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Liam Neeson He is famous for being the action man you need when things go wrong, as well as having an incredible ability to continue to appear like the nicest man while dishing out violence in each of his films. It was surely for these reasons that the beloved Irish actor sounded strong to play James Bond in the 90s.
Throughout his career, Neeson has certainly proven to be quite the versatile performer: from being the wisest Jedi in the universe of Star Wars, even the father who can save us all. That is why we are convinced that at 70, this man can make the movies he wants.
Let’s just take a look at his vast repertoire of films ranging from comedy and drama, to extreme action thrillers. But then why did we never see Liam Neeson playing the iconic british spy?
Why did Liam Neeson turn down the role of James Bond?
It was in the mid-90s, when the actor who gave life to the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in the Star Wars universe was already shaping up to be the next MI6 agent with the number 007. However, the actor rejected what It could have been the role of his life for a reason that goes beyond any ambition… love.
Recently, Neeson revealed in an interview with rolling stones that the producer of James BondBarbara broccoli, contacted him several times to ask if he was interested in taking on the role of the famous spy. The actor had just received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal in ‘Schindler’s List’.
“I know the Broccolis. They talked to a bunch of actors,” Neeson recalls. “‘Schindler’s List’ had just come out and Barbara called me a couple of times to see if she was interested, and I had said ‘Yeah, she’s interested.’
It was then that the wife of Liam Neesonthe late actress Natasha Richardsondecided to give him an ultimatum in case he was seriously considering playing agent 007.
“My lovely wife, rest her soul, said something to me when we were shooting Nell in the Carolinas: ‘Liam, I have to tell you something: if you play James Bond, we don’t get married.
At first, the actor explained that he took the warning as a joke: I would get behind her, with my fingers as if I were holding a gun and humming (the James Bond theme)”, he recalls. But in the end, love was stronger .
Neeson and Richardson married in 1994, while Pierce Brosnan Filming began on Golden Eye, the film that would mark the return of the super agent and that would continue the film saga ‘Die Another Day‘, ‘The tomorrow Never Die’ and ‘The world is never enough’.
While this was going on, Neeson was making his way alone starring in endless action movies until he finally became an icon of the genre. Unfortunately, Neeson recounts that his wonderful marriage came to an end with the sudden death of his wife, who passed away in 2009 after suffering a tragic ski accident in canada.
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