The worst method actor of all time
Method acting is a time-honoured technique that has ruined many film productions, but there is one actor whose name is inescapable in this regard.
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The one actor Liam Neeson modelled his entire career on
Liam Neeson quickly figured out that trying to emulate one of the biggest stars in Hollywood was a surefire way of building a successful career.
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(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Film Ā» Cutting Room Floor
Wed 15 January 2025 19:15, UK
Thereās no blueprint for building a successful film career, although Liam Neeson could have done a lot worse than trying to emulate an international superstar who was born and raised less than 200 miles away from the Irishmanās home town of Ballymena.
Like the actor whose homework he sought to copy from, Neeson had no formal training as an actor. He worked a series of odd jobs, including training as a teacher and operating a forklift, before getting started in theatre in the late 1970s. Instantly bitten by the acting bug, treading the boards and gracing the screen was the only thing he wanted to do with his life.
He was hardly an overnight sensation, though. He gradually worked his way up the ladder through supporting parts in movies like the Arthurian epic Excalibur and the seafaring drama The Bounty opposite Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson. He gained more notice alongside Cher and Dennis Quaid in the legal thriller Suspect and was told not to look so tall next to Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry sequel The Dead Pool.
Neeson was a recognisable face among mainstream audiences, but he didnāt truly break through until his Academy Award-nominated performance as the title character in Steven Spielbergās Schindlerās List. Dovetailing between a leading man and supporting characters, he settled into a groove as a regular father figure and mentor onscreen before his unexpected reinvention as an ass-kicking action hero.
Admittedly, accents have never been Neesonās strongest suit, but it was fortunate that the actor he wanted to model himself on was in the exact same position, and it didnāt hamper them from becoming an A-list icon. One major difference is that whereas Sean Connery originated the role of James Bond, Neeson turned it down after being told that his wife-to-be wouldnāt tie the knot if he signed up for 007.
Like Connery, Neeson was a tall and imposing figure who was equally capable of playing dashing romantic leads as a steely authority figure. They were also partial to a period piece, action flick, and high-concept thriller or two, with the latter admitting to Vanity Fair that he looked to the Scotsman for inspiration whenever he was concerned audiences wouldnāt buy into him as a character.
āConnery did a film, The Wind and the Lion, I think it was,ā he explained. āHe was playing a Moroccan, dressed in all these robes and swords and stuff, a real romantic thing. He kidnaps Candice Bergen and says something like, āI am Prince Mulai Ahmed er Raisuni, and you are my prisonerā. You laugh, but then you think, Connery can do anything. You just accept it. I remember him saying once, āI canāt change my accent; I wouldnāt know who I was if I didā. Which I respect.ā
It worked out pretty well for him in the long run, even if thereās one key difference to have emerged between them: Neeson is now older than Connery was when he wrapped production on his final feature, The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, and yet his days of running and gunning still arenāt behind him.
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Liam NeesonSean Connery
