remember Leslie very well. I love those films. Especially that first, (Flying High) You know, ‘Don’t call me Shirley’. Just that line alone … changed Leslie’s career up until he passed away.”
FILE - Actor Liam Neeson appears at the premiere of the film "Hunt For The Wilderpeople" in London. Paramount Pictures is moving ahead with a long-gestating remake of “Naked Gun,” the studio announced Wednesday. Liam Neeson will star as the bumbling police detective Debin in the role made famous by Leslie Nielsen. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, file)
The 72-year-old actor has become known for his tough guy roles over the years since starring in 2008 thriller Taken but Neeson fears his days of rough-and-tumble roles are coming to an end and he wants to bow out before he’s unable to convincingly throw a punch.
He told PEOPLE: “I’m 72 – it has to stop at some stage. You can’t fool audiences. I don’t want (longtime stunt collaborator Mark Vanselow) to be fighting my fight scenes for me.”
Neeson went on to set out a timetable for his action movie retirement, adding: “Maybe the end of next year. I think that’s it.”
He is set to show off his comedy chops in his next movie – a reboot of Leslie Nielsen’s police comedy The Naked Gun – but Neeson isn’t sure whether he will be able to swap action for funny roles going forward.
He said: “Whether I can carry it or not, I honestly don’t know.”
In the interview, Neeson also revealed how his part in the Taken franchise has infiltrated every part of his life – confessing a clerk at a New York court started reciting his speech from the first film when releasing him from jury dury.
He said: “(The clerk is)calling, I don’t know, 55, 60 of us. He gets to me, but all I’m hearing is, ‘I have a particular set of skills. Skills that would make me …’
“And I thought, ‘Oh f*** no’ … It was actually really sweet and flattering. As I was leaving, people started to applaud.”
Neeson previously revealed he felt nervous about taking on the role of Frank Drebin Jr – the son of Leslie Nielsen’s protagonist Detective Frank Drebin from the original Naked Gun films – and is wary of the expectation that comes with reviving the spoof comedy franchise.
Neeson told MovieWeb.com: “I’ve done a couple of, like, TV skits with Stephen Colbert and Ricky Gervais, but those were two minutes, three minutes tops. But I’m a bit nervous about Naked Gun, because it’s a feature film … There’s lots of funny gags, lots of funny visual gags happening at the same time while ‘serious things’ are being discussed, you know? …
“It’s not a remake. It’s a reboot. It’s a totally different thing … I’ll do my own thing. I remember Leslie very well. I love those films. Especially that first, (Flying High) You know, ‘Don’t call me Shirley’. Just that line alone … changed Leslie’s career up until he passed away.”
