Liam Neeson Says He’s Ready to Quit Action Movies
With Taken, Liam Neeson became an unlikely action star, with his quiet, solemn masculinity lending gravitas to even the silliest dialogue and story beats. But rather than use the success of that instantly meme-able film as an excuse to pursue more period dramas and British weepies, Neeson embraced his newfound action hero identity. Now, after seven years of snapping necks and gunning people down across several continents, it looks like he’s ready to retire from the action hero game for good.
While out promoting Run All Night, his latest “grizzled old guy kills everyone” movie, Neeson admitted that he’s ready to call it quits with the genre that gave his career a second wind. He bears the world of action cinema no ill will, but can you blame a 62-year old actor for wanting to stop making movies where he has to run and jump everywhere? Here’s what he had to say:
Maybe two more years. If God spares me and I’m healthy. But after that, I’ll stop [the action], I think.
I’m in a very, career-wise, great place. [After] the success of certainly the Taken films, Hollywood seems to see me in a different light.
I get sent quite a few action-oriented scripts, which is great. I’m not knocking it. It’s very flattering. But there is a limit, of course.
Let’s not assume too much just yet. Neeson also made it very clear that there was never going to be a Taken 3 until a dump truck full of cash arrived at his driveway and lo and behold, there was a third Taken movie. If Run All Night does decent business, Neeson may get another check with a lot of zeroes and decide that the cash is worth the trouble ... as long as the sequel is called Lightly Jog All Night.
Let’s get real for a moment. As much as we enjoy Liam Neeson as a neck-snapping, CIA-trained badass with a thing for making threatening phone calls, we kinda’ miss Liam Neeson the actor. You know, the guy who made Schindler’s List and Rob Roy. You know, the version of him that briefly emerged to make The Grey. If he does give up on action movies in the next two years, he has an excuse to start actually acting again. Who are we to complain about that?