The Big Picture

Collider’s Robert Brian Taylor talks to Liam Neeson about
Absolution
, his new crime thriller that opens in theaters this Friday.
Neeson discusses how his experience as an amateur boxer in his youth informed his character, an ex-boxer and low-level criminal who’s suffering from memory loss.
During their conversation, Neeson also gives an update on
The Naked Gun
and talks about why his superhero-movie days are likely behind him.

In the new crime thriller Absolution, Liam Neeson plays an aging, low-level mob goon who tries to reconnect with his family while rapidly losing his memory because of brain trauma he sustained during his days as a boxer. It’s a role that plays to Neeson’s strengths — his character is both gruff and sympathetic — and there’s no doubt the actor’s time spent as an amateur boxer in his youth helped fuel his performance. While there are a couple of nifty action sequences in Absolution, it’s another small step away from the nonstop action spectacle of the Taken franchise and toward the more lyrical, character-based thrillers that Neeson seems interested in these days. This is his second film this year, following In the Land of Saints and Sinners, and, if you saw that one, it’s fair to say that it and Absolution are in the same ballpark in terms of story and tone.

In this exclusive interview with Collider, I talked to Neeson about what drew him to Absolution, which is the second movie he’s made with Norwegian director Hans Moland. We also discuss his upcoming reboot of The Naked Gun, which he recently finished filming, and why starring in big-budget superhero movies isn’t a thing he’s necessarily interested in doing anymore.

Liam Neeson Identified With His ‘Absolution’ Character Because of His Boxing Background

COLLIDER: Your character in Absolution really seems like he’s at the end of his line. That scene in the restaurant where he gets stood up by his daughter and then can’t remember her name is so heartbreaking. As an actor, what’s the most important thing to get right in playing a character like that, where it just seems like there’s very little chance that this guy is going to get a happy ending?

LIAM NEESON: Well, the foundation stone is always the writing. It’s the script. I really liked the script, and I kind of identified with the character because I used to be an amateur boxer as a kid. But, over the years, I’ve met a couple of punchy ex-professional boxers, a couple of ice hockey players, who took a few too many hits and falls. So when I read the script, I was quite fascinated by this guy who knows he’s near the end of his physical life. I love the idea of characters trying to make amends. He’s not religious at all. He’s an alcoholic. He’s done some brutal things in his life. But there’s a tiny keyhole of redemption through his grandson. That really appealed to me.

You bring up the boxing, which I was going to ask you about because I did know that you were a boxer in your youth and even had your own experiences with concussions. So, did this film dredge up memories of that time in your life or make you feel like maybe you dodged a bullet by pivoting from boxing to acting?

NEESON: Well, I had one tiny concussion when I was 15. It didn’t last long, but a little scary. It all helped to identify with this character. It was a big help.

I believe this is the second time you’ve worked with this director, Hans Moland, after Cold Pursuit. When you’re working with the director for the first time, how long does it usually take for you to get a sense of how compatible you are with them and whether you think they’d be someone that you would want to work with again?

NEESON: Well, it depends on the script. It depends on the director, but Hans … yes, I did this film, Cold Pursuit, a few years ago. I very much liked his personality, his attitude, his experience. And we got along with each other famously. There were no big endless discussions about what the scene is about — this, that, or the other. We just had a feel for each other. I like him very much. I hope I can make another one with them in the not-too-distant future.

Liam Neeson Was “Very Involved” With His ‘Absolution’ Look

You have a very distinct look in this movie with the mustache and the sideburns and the cool leather jacket. At this point, when you do a film now, do you like to bring in your own ideas about what your character should look like? Or do you just leave that up to the director and costuming and makeup? How much do you like to be involved with that?

NEESON: I have to be very involved. If something doesn’t feel right — and I may not be able to intellectualize why a jacket doesn’t feel right or whatever — it has to be right for me. It has to be. So the actor’s input is very, very important. There’s no point in wearing something that you’re uncomfortable in or having a look that you’re uncomfortable with because then that’s another hurdle you have to get over in your performance.

Did you feel like you were able to nail his look quickly in this one?

NEESON: I wouldn’t use the word “nailed,” but I certainly think the sideburns and a mustache indicate a certain age — a period of time, maybe in the ’70s, where that was a hip look.

There are a couple of really distinct dream sequences in Absolution that I thought felt unique to this genre. In them, you’re playing your character, but it kind of seems like a more childlike version of him. Did I imagine that, or were you indeed playing with that type of thing in those sequences?

NEESON: Oh, sure. Without spoiling it for an audience, yeah, there are a couple of dream sequences where he is that 9, 10, 11-year-old kid again on a fishing boat with his dad. Yeah, the sequences are quite unique, I think, in the film. There’s no misty lens going like this [waves hand back and forth].

Liam Neeson on ‘The Naked Gun’ and Why Superhero Movies are No Longer His “Cup of Tea”
Image by Zanda Rice

You and I talked earlier this year about the upcoming reboot of The Naked Gun that you’re starring in, and you admitted that because you hadn’t done a lot of comedy, you were a little nervous about it. I figured, since I had the chance, I’d follow up and ask you: How did that shoot go? And how long did it take for those nerves to pass?

NEESON: The nerves never passed. We wrapped it two months ago … about three months ago, actually, in Atlanta. I think it went well. Loved working with Danny Huston, the lovely Pamela Anderson, who is fantastic, and Akiva Schaffer, who was the writer/director. I trusted Akiva very much because it’s a genre I’m not really used to. I’ve done a couple of little TV sketches that might last two minutes or something. But, for a whole movie, this was a novel experience for me. So I was a bit nervous, and I was a bit nervous most days. Because I wasn’t sure if I was funny, to be honest.

You’ve done some big blockbuster-franchise-type stuff in your career: Star Wars and Batman. Do you ever get the itch to do something like that again with all the pomp and circumstance that comes with it? Or, at this point, do you feel more comfortable with smaller films, character-driven films — the kind of thing we’ve seen from you this year?

NEESON: Yeah, I think smaller … for want of a better word, more intimate. It was great to do a Star Wars, or a Batman with Chris Nolan. Even the Taken films, but I still regard those as a bit more intimate, certainly in comparison to, say, Star Wars. But I’m not — not that I’ve been offered — but I’m not keen on the big superhero movies at all, I must admit, even though it’s extraordinary. Hollywood, with all their bells and whistles, they are extraordinary achievements. But they’re not my personal cup of tea. I do prefer a more intimate type of film.

Absolution opens in theaters across the U.S. this Friday, November 1.

An aging gangster attempts to reconnect with his children and rectify the mistakes in his past, but the criminal underworld won’t loosen their grip willingly.Release Date November 1, 2024 Director Hans Petter Moland Cast Liam Neeson , Ron Perlman , Daniel Diemer , Yolonda Ross , Omar Moustafa Ghonim , Tom Kemp , Ryan Homchick , William Xifaras , Josh Drennen , Kris Eivers , Ryan Caraway , Terrence Pulliam , Ghia Truesdale , Kayla Kohla Runtime 122 Minutes Writers Tony Gayton

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