Comedic films may require less physical demands from the aging actor.
It seems Liam Neeson is calling it quits!
After an impressive jaunt as an action star, Liam Neeson, hero of such films as “Non-Stop”, “A Walk Among the Tombstones” and the “Taken” series, is deciding to take off his cape, or in most instances his leather jacket. Instead, he’s choosing to ride in to save the day of comedic films like “Ted 2” and the “Lego” franchise.
The actor was quoted in The Guardian as saying, “Maybe two more years. If God spares me and I’m healthy. But after that I’ll stop the action I think.”
Most actors, who are at the top of their game, perform very few of their action stunts, but Liam Neeson takes part in many of the stunts and engages in the “particular set of skills” he finds action heroes need. In playing the role of Bryan Mills, a man who sets out to save his daughter from sex traffickers in the “Taken” series, physical wear and tear takes its toll on the 62-year-old star, who broke out on the scene with Steven Spielberg’s nominal “Schindler’s List.”
This is not the first time Neeson as mentioned turning in his glocks and settling into something a bit more emotionally investing as an actor. He shared, around the release of “Taken 3” that “If I feel audiences saying, ‘Come on, he’s 62, enough is enough,’ I’m very sensitive to that and if I pick up that vibe it will all stop. And I’ll start playing dads or grandfathers. But I keep myself pretty fit and my knees are still great. And it’s fun.”
It’s interesting to note that an actor of Neeson’s caliber takes into consideration the reaction of his audience and is attuned to what he calls “vibes.” His “Run All Night” co-star, Joel Kinnaman, who plays Neeson’s son in the film, shares that Neeson is “so physically capable, he’s an old boxer. When he knocks somebody out in the movie, you believe it.”
Audiences believe it when Liam Neeson throws a punch. Whether or not Neeson wants to keep fighting is up to him. Either way, he’ll stay in the ring as a star with a prolific career in the entertainment industry.
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