Liam Neeson, 71, plays a haunted ex-assassin in In The Land of Saints and Sinners

Liam Neeson drew on his childhood experience of being “surrounded by violence” for his Troubles-era film coming to Netflix this month.

Neeson, 71, from Co Antrim, plays a haunted ex-assassin in In The Land of Saints and Sinners. Finbar Murphy’s quiet life in Co Donegal is thrown into disarray by an on-the-run IRA member.

Neeson stars alongside fellow Irish Ciaran Hinds, Colm Meaney, and Kerry Condon in the film which hit screens last week.

The film’s subject matter moved the actor to share his experience of growing up during The Troubles. He told MovieWeb: “I was surrounded by violence.

I never took part in it, but I was always surrounded by it so it was interesting to play a piece of entertainment based on those Troubles, as they were euphemistically known as.”

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Neeson praised director Robert Lorenz’s shooting style and his co-stars’ performances. He said: “It’s lovely to be with colleagues that you look forward to going to work with every day, and having that basis of a really good, strong script.

“Colm Meaney, I’ve know for 40 years, we’ve done a couple of plays together in Ireland in the old days so that was lovely, and comfortable to be with Irish colleagues again and just to be able to indulge in one’s own Irishness.”

Neeson called Kerry Condon “a strong actress, and a good laugh too”. It comes after the Hollywood veteran relayed the beauty of Co Donegal, where the film was shot, to US audiences on Late Night with Seth Myers at the weekend.

The thriller was shot in spring 2022 over a seven week period, mainly in Glen, but also in Kilcar, Killybegs and Ardara. Neeson is set to take on the lead role in a reboot of The Naked Gun, with filming due to begin next month.