Liam Neeson has decided that it’s time to start acting his age. The 65-year-old actor has announced that he is retiring from the thriller and action genres because he feels that he is just too old.
The Irish actor made this declaration at the Toronto International Film Festival, admitting that he is still routinely offered an obscene amount of money by studios to star in these films, but that his presence in them is now just not plausible.
“They’re still throwing serious money at me to do that stuff,” Neeson insisted. “I’m like: ‘Guys, I’m sixty-fuc**ing-five.’ Audiences are eventually going to go: ‘Come on’.”
Those of you distraught that Neeson won’t be wielding a gun on-screen again can take comfort in the fact that he’s already shot two revenge thrillers that are yet to be released. “Hard Powder” will see Neeson play a snow-plow driver that gets embroiled with drug dealers, while “The Commuter” reteams Neeson with “Non-Stop”, “Run All Night”, and “Unknown’s” director Jaume Collet-Serra.
But, having already filmed those, Neeson now insists he’s done. “I’ve shot one that’s going to come out in January sometime. There might be another. That’s it. But not “Taken,” none of that franchise stuff,” he explained, via Fox News.
Neeson admitted that this entire stage of his career was “ a pure accident.” It’s one that has proven to be hugely profitable, as all three “Taken” films have grossed $929.5 million at the box office. “Unknown” ($136 million), “The Grey” ($77 million), “Non-Stop” ($222 million), and “Run All Night” ($71 million) showed that franchise wasn’t a fluke, grossing a combined total of $506 million in the years after “Taken” was released.
The Oscar-nominated actor has now turned to more serious, dramatic fare, starting with “Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down The White House”, which will be released on September 29.
