Stallone. Willis. Schwarzenegger. Statham. Van Damme. Mention these names and the first thing that comes to mind is action heroes. What about Liam Neeson? Action star, you ask? Why not? The actor has, after all, starred in quite a number of action movies namely The A-Team, The Dark Knight Rises and Unknown. But his role as the lead in the action-packed Taken and now Taken 2 has propelled him further as a full-fledge action hero.
But he's not one to call himself an action hero, "I'm an actor first and foremost who just happens to be doing some action roles at the moment," he insists. The actor, who originally hails from Northern Ireland but who has since been given naturalisation as a United States citizen and now calls New York home, was in Seoul, Korea as part of his promotional tour for Taken 2.
"I left New York about a week or so ago and went to Paris for four days. Then I traveled to Copenhagen, Berlin, London and Moscow and now I'm here and tomorrow I fly back to New York before heading to Los Angeles," he tells me during an interview.
Neeson, who towers at six-foot-four-inches, is a very humble, gracious and shy man in reality. During the press conference earlier he's apologetic for things not even in his control – "I'm sorry I didn't get to see much of Seoul," he tells a member of the Korean press saying that he only arrived the night before and was leaving the next day. "I've seen the lobby of this grand hotel," he's quick to joke.
He is also very accommodating especially when during a photocall just before the start of the press conference. "Turn here and please pose", "Can you do a gesture?", "Okay, please step off the stage for a while", "Okay, please come back," – were a few directions from the Korean master of ceremony on duty. I had to comment to a fellow journalist "I think if this was any other star he would have left the stage and not come back."
But Neeson did come back and was immediately very thankful to the press for showing up especially with the weather the capital was having. Hurricane Sanba had just moved in as the press conference started. "Thank you for being here in this terrible, terrible weather," he says taking his seat.
After a bevy of questions during the press conference that lasted half an hour, Neeson went straight into his one-to-one interviews. He decides to finish all interviews before a short break after which he gets ready for the red carpet premiere of Taken 2.
How are you feeling? It must have been a tiring day.
I'm actually doing well. I got in yesterday. I had a good night, but I did wake up thinking "Where am I?"
You said in the press conference that you are in good health and are generally fit. How do you keep fit?
I power-walk. I try to do eight to 10 miles a day. I also have a gym in my house and I do the basic thing like push-ups and sit-ups. And I use a lot of kettle bells (weights)
You were an armature boxer in your teens. Do you still box?
I do but I use a punching bag now.
How long do you think you can sustain an action hero role?
I am in pretty good shape at the moment. I guess my body will tell me when to stop.
Tell us about this movie.
Well, I don't want to give away too much but the movie starts off with a reminder that the people my character, Bryan Mills, has killed in Taken are not just objects. They are human beings who have family who are pledging revenge. I think that's a great way to start the film, with that potential revenge that's going to play out in the current film.
Your character, Bryan, seems to be less ruthless in Taken 2 than he was in Taken. Why is that?
Bryan has soften up a little, I agree. It's because he's inwardly spiritual. He's fed up with all these things that he's done in his past life. He also has a stronger relationship with his daughter, Kim, and his ex-wife Lenore. But most importantly everything he's done is really starting to eat away at him and he's tired of it.
What has happened to Bryan since we last saw him in Taken?
I think he has been trying to develop a closer relationship with Kim. I think he's too over protective when it comes to Kim. He's also been taking these "private security jobs" to pay the bills. But he's officially retired, if you know what I mean.
It's been four years since Taken. How has this character changed you in your career path?
It has changed my career somewhat. Hollywood likes to pigeonhole its performers and I seem to have been re-pigeonholed as an action figure. Since the first Taken came out and was a success Hollywood has been sending me quite a few action scripts.
Do you consider yourself an action hero?
Oh no. I don't think I am. I'm an actor who just happens to be doing action movies. That's all.
So, we won't be seeing you in an Expendables movie anytime soon?
I think there are enough of those guys, don't you? They're all great, don't get me wrong. But I just can't see myself there. No, I don't think so.
Tell us something we don't know about Taken 2.
We shot a different ending where I allowed someone to live. It was my idea actually. We shot that but for some reason it just didn't work in the film. It just didn't sit right when it was edited. What we finally did, worked.
