Ever since Liam Neeson demonstrated his “particular set of skills” in 2008’s “Taken” and its sequels, he redefined his career and became one of Hollywood’s go-to action heroes.
In fact, recent years have seen him take on action-oriented roles in such films as “In the Land of Saints and Sinners,” “Absolution,” “Ice Road: Vengeance” and others. In fact, his latest film, “The Fix,” is an action-thriller in which he plays a CIA agent.
In a new interview with People, the Irish actor opened up about taking on these action-heavy roles even though he recently celebrated his 74th birthday.
The Roles Keep Coming
According to Neeson, he’s constantly offered the opportunity to play characters who are significantly younger than he is.
“The conversation with the agent would go, ‘Hey, Chris, I read that. Yeah. He’s 52 years of age. They know what age I am, right? Okay. Thank you,’” Neeson quipped.
“That’s kinda how it goes,” he added.
A New Career in Comedy
Neeson wound up taking a sharp detour into comedy when he co-starred with Pamela Anderson in 2025’s “The Naked Gun,” a reboot of the hit franchise starring Leslie Nielsen.
As Neeson told People, “The Naked Gun” represented a big departure from the kind of movies he’d been doing.
That said, Neeson told the magazine that he’s happy to work in pretty much every genre — with one notable exception.
“I personally just enjoy the process, being with fellow actors and wonderful crew,” he said. “I love that feeling of togetherness, you know, telling a story. No matter what the genre is, except horror. I won’t do horror.”
He’s Created His Own Luck
Looking back at his long and fruitful career, Neeson credits that success to luck — albeit with a caveat.
“And I mean that, but that being said, I believe you create your luck,” Neeson explained.
“It’s not gonna come to you lying on the couch in your basement apartment in London, you know?” he shared. “You have to get up and do something about it. Create that luck. I’ve been very lucky.”
He’s Not Done with Action Movies
Interviewed by Fox News Digital, Neeson insisted that his septuagenarian status hadn’t altered his ability to appear in action movies — at least not yet.
“Maybe a couple left, you know,” Neeson said when asked if he plans to transition away from action-heavy projects as he gets older.
“Maybe… I hope I have a couple left,” he confirmed.
That said, Neeson has also been pretty candid about knowing when the time will come to pack it in, action movie-wise.
“But I’m 73, for [expletive] sake,” he told Variety in 2025, insisting that when he finds himself relying too heavily into his stunt double he’ll know it’s time to say goodbye to action movies.
“I don’t want to insult audiences if they’re watching whole fight scenes and it’s not me,” he said.
“I just wouldn’t do it. Up until recently, I liked doing my own fight stuff. But I don’t want to be doing that stuff with a [walker] or walking stick,” he added.
