At the age of 56, Liam Neeson surprised everyone by turning himself into one of the hottest action stars around, starting with TAKEN in 2009 which earned a whopping $226 million globally. Every great dynasty comes to an end, however, and same goes for Neeson’s reign as the most badass senior citizen on the planet. Per a recent interview, Neeson admitted he’s no longer accepting roles that require him to kick all the ass in the room.
While at the Toronto International Film Festival, Neeson, now 65, said the decision to not do action movies anymore comes from the idea that, as he gets older, audiences won't buy that a man of his age engages in so much action:
They're still throwing serious money at me to do that stuff. I'm like, “Guy's I'm sixty-f******-five.” Audiences are eventually going to go: “Come on."
In recent years he’s found new fame starring in action flicks like the TAKEN series, UNKNOWN, NON-STOP, A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES and more. Neeson still has two more action-thrillers on the docket, including HARD POWDER and THE COMMUTER, the latter re-teaming him with NON-STOP director Jaume Collet-Serra.
Last year the actor was in Martin Scorsese's heavy drama, SILENCE, and Neeson’s most recent film, MARK FELT, sees the actor taking on another dramatic role, for which he is earning rave reviews. He also has the crime drama WIDOWS coming up, which pairs him with 12 YEARS A SLAVE director Steve McQueen.
I wouldn’t be lying if I said I’m sort of bummed we won’t see Neeson taking on random thugs in some no-holds-barred action thrill ride beyond next year. The man’s tough Irish brogue and grizzled look made him the perfect action star for the modern era. Other actors like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger continue to throw themselves into the fray, but that’s the only life they know at this point. Neeson has experienced the life, made his mark, and is ready to move on. The world has been made a better place for it.
MARK FELT arrives September 29 and HARD POWDER is set for 2018.