Liam Neeson Talks About the Favourite Role in His Career

When considering Liam Neeson’s best performances, it would be difficult to pick holes in any of his major award contenders as potential frontrunners. Alas, Neeson managed to find his most enduring modern role in the hit action movie Taken.

After taking part and working under director Pierre Morel, Neeson remembered thinking the script was a little bit corny. He specifically had doubts about the famous “I have a particular set of skills” line, admitting that while it sounded scary, he felt it was a cornball moment.

Although Neeson maintains that the tense phone call scene was somewhat cheesy, he was pleasantly surprised by the global success of the film. He originally believed the project would go straight to video and perhaps only play for a few weeks in France.

It was only after Fox took the film and ran clever trailers during major sporting events that it became a massive international hit. Despite this success, it is understandable why a high-octane thriller might not be the actor’s overall favorite role.

Intriguingly, Neeson’s personal favorite is one of his less well-known historical titles. While promoting the romantic drama Ordinary Love, he asserted that his top pick was the 1996 biographical film Michael Collins.

The period drama followed the story of Collins, a leading figure in the early-20th-century Irish struggle for independence. Neeson described the man as a highly controversial founder of the modern Irish state, noting that he effectively invented modern-day terrorism through his use of small, independent cells.

Neeson explained that the tactics Collins created were so influential that they are still studied and used by various groups today. He noted that even in the 1940s, during the formation of the state of Israel, certain operatives used the codename Michael in honor of the late Irish leader.

Because of this complex legacy, Collins remains a polarizing figure in both Ireland and Britain over a century after his death. Nevertheless, the depth of the character and the historical weight of the story make it Neeson’s personal favorite film of his long career.

When asked if he had any roles he particularly disliked, Neeson revealed that he genuinely enjoys the process of acting regardless of the character. He explained that he loves the wonderful bond formed with the crew and his fellow actors on every set.

He isn’t ashamed of any of his work, believing that you always learn something from every experience, whether the final film is considered a masterpiece or a failure. As of this year, Neeson continues to demonstrate this prolific work ethic with several diverse projects hitting the screen.

He is currently starring in the horror-comedy Cold Storage, which premiered on February 13. In this film, he plays a retired bioterror agent named Robert Quinn who must contain a prehistoric parasitic fungus alongside Stranger Things star Joe Keery and Barbarian‘s Georgina Campbell.

The actor also showcased his comedic range in the reboot of The Naked Gun, where he takes on the role of Frank Drebin Jr. Fans can also look forward to the heist comedy 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank, scheduled for an April 17 release.

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