What did you take away from filming this movie?
On a personal level, just satisfaction. It's always satisfying when you finish a film especially a film shot in different locations and more so when you know it was very physical and there was a lot of training. The satisfaction of finishing a movie like that was just terrific.
What made you want to do this sequel?
I like the story. I thought it worked and it seemed like a worthy successor to the first one.
You didn't expect the first movie to be so successful.
No we didn't and it was a shock that it was. I hope this will be as good or better.
(Taken broke Korean box office records when it took in US$16 million dollars – a million more than the total box office receipts in the United States!)
Why do you think audiences liked Taken?
I think they identified with my character – you'd do anything to save your kids. I think Pierre Morel shot a very fast paced compact European thriller that really delivers and it's satisfying. I think Olivier Megaton has done the same with Taken 2. The movie is a good length and there's' no waste in it. It's punchy; it's got a good heart and a good emotional drive to it.
What was it like working with Megaton?
I love working with him. This is my first film with him and we're trying to find another film to do together. The French crew they had on the first film with Pierre and the French crew Olivier has on this sequel is just remarkable.
How did you prepare for this role?
There was a lot of physical preparation. I worked very closely with the stunt guys, the stunt coordinator, Alain Figlarz and my stunt double, Mark Vanselow. I tend to keep pretty fit in life but these kinds of films you have to increase it a little.
There was a lot of Parkour in Taken. What style of fighting is there in Taken 2?
Alain is ex-special forces and he has a whole medley of styles from close hand-to-hand combat which you might have seen in films like Bourne Identity which he did the fight choreography for. He employs different styles from Asian to European.
Did you use Mark, your stunt double, for your close combat scenes in the bath house, for example?
No. I do my own fighting , but I do use Mark for the big stunt stuff.
What was your toughest challenge filming in Istanbul?
It was the physical challenge because the streets were very, very narrow and when we were doing those car chases it was quite dangerous. Merchants who owned the shops you see in the movie didn't close their business. It was business as usual, so there were people crossing the streets. What you see on screen are really the merchants, they're not extras.
You must have had a small team there. How did you cope in terms of security?
There was a police presence and on occasion they would have to stop traffic but we could only be on the streets for a short period so we had to finish the shoot fast.
Did the people in Istanbul not recognise you? Weren't you mobbed?
No, not really.
Shooting under such circumstances must have gotten some of you injured.
There were some minor injuries like you have in most shoots but there was nothing major. We practice these fights everyday during the filming so that when the time came to actually shoot the fight scenes, it was second nature for us.
How hard was it filming Taken especially with the subject like human trafficking?
It was emotionally straining. I'm a dad of two boys and I can just imagine the horrors I'd feel, as would any parent, if their child is taken. I'm a goodwill ambassador for UNISEF and I've seen the reports of human trafficking and how kids are sold as sex slaves. It's heinous and the prevalence of these crimes are still very extensive. UNISEF is trying to aid some of these kids but it's still there.
Do you think we'll see more of Bryan Mills? Will Taken be a franchise like Bourne?
Yeah, I think this would be the last you'll probably see of Bryan. I don't think the audience will go for another Taken movie.
What do your sons think of your movies like Taken?
They like them. They think they're "cool" is the word they use.
Are they exploring acting at all?
No. Not really.
What's the secret of your success?
There's no secret to it. I've been blessed to have been given these parts in these films. I love to work. I love getting up in the mornings and joining the film crew. It gives me immense satisfaction.
You've starred in a whole range of films from sci-fi to drama and now action. Which is your favourite?
I like doing drama but I like action movies too.
What took you so long to do action movies?
It's just as the dice rolls. I did taken when I was about 55 years old and non of us thought it would amount to anything. I think it works. Now that I'm a bit older, you know? I mean I don't think it would have worked if I was, say 20 something. I don't think it would have the same gravitas.
What do you say to purists who think you've sold out by doing commercial movies like Taken and The A-Team? Would you do more movies like The Grey?
I like to mix my movies up. I plan to do more movies like The Grey. But these action movies, you know, they do pay the bills.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Well hopefully still alive and still making films and appearing on stage and theater which is something I love doing as well.