Liam Neeson: The Age-Defying Action Hero in His 70s”

Liam Neeson has a film career spanning nearly 40 years with many big roles, being nominated for an Oscar and many other awards.

At the age of near retirement, he still proves to be a hard-to-replace star as the hero in the eye-catching action movie “Taken” that premiered 4 years ago and is about to return with part 2.

Reluctant hero Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson’s role in “Taken 2”) had an interesting conversation with the press on the upcoming release of episode 2.

Liam Neeson has a film career spanning nearly 40 years with many big roles, being nominated for an Oscar and many other awards.

At the age of near retirement, he still proves to be a hard-to-replace star as the hero in the eye-catching action movie “Taken” that premiered 4 years ago and is about to return with part 2.

Reluctant hero Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson’s role in “Taken 2”) had an interesting conversation with the press on the upcoming release of episode 2.

* Did you ever imagine that “Taken” would continue to release part 2, four years after part 1?

– Never. Even when I was filming scenes in part 1, although I always loved this movie, there were times when I thought: “This is just a simple, familiar plot; it will not happen again” but the reality is completely opposite. The audience really loved the film’s content.

* What do you think makes audiences love this movie?

– The first part of the movie was released in 2008. That was the time of the world financial crisis and I really think, with “Taken”, the audience sees a guy who doesn’t need the authorities when in trouble because they are no longer trustworthy.

I think that’s what people feel. Of course, I realized the same thing in 2008. You can’t trust anyone. You can’t trust the banks; you don’t trust this or that person and of course politicians. Bryan Mills is also a guy who won’t call the police when something goes wrong. He will handle it himself.

* Bryan Mills is also strangely vulnerable. He overcame his fear because of his daughter, right?

– Absolutely true. I think we all know that transnational sex trafficking is very scary but it brings large amounts of money to the traffickers. This situation is very common in Eastern Europe, and in fact many Asian children continue to go missing every year. I am a UNICEF Ambassador and have heard a lot about this issue.

* In the sequel, that fear continues once again, when Bryan Mills’ wife and daughter fall into danger again?

– The scriptwriters are very skillful in letting the fear repeat without being boring. I’ve met Luc Besson a few times over the years. We had a lovely meal in France and then slowly discussed ideas for a sequel. Luc and Robert Kamen, who co-wrote the film’s script, got started on the project quite quickly and had me convinced when I read them.

* With the main scene taking place in Istanbul, can audiences expect a different tone for the film?

– Istanbul has magical beauty. With a long history and many wars, this city has many historical and cultural marks. The first week of filming here, I felt very uncomfortable, but the next week, it really conquered me with its beauty and heritage. That’s why I’m very excited to wake up early in the morning to start work. Everything was so smooth and inspiring that I thought, I am the lucky one to have the most interesting job in the world.

* In this episode, Bryan invites his family to this magical place. Has there been any change in his personality?

– Bryan is still too cautious. His ex-wife (played by Famke Janssen) encourages him not to be too protective of his daughter Kim. She needs to have a private life. However, he still almost got angry when she got a boyfriend.

In this episode, Bryan is invited to Istanbul to protect a Muslim leader for a conference in a few days. So when filming started, Bryan had somewhat completed his work, so he invited his ex-wife and daughter Kim over for a few days to see the sights. Then everything bad happened…

* You became an action movie star in a way that few people expected even though you’ve actually been in many action movies throughout your entire career as an actor?

– Yes, I have taken on many roles of heroes, cowboys and action movies about war. Even “Star Wars” is, after all, an action movie. When I accepted the role of “Taken” 4 years ago, I was already 55 years old.

When they threw this script to me, I was very excited and rushed to practice because the action scenes were very realistic, and moreover, Bryan’s form also required to be perfect. 4 years later, when participating in part 2, I once again had to practice hard to return to this character without disappointing the audience.

* Do you think “Taken” will become a long-running action series in which a lone hero must fight against a whole force like “Die Hard” or the series “24”?

– I do not think so. Things will get silly if this continues. In two years I will be 62 years old and I don’t want to still be running around on rooftops. Does anyone in the audience want to continue watching? But who knows, we’ll wait and see!

* How do you maintain such good shape at this age?

– That’s what I like about movies like this, it makes me practice and practice constantly