Liam Neeson on new movie Blacklight and the end of his action film career

Virgin Radio

7 Feb 2022, 13:00

Is there an action movie LN hasn't been in? The actor is set to star in new blockbuster Blacklight as an FBI operative – but it could be one of his last.

The Taken star, who's also got 2022 thrillers Memory and Retribution in the movie bank, told TODAY's Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist: “I started being offered all these action scripts. And I’m going, “Wow. The lead is 29 years of age.’

“I turn 70 this year, so I’m still getting away with it."

He continued: “I think the action movies will draw to a close — they have to. Audiences aren’t stupid, you know. They’re gonna go, ‘Oh, f**k this guy, Liam Neeson. He’s got to be 71, 72, 73… .’ I’ll stop at some stage.”

Talking about Blacklight, he said: “My (character's) job is to go in and extract government agents who are infiltrating various organisations."

On thinking 2008's Taken would bomb, he shared: "I honestly thought it would go straight to video. It was a simple little story."

Speaking about the movie's infamous lines 'I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills'.

He joked: “If I had $0.05 for every time I left (that) message for my son’s friends, I’d be quite wealthy.

“It was funny and I remember when we shot the scene, too, I thought, ‘This is hokey. Can we cut some of these skills out of the speech?’” 

Good job they didn't.