Carrying with him an extraordinary reservoir of charisma, actor Liam Neeson sweeps into a London hotel room.
When he takes a seat, he greets us with a gentle, soothing yet expansive voice.
Today, Neesons in an Aslan kind of mood.
And hisimpression of Christopher Nolanis truly priceless.
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Do you have large fanbase in Albania, then?
Id be game for it.
When was the idea for this sequel first mooted?
Probably a year and a half ago, maybe.
They proposed a few ideas a few years ago which I thought were… silly.
And it drew Famke Janssens character and Maggie [Graces] in much more, you know?
I thought it was good.
Was it harder or easier to film in Istanbul than Paris?
There were different challenges.
It was an extraordinary city.
I loved the streets we shot in, which were thousands of years old.
They were as wide as this room, with shops either side and merchants selling their wares.
You do your movie.
I sell my wares.
So there were pedestrians crossing the road all the time.
[Laughs]
Were any pedestrians hurt during the course of this film?
Nobody at all, no.
But it added an exoticism to the film, you know?
The extras werent from central casting.
Theyre all normal people going about their daily lives.
Speaking of getting hurt, youre very active in this movie.
Does a movie like this require extra work?
Theres always extra work in a movie like this.
I keep pretty fit in life, as a rule.
You have to these days, right?
So every day after we wrapped, we had this hotel room we trained in.
Actually, it was about this size.
We worked on these fights.
Do you bounce off a fist like you used to?
Its starts to hurt.
The knees creak a little more, you know?
But its good to use that particularly in the last encounter we have in the film.
You have to show two people getting tired.
Its not super[hero] stuff, its ugly and tiring and violent.
But you also leave the door open for Taken 3…
Do you think so?
I dont think so.
No, I think were finished, thats it.
Mind you, I thought we were finished with the first one.
And then the next territory we opened in was South Korea, and it was phenomenally successful.
And then you could download it on your gear.
[Laughs]
I said, Which one?
and they said, Taken.
I said, You couldnt have done.
It hasnt opened yet.
Uh, we saw it on the computer.
And I thought, thats the end of that.
Its finished, you know?
So it was due to Fox.
They really hyped it.
Bryan, your character in the film, hes quite a brutal guy.
Hes a very sensitive, caring and intelligent guy [laughs].
Actively going into Pakistan.
The stuff he gets up to is breathtaking.
Is 60 the new 20?
Well, 60s the new 40.
[Laughs] Thats for sure.
You explain to me what is the success ofThe Expendables,for example?
Nostalgia, isnt it, partially?
Because I thinkTakenharks back to those 80s proper action movies.
Merciless good guy, righteousness, that kind of thing.
Our elected leaders, the so-called pillars of society, the bankers and managers, were fucking shafting us.
And everyone felt vulnerable and scared and nervous.
Hes going to do something about it himself.
I think that gave people a real guilty pleasure.
Saying, Yes, I wish I could do that.
I mean, he towers physically over everyone else in the film?
Yeah, but I think hes vulnerable, too.
Hes an over-protective dad.
Hes not some superhero, I think joking aside, he is very sensitive.
Its good that you get to spend more time with Maggie Grace this time round.
Did you teach her the action ropes?
Well, Maggies very fit, so I didnt have to teach her anything.
She just took it all on board.
If there is a sequel, it should be based on her.
What was it about the firstTakenthat made you want to do it?
It was because Ive always liked Luc Besson, and Ive liked his movies.
And it was three months in Paris, which isnt too shabby.
And that was okay with me three months in Paris, I get to work with the French crew.
Do you have a favourite scene in the sequel?
Um… favourite scene.
I think the fighting stuff.
All that gun stuff.
It was like being a kid in the candy store.
Which was the most difficult to do?
Actually, those driving scenes in those narrow streets were difficult.
You never knew who was going to pop out of a shop.
We had a police presence, but they could only do so much, you know?
Were the little cars that got smashed to pieces the real ones?
We smashed up a few Mercedes too, by the way.
They got chewed up big time.
Are you an over-protective father?
How far would you go to protect your own children?
Well, how many of us are parents in this room?
[One hand goes up after a considerable delay] Only two of us?
In this cutthroat world of film journalism, we have to be selfish… And I thought actors were selfish!
But you know the stories of mothers who can lift a car to save their child.
Youd do anything for your kid.
Though Id draw the line at shooting people.
Do you think its different if youve got daughters rather than sons?
Do fathers tend to be more protective towards daughters?
Because girls need protecting in the old-fashioned sense, I think.
Occasionally, I hear it.
[Adopts teen voice] Oh, hello Mr Neeson.
Would you leave a message on my iPhone?
[Laughs]
Sometimes I get people shouting, Hey!
[Laughs] Thats the one I most get.
I will find you, and I will kill you is a legendary line now.
Would you recommend using that in everyday life against cold-callers, for example?
Uh, you do feel like saying things like that sometimes, dont you?
Did you get to have more fun this time round, without the sinister undertones of the first film?
Thats a good question.
But theres still sex traffickers, you know?
Its a huge business.
Is playing a character like Bryan more difficult or less difficult than playing yourself in something likeLifes Too Short?
Did Ricky Gervais script that scene?
That was all scripted.
Every comma, semi-colon and full stop.
It was all scripted.
He and Stephen [Merchant], his writing partner.
It was a brilliant little skit.
Did you recognise anything of yourself in it?
Well, its supposed to be Liam Neeson, and Im known for serious roles.
So I thought, the more serious I am, the funnier its going to be.
And Ricky said, Be really serious.
He gave me a few timing notes, too.
When I say this, dont answer immediately.
Wait a couple of beats.
That was interesting, from a comedian.
So I learned very much from the two of them.
Did you have anything you didnt want to say, or did you take it as written?
Oh, I took it as written, yeah.
I added a couple of things.
When Warwick Davies says, Youre a greengrocer, I say, I played Schindler.
They had a couple of credits I didnt want to mention not for any particular reason.
But I said, I was Michael Collins.
I was Oskar Schindler.
I was a Jedi.
I was Zeus, for Gods sake.
How can I be a greengrocer?
No, for ten seconds I was going to be Noah inNoahs Ark.
But Russell [Crowe] is up for that one, I think.
Then they wanted me to be his nemesis, but I was like, bah.
If youre not Noah, whats the point, you know?
[Laughs]
Do you get offered that many villain roles?
Sometimes, theyll come in.Batman Beginswas interesting.
What was it like to play that character again inThe Dark Knight Rises?
To give the films that sense of closure?
I havent seen the movie yet to be honest with you.
I was on set for two hours, I think.
[Laughs]
And theres a crew of 300, you know?
I said, Im not going to say anything, but these 300 guys might!
[Laughs]
Doing junkets, people say, Youre in Batman!
and Id say, Im not in Batman, Im really not!
It was only 15 seconds, right?
It seems like longer than that.
It makes a big impression.
I havent seen it yet, I just havent had a chance.
After the Ricky Gervais role, would you like to explore more of the comedy side?
Nothings come in yet, and I keep thinking, Come on, bring it on!
[Laughs]
If it was right, yeah.
And if I could do something, rather than be funny.
To end on a slightly humorous note, someone in the office has stolen our HobNobs.
How do you think Bryan would recommend we get them back?
Oh, theyre biscuits?
How do you think Bryan would get them back for us, since theyve been taken?
See, you just said that word taken, and Im immediately [snaps fingers].
[Laughs]
Id find them… And I would kill them.
[In mock anger] Wheres my HobNobs?!
Liam Neeson, thank you very much.
Taken 2is out in the UK on the 4th October.Our reviews here.
