Irish action star Liam Neeson has revealed that movie producers will often have a script rewritten to accommodate his advancing age.
Neeson, who is 62 years old, sees himself as an unlikely action star and recently said he was bewildered that he is offered such roles.
However, he told German magazine TV Movie that he feels lucky to still be offered work and takes the parts because of the huge pay check he receives.
He said: “My agent will suggest something and I’ll be outraged and exclaim, ‘No!’ Then he’ll tell me how much I get for the role. And I’ll do it.
“The hero in action movies is usually mid-30s. I’ll send those scripts straight back, but a week later I’ll get a new one through and the main character is suddenly in his mid-50s.”
Ironically, when Neeson was in his mid-30s – 40s he was famous for starring in serious dramas such as Schindler’s List, Michael Collins and Les Misérables.
Since the actor reached his 50s he has appeared in several action movies including the Taken series, Clash of the Titans, The A Team, Batman Begins, Non Stop and the recent A Walk Among the Tombstones.
He makes sure he stays in shape in order to remain believable as an action hero. He said: “I feel good and do my press-ups every day. All the fight scenes and punch ups I do myself. But a stuntman does any jumps through windows.”
Neeson’s latest appearance as ex-government operative Bryan Mills in Taken 3 was released early in 2015.
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