Liam Neeson, 72, says he's retiring from action movies
Kyiv • UNN
Liam Neeson, a 72-year-old actor, has announced plans to end his career in the action genre. He hinted that his last action movie could be released in 2025.
Liam Neeson seems to be ready to draw the curtain on the action movie era. The 72-year-old Irish actor, who began his career on the Belfast theater stage, has confirmed plans to retire from action films after a thrilling career rise in roles such as "Taken," "Star Wars" and "The Grey," UNN reports citing the Daily Mail.
Details
He acknowledges that the physical demands are catching up with him and recognizes that it's time to step aside, as some tricks may soon be beyond his reach.
"I'm 72 years old, and at some point it has to stop," Neeson told People on Wednesday.
"You can't fool the audience. I don't want Mark (his longtime stunt double Mark Wanselow) to do my fight scenes for me," he said.
Although Neeson did not give an exact date for his last action movie, he hinted that he might retire from the genre as early as 2025.
"Maybe at the end of next year. I think that's it," he said.
His next film, Forgiveness, which will be released in theaters on November 1, tells the story of an aging gangster trying to reunite with his children and atone for past mistakes.
He has also just finished filming the reboot of the classic comedy The Naked Gun.
Liam, originally from Northern Ireland, began his career in film with the 1978 film Pilgrim's Progress to Heaven.
He made his breakthrough with Schindler's List, where his powerful performance earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor at the age of 41.
In 1999, he entered the Star Wars universe, playing the Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn in The Hidden Threat.
After his debut in Star Wars, Neeson's career took a sharp turn toward action movies, with roles in films such as Batman Begins and Taken: Begins" and ‘Taken,’ the latter of which turned him into an unexpected action star in his late 50s.
The announcement came almost a year after he admitted that he almost played James Bond, a role that could have changed his life in many ways. In the end, the role went to Pierce Brosnan, who made his 007 debut in the 1995 film Goldeneye.
