Liam Neeson is to retire from making action movies in 2025.
The 72-year-old actor has become known for his tough guy roles over the years since starring in 2008 thriller ‘Taken’ but Neeson fears his days of rough-and-tumble roles are coming to an end and he wants to bow out before he’s unable to convincingly throw a punch.
He told PEOPLE: “I’m 72 – it has to stop at some stage. You can’t fool audiences. I don’t want [longtime stunt collaborator Mark Vanselow] to be fighting my fight scenes for me.”
Liam went on to set out a timetable for his action movie retirement, adding: “Maybe the end of next year. I think that’s it.”
The actor is set to show off his comedy chops in his next movie – a reboot of Leslie Nielsen’s police comedy ‘The Naked Gun’ – but Liam isn’t sure whether he will be able to swap action for funny roles going forward.
He said: “Whether I can carry it or not, I honestly don’t know.”
In the interview, Liam also revealed how his part in the ‘Taken’ franchise has infiltrated every part of his life – confessing a clerk at a New York court started reciting his speech from the first film when releasing him from jury dury.
He said: “[The clerk is] calling, I don’t know, 55, 60 of us. He gets to me, but all I’m hearing is, ‘I have a particular set of skills. Skills that would make me …’
“And I thought, ‘Oh f*** no’ … It was actually really sweet and flattering. As I was leaving, people started to applaud.”
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Liam previously revealed he felt nervous about taking on the role of Frank Drebin Jr. – the son of Leslie Nielsen’s protagonist Detective Frank Drebin from the original ‘Naked Gun’ films – and is wary of the expectation that comes with reviving the spoof comedy franchise.
