Liam Neeson is back, drawing on his particular set of skills
The “Honest Thief” star reveals how he can take a beating on screen and remain unscathed.
No global pandemic is going to stop Liam Neeson from showing off his very particular set of skills acquired over a second-chapter revenge action career.
Neeson, 68, is back playing a wronged man fighting for his life against much younger foes, and making them pay, in “Honest Thief ” (now in theaters).
There’s a twist, as the Oscar-nominated actor portrays a former Marine munitions specialist-turned-bank safe robber who decides to turn himself in after finding love – naturally, with the owner of the public storage unit (Kate Walsh) where he hides the loot.
It goes terribly wrong in all the right ways with double-crossing FBI agents, providing audiences with some needed diversion.
“In these crazy circumstances we’re all living, hopefully, the film gives people some thrills and spills,” says Neeson.
Neeson discusses with USA TODAY exactly how he takes those spills on screen:
Question: What is the best way to break it to your girlfriend that you’re secretly a demolitions expert and safe-breaking bank robber? Asking for a friend.
Liam Neeson: You break it with great difficulty. I have a writer friend who, when he’s delving into deep subject matter, drives across the country.
He says when you’re looking out the window all the time, you can reach levels of emotion that you wouldn’t facing each other.
So at least my guy does that in a car. But maybe, “Honey, I have to tell you, I rob banks, have for years, but I haven’t spent one cent. Now let’s pull over and get some air.”
Q: He does get it out in the car. But why didn’t he lead with the part about having $9 million in loot?
Neeson: Good point. Rewrite! But it would be a short movie.
Q: You have great chemistry with Kate Walsh and at 5-foot-10, she can look your 6-food-4 self right in the eye. Does that help?
Neeson: Yes, and what I liked about this is that they’re not 18. There are no scenes of them ripping clothes off each other, throwing each other up against walls, stuff like that. We’ve seen all that.
We can leave that for the kids. There are maybe two gentle kisses in the whole thing. I love the honesty and the simplicity of that.
Q: You had your hands full carrying injured Kate into the hospital. How was that to shoot, no doubt multiple times?
Neeson: I do carry her in. I was doing push-ups that morning to prepare. I remember having to carry (5-foot-11) Uma Thurman through a doorway when we did a version of “Les Miserables” 22 years ago. Boy, my arms were killing me.
Q: You have stunt men, but that’s definitely you knocking around Jeffrey Donovan as Agent Meyers in close range. How was that?
Neeson: I said to Mark Vanselow, my stunt coordinator, that we’re two guys of a certain age. Let’s make it look a little rough around the edges, but not too complicated.
We rehearse these things until you can do them blindfolded, so that when the camera’s going, it looks like we’re doing it for the first time. I’ve done 25 films with Mark, and after all those years, I’ve never once had a scratch or a bruise. Maybe a little bruise.
Q: Jeffrey really scales a fence after you’re shown dropping over it. How much fence did you actually climb?
Neeson: I like to start the fence climb, then I go to other side of the fence and I drop into the shot from about four feet. Smoke and mirrors. Jeffrey is pretty fit, though.
Q: I was hoping you’d try to rock a Boston accent here, as it takes place in Boston. Tough accent, of course. Why did you hold off ?
Neeson: Boston is a hard one. I can do accents. I have to work at it. But sometimes accents can become like a suit of armor you have to get past.
I like sounding the way I am for these types of films.
Q: How does your actual body feel shooting these? Do you have a cureall?
Neeson: Definitely a soak in Epsom salts. But you have to stay in for a minimum of 20 minutes, and as hot as you can bear it.
After a grueling day, soaking your feet in Epsom salts absolutely works a hundred percent.