Actor Liam Neeson who was recently interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine has revealed that James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli asked him in the 1990s if he would be interested in taking on the role of the iconic 007. Neeson, who had just won an Oscar for best actor for the film Schindler’s List, turned down the role. Why would Neeson make this decision? The decision came down to Neeson’s wife, Natasha Richardson.
Per Variety, “I know the Broccolis. They looked at a bunch of actors,” Neeson said. “Schindler’s List had come out, and Barbara [Broccoli] had called me a couple of times to ask if I was interested, and I said, ‘Yes, I would be interested.’ And then my lovely wife [Natasha Richardson], God rest her soul, said to me while we were shooting ‘Nell’ down in the Carolinas, ‘Liam, I want to tell you something: If you play James Bond, we’re not getting married.’”
Neeson’s love for his wife Richardson outweighed his interest in playing James Bond, so he never went on a serious date with Broccoli. Neeson teased Richardson for “going behind her back and moving my fingers like I was holding a gun, [the James Bond theme rang out].” I loved doing that shit!” he said.
Luckily for the actor, the Taken franchise gave him a second chance at action movie stardom. Neeson also has a role as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Phantom Menace, but that’s not the universe he wants to return to.
Neeson’s most recent release, Marlowe, is now playing in theaters.
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