I'm 72 – it has to stop at some stage'

Action hero Liam Neeson spills all in recent interview

If there is any older gentleman actor who has sent a legion of female hearts aflutter, it would undeniably be Irish heartthrob Liam Neeson. Who could stop themselves being taken in (pun very much intended) by the haunted eyes of the gravelly-voiced action hero who went to the ends of the earth to rescue his daughter from some seriously bad guys in Taken (2009)?

Of course, if action heroes don't do it for you, you could also easily fall for the lonely widower in Christmas favourite Love Actually (2003). After all, if he was good enough for supermodel Claudia Schiffer, he will be good enough for you. Or if you want to focus strictly on the power of solid acting, you could always admire him playing a Jedi master in the Star Wars franchise. Or you could just watch Neeson steal the show in war drama Schindler's List (1993).

In short, Neeson has more than earned the accolades heaped upon his doorstep. But has the time come for the sun to set on his glittering career? Unfortunately, according to the man himself in an interview with People magazine, the answer is a solid 'yes'.

On his career

"I'm 72 - it has to stop at some stage," Neeson tells the publication. He performs in his own fight scenes, but leaves the more intricate stunt work to longtime collaborator Mark Vanselow. "You can't fool audiences. I don't want Mark to be fighting my fight scenes for me."

Neeson reckons he will be finished with showbiz by the time 2025 rolls around, but has not fully committed himself to saying goodbye just yet. "Maybe the end of next year," he muses. "I think that's it."

The day Neeson hangs up his acting laurels will be a bittersweet one for fans, many of whom only started recognising his true range after the "particular set of skills" that Neeson's Bryan Mills flaunted in Taken, cementing his reputation as an action star.

"It just seemed to have touched something in the psychic nerve of moviegoing audiences," explains Neeson.

Proving that his Taken monologue has wormed its way into the subconsciousness of his fans, the Irish-American actor relates an amusing anecdote from when he recently reported for jury duty in New York. Neeson ended up not being selected for trial, and as he was waiting to be sent home, he heard the clerk recite his Taken monologue, saying "I have a particular set of skills. Skills that would make me..."

The memory makes Neeson smile. "It was actually really sweet and flattering," he recalls. "As I was leaving, people started to applaud."

Since starring in Taken, Neeson has stolen the limelight in more than a dozen action films, including his latest, Absolution, which hits theatres on November 1 and once again features the star exacting revenge on a horde of baddies. According to director Hans Petter Moland, who worked with Neeson in Cold Pursuit (2019), the star brings humanity to these types of roles. "When he's immersed in the character he is, you see the hurt, you see the pain," says Moland. "He becomes that man."

Neeson may have nailed the action hero, but comedy fans will be thrilled to learn that he will also be starring in one of the silliest of all spoof films: a reboot of the Leslie Nielson police comedy, The Naked Gun. Neeson recently wrapped up filming, where he plays hapless cop Frank Drebin Jr, and, in a display of humility, adds, "Whether I can carry it or not, I honestly don't know."

Personal life

Neeson's female fans will nurse an appreciation for the haunted eyes he brings to his roles, and will almost certainly flock to watch The Naked Gun reboot even if the heartthrob takes on a completely different character. Sadly for his fans, however, Neeson has little interest in dating. "I'm past all that," he says firmly.

Neeson was married to Parent Trap actor Natasha Richardson from 1994 until her shocking death at age 45 in 2009 in a skiing accident. More than a year after Richardson died, Neeson began dating U.K.–based public relations executive Freya St. Johnston. Their relationship lasted two years. Dating may no longer be on the agenda for Neeson, but he is determined to keep active with work (until his impending retirement anyway) and being a present father to Micheál, 29, and Daniel, 28, the sons he had with Richardson. The trio are a close-knit family, and live close to each other in New York. Like his father, Micheál is an actor, whilst Daniel is an entrepreneur with his own tequila brand, De-Nada.

"We used to do a bit of fly-fishing together," says Neeson fondly, and adds, "We haven't done it for several years now."

When he is not spending time with his family, Neeson is content in his own company, and actively tries to schedule a couple of months off between projects. In his own words, his ideal day off involves sleeping late and devouring a Patricia Cornwell mystery or Nordic noir books. "I'm an avid reader," he confesses.

Neeson may have lost his wife, but with a thriving acting career and his sons near him, he knows to count his blessings. "I'm incredibly lucky," he admits. "I never, ever forget that. Even on a bad day on a movie set, for example, I always nip myself and say, 'Come on, come on. You have nothing to complain about.' And it's true."

A devoted family man, a grounded sense of reality, and the perfect action hero – it is little wonder that Neeson's fans will bid him a teary farewell when that moment comes.