Age no bar

[Photo provided to China Daily]   

Hollywood star Liam Neeson's popularity isn't falling with age. It is the opposite.

After the English-language French action thriller Taken became a sleeper hit in 2008, he saw his fame grow at the age of 56. The movie, starring him as a former CIA operative who seeks to rescue his kidnapped daughter, reshaped his career, bringing Neeson a dozen similar roles in films such as Non-Stop and The Commuter.

During a recent visit to Beijing to promote The Commuter, which will be released in Chinese mainland theaters on Friday, Neeson said it was China that changed his professional life.

Neeson, now 65, went to the annual Shanghai International Film Festival in 2006 to support his late wife Natasha Richardson's film The White Countess, which is an epic romance set in 1930s Shanghai. The 135-minute feature also starring Neeson's friend, British actor Ralph Fiennes, is a coproduction of China and the United Kingdom, and was selected as the festival's opening film.

Richardson passed away after suffering serious injuries in a ski accident in 2009.

"I had read the script of Taken before (touring Shanghai). The story is very cool. My agent found that Luc Besson was there. I think, 'Great! I would get the chance to ask him: Can you think of me to be a part of this movie?'" he recalls, with a smile.

[Photo provided to China Daily]

As a prestigious French filmmaker, Besson is known for his independent works as well as internationally popular hits such as the Transporter series and Lucy. That year in Shanghai, he presided over the jury of the festival's Golden Goblet Award. Neeson recommended himself, saying he had been part of action-packed movies such as Excalibur (1981) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005), in both of which he fought with swords.

Taken, which cost around $25 million to make, earned more than $145 million worldwide, generating two sequels and lifting Neeson to the ranks of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood.

"If I hadn't been for Shanghai, I might not have got the film," says the star while holding a green mug.

Returning to China's big screen, Neeson will again step into a familiar zone to play an unlikely hero to face off with the villains.

In The Commuter, which also casts Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson and Jonathan Banks, an insurance salesman, played by Neeson, suffers a midlife financial crisis after getting fired. When he, the protagonist, who is also a former policeman, rides a train, during a daily commute that he has taken over the past 10 years, a mysterious woman offers him a $100,000 job to find a passenger, which traps him in an extremely dangerous situation.

"My character is an average guy who gets himself into a situation that the audience would identify with," says Neeson, adding that the story is complex.

"He is certainly not a superhero. He has been sacked in his job. No money is coming. He has got mortgages and his son is going to college, which will cost a lot."

The movie also marks Neeson's fourth collaboration with Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra, who worked with Neeson in the feature films Unknown (2011), Non-Stop (2014) and Run All Night (2015).

Liam Neeson holds a Chinese scroll with characters that read "God of Rescue", which hails his heroic role in the upcoming film, The Commuter, at a promotional event in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Speaking about his longtime friendship with Collet-Serra, Neeson says: "We are like dancing partners. Each time, the chemistry gets stronger. He makes my job easier."

But to most fans who are familiar with Neeson, he has the talent to skillfully interpret diverse roles.

He actually shot to fame through Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning film, Schindler's List (1993), and gained more stardom from the historical biopic, Michael Collins (1996).

Neeson has also starred in Hollywood blockbusters like Star Wars: Episode I－The Phantom Menace (1999) and Batman Begins (2005).

The star, who will turn 66 years old in June, says, "To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of all these superhero movies. I admire the expertise."

But for art-house films, the real problem is to get the money to make them, he adds.

Neeson says he is a supporter of film festivals. He says they demonstrate the diversity of cinematic art and attract audiences to theaters.

When his assistant reminds him to leave at the end of the interview, he still lingers and asks about the opening dates of the two forthcoming international festivals in Beijing and Shanghai.

Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn