In the first week of February 2022, before his 70th birthday;
"He expects to leave behind the title of action star eventually," said Liam Neeson, the Irish-American actor who remains one of Hollywood's biggest action stars.
But he also emphasized, "I think action films will come to an end, the audiences are not stupid."
"At some point I'll stop, I'm 69 and a half years old, and there are two other films I will make - 'Memory', which was shown on April 29; and 'Retribution'," Neeson told People. "(Retribution) is still a work in progress - after which I think it probably will."
Although Neeson has always been proud of the many works he has starred in;
He revealed to his audience on the television program, "His sons agree that he will step back from these high-level roles, and comedy may be his favorite on the horizon."
He concluded by jokingly, "Either I finish my career, or I take it in another direction. To be honest, I don't know."
Fear of Alzheimer's and a retirement joke
In his latest movie "Memory", in which Liam Neeson played the role of a professional killer, he faces his toughest battles, coinciding with signs of Alzheimer's disease, in the form of cognitive impairment.
The role had Neeson face the harsh realities some face as they age, including losing mental abilities, and admitting his fear of Alzheimer's disease;
He told the American newspaper "NYpost", "It has crossed my mind several times, especially when I can't remember the name of an actor I worked with two or three years ago; it annoys me."
"While doing some research on this topic, I read some books, I watched some very painful documentaries about Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and I have a friend in Ireland who has early stages of it, it's a terrible affliction."
Because memorizing script lines is the most important tool for an actor, Neeson says, "I know several actors in London, who gave extraordinary performances on stage, in cinema and on television; now they can't remember the scripts."
However, as the "Irish icon" prepares to turn 70, Neeson has no plans to slow down or retire;
Surprisingly, he "refuted" reports that he would stop making action films, telling Chuck Arnold, editor of the New York Post, "It was a joke I made at the Toronto Film Festival, but I said it as a joke."
Not the first joke
William Neeson has a different tactic in media interviews: "He sits down to answer questions about his films and then suddenly says whatever crazy thing comes to his mind," says Stuart Heritage, art editor at The Guardian.
One of the most "outrageous" examples, according to Heritage, was what happened in 2019, when Neeson gave an interview to the British newspaper "The Independent" and was suddenly derailed to reveal that he had spent a week wandering his neighborhood, hoping that he would He finds a "black bastard" who can kill him, to avenge an accident that happened to his friend.
Of course, Neeson's admission affected his career for a while, and the premiere of the film he was promoting at Cannes was cancelled;
“But he has remained an exceptional and successful actor, acclaimed by critics, and continues to make films unfettered.” His career spanned over 4 decades, in which he played almost every role imaginable, in more than 100 feature films and nearly 30 television series;
It was nominated for one Oscar, and won 23 awards, and 50 nominations for other awards.
And in February, Neeson's appearance on Australian Sunrise TV caused an uproar, when he told his interviewer, "I loved Melbourne, and I fell in love with a woman there."
Before returning and confessing to the British newspaper "Daily Mail", that the whole thing was just a joke inspired by the movie (Taken).
Thus, Heritage concludes, "From now on, we will have to watch carefully every interview Neeson gives."
Neeson and back to romance
Neeson told Willie Guest, the presenter of the TV program "TODAY", that since he was an amateur boxer in his youth, and he dreamed of participating in the "action" movie, "in which men are beaten, and they beat him", which has already been achieved thanks to a meeting he had with the producer. writer Luc Besson, at the Shanghai Film Festival;
Then he got the role of former CIA agent Brian Mills, in the movie "Taken" in 2009.
The film's box office success encouraged him to produce two more sequels, in 2012 and 2015, forming a trilogy that grossed over $932 million worldwide, and turned Liam Neeson into a "real glamorous action star, bombarded with nonstop action scripts." Even with his age";
According to him.
But Neeson is a poetic nature, who has lived "alone and sad" since his true love story with his wife, actress Natasha Richardson, ended tragicly with her death from a brain injury she suffered in a skiing accident in 2009;
He says he is not thinking of getting married again, and will "memorialize her with their two sons, Michel, 26, and Daniel, 25, as he celebrates his 70th birthday."
He now also wants to return to romantic comedy, saying "I love it, how cool it would be";
With palpable nostalgia for his role in the beloved movie Love Actually, 2003;
Which still "occupies a special place in his heart, and he keeps searching for him on TV channels, even at two o'clock in the morning," he told Chuck Arnold, editor of the New York Post.
But Heritage's skepticism casts doubt on whether Neeson will ever return to romance.