Liam Neeson Reveals How Personal Tragedies Shaped Career: ‘Redemption’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Liam Neeson revealed how personal tragedies have impacted his career.
As an Irish native, Neeson grew up during a period known as the Troubles, where political and religious disputes between the Catholics and Protestants led to three decades of violence.
He recalls losing childhood friends he had made while competing as an amateur boxer from age 9 to 17. “There’s guys I boxed who died tragically during the Troubles in the north of Ireland. I remember them,” he told AARP.
This violence that marred his childhood influenced the roles he chose when he became an actor.
“It’s kind of a post-traumatic stress disorder. I don’t know if it has scarred me, but it has definitely formed something of my character,” Neeson said.
“Maybe even when I play these violent roles, I’m trying to bring some quality of redemption or justice,” he added.
While Neeson is now known as an action movie star, his career began by playing Jesus in the 1978 PILGRIM’S PROGRESS movie. After getting by on smaller movies and TV shows, Neeson moved to Los Angeles in 1986 and landed a starring role in 1988 on Woody Allen’s HUSBANDS AND WIVES. He went on to star in LEAP OF FAITH and SHINING THROUGH, both of which flopped at the box office.
Discouraged by a string of failures, Neeson considered leaving Hollywood behind. However, his breakthrough came in 1994 when he was cast as Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg’s SCHINDLER’S LIST, earning him nominations for an Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe.
Following this success, Neeson went on to star in period dramas like ROB ROY, LES MISÉRABLES and MICHAEL COLLINS. He landed his first action role in 1999 when he played Qui-Gon Jinn in the STAR WARS prequel trilogy.
Neeson wasn’t truly seen as an action star until he met director Luc Besson at the Shanghai Film Festival and asked to star in TAKEN.
“I was hoping to meet [Besson], and I did. I said, ‘Look, Luc, I’m sure I’m not even on your long list of people, but would you consider me?” Neeson told Indiewire.
He ended up with the part and spent three months in Paris filming. “I was in heaven. It was just a joy,” he said.
While making the movie was fun, Neeson did not expect it to succeed. He predicted the movie would go straight to video; instead, it launched his career onto a new trajectory.
“It is fun to explore these kick-butt characters,” Neeson told Entertainment Weekly in 2011.
“When I was in Hollywood in the ‘80s, I was not that guy. I was never even considered for those types of roles. At that time, they had all these huge action stars like Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Stallone. But it was always a genre I wanted to to do but I never actively pursued because I was nothing like those established guys,” he explained.
In his most recent movie, RETRIBUTION, released at the end of August, Neeson has to find a way to save his family from a bomb rigged to the bottom of his car.
This movie certainly captures Neeson’s desire to include redemption within violence as his character stresses the importance of family and is willing to sacrifice himself for the safety of his wife and kids.
Movieguide® previously reported on Neeson:
Liam Neeson is the latest actor to appear in the Deadline video series, The Film That Lit My Fuse. In the video, Neeson discussed the movies that led him to pursue acting as his career.
When asked what movies or TV shows made him “want to tell stories onscreen,” Neeson named THE LONE RANGER and BEN-HUR.
“One that really struck me was Charlton Heston’s BEN-HUR,” the actor said. “It was just fantastic.”
Naming one of his favorite parts of the movie, Neeson said, “Seeing Christ. But you never saw his face. He gives Charlton Heston water when he’s being led in chains to the galleys…and the music all changed, and you knew, ‘My God, this is Christ.’”
