In an interview with The Times of London, Liam Neeson revealed that in the early 90s producers for the James Bond series had an interest in recruiting him as their next Bond, and apparently this interest was rekindled by Neeson. Some of Neeson’s biggest successes in the 90s were Husbands and Wives, Schindler’s List, and many action movies, so it is no surprise to hear he was wanted as the then-next 007.
Neeson expressed his interest in taking the role until his girlfriend at the time, Natasha Richardson, expressed her concern about the “gorgeous girls in various countries getting in and out of [Bond’s] bed” as Neeson described it. (Via Deadline)
“They looked at a bunch of actors. 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,” Neeson said to The Rolling Stone last month. “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.’” (Via People)
Neeson turned down the role as a result of Richardson’s words, and instead, Pierce Brosnan took on the part of James Bond for several films and years. Neeson did end up marrying Richardson having two children before her death in a skiing accident in 2009. Despite not taking the role of 007, Neeson has starred in many action and thriller movies. His 100th movie role was as Phillip Marlowe in the noir movie Marlowe.
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