After more than a hundred films and a late-career run as Hollywood’s most unlikely action star, Liam Neeson is trading gunfights for gags. In Paramount’s new reboot of The Naked Gun, Neeson plays Frank Drebin Jr., the hopelessly earnest son of Leslie Nielsen’s iconic detective, stepping into the deadpan chaos of one of the most beloved slapstick franchises ever made.
But don’t expect Neeson to approach it like a parody scholar. As he told Variety, “I’ve done over 100 movies, so I don’t need someone to tell me how to act.”
In fact, he hasn’t even rewatched the original trilogy since seeing them in theaters decades ago. “They were a good giggle. Fun. Schoolboy humor.”
Directed and co-written by The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, the reboot hit theaters August 1 with a cast that includes Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport and Paul Walter Hauser. It’s packed with ridiculous sight gags, absurd dialogue, and yes, at least one angry snowman.
Neeson admits he had his doubts when Seth MacFarlane first approached him three and a half years ago to take on the lead. “The comedic stuff I’d done were just TV skits,” he said. “But a movie — the co-lead in a movie for 90 minutes — was a bit of a tall order.”
Still, the involvement of MacFarlane convinced him the script would deliver. “I shouldn’t try to be funny. Just be serious. I knew there’d be lots of sight gags.”
He didn’t rewatch Leslie Nielsen’s performances, and no one dared give him notes on how to play it. “If the producers had said I must bleach my hair for the role, there’s no way I would have done that,” he said, firmly. His approach was simple… keep a straight face and let the madness happen around him.
Despite the absurdity of the material, Neeson took the work seriously. “It was serious business, of course, shooting any movie and keeping a sense of lightness. That’s very important.”
Even during the film’s wildest moments, Neeson and Anderson never broke character. “We’d rehearse and giggle at some stuff, but when we shot it we did what we had to do.”
Working with Anderson turned out to be a highlight. “She’s terrific. No airs and graces, no big ego. She’s there to do the work. She’s just a lovely human being.” When asked about his “in love with her” comment that sparked headlines, he brushed it off: “Yeah, it was just a throwaway line.”
Neeson sees the return of The Naked Gun as timely. “You said it, we’re living in these awfully concerning times. We all need a giggle and those films epitomized that. So it’s a lovely, innocent release.”
He’s also pleasantly surprised by younger audiences responding to the trailer. “My two sons told me they got calls from their buddies saying they thought the first trailer was very cool.”
This marks Neeson’s first full-blown comedy, but it may signal a shift away from his action-heavy years. “The first Taken was 18 years ago. I was 54. Feels like a lifetime ago. But I’m 73, for fuck’s sake. I don’t want to be doing that stuff with a Zimmer frame.”
While he’s still offered action roles, he says, “I don’t want to insult audiences if they’re watching whole fight scenes and it’s not me.”
Could The Naked Gun redefine Neeson the way Airplane! did for Leslie Nielsen? He’s open but grounded. “I think so. I hope so. I guess it’s all a question mark. Let’s see.” As for more sequels, nothing is planned… yet. “I think we’ll wait and see how it performs.”
And no, he still doesn’t plan to revisit the originals. “If it was on, I’d watch it. But I’ve no plans to revisit it.”
In a world short on laughs, I believe it’s time for silly movies to make a comeback.
