Liam Neeson Regrets Starring In One Of His Best Crime Thrillers

Liam Neeson is, if nothing else, a very candid interview subject. Sometimes he’s candid to a problematic fault. Regardless of how you feel about the man, however, you cannot accuse him of giving canned answers, which is what renders too many interviews unworthy of a reader’s time.

With a film acting career that spans over 40 years, stretching back to his portrayal of the knight Gawain in John Boorman’s Arthurian “Excalibur,” the Irish-born Neeson has put together a career that prompts many questions. He went Hollywood early, and seemed stuck in a rut acting in forgettable films like “Suspect,” “Satisfaction,” and “The Good Mother.” I didn’t really take measure of him as a performer until he played Patrick Swayze’s vengeful, incredibly lethal hillbilly brother in “Next of Kin.” His high-pitched voice and not-entirely-hidden Irish lilt is actually perfect for an Appalachian hill person, and even though the film is just a studio programmer, he gives the part his all.

It’s stunning to consider that at that time, he was just four years away from giving a masterful performance in “Schindler’s List,” which vaulted him onto Hollywood’s A-list. He was an actor’s actor at this point, seemingly in pursuit of an Oscar until, in 2008, he surprised everyone in the industry by becoming one of the movies’ most bankable action stars in “Taken.” Neeson cashed in time and again to such a seemingly shameless extent that people wondered if he’d lost interest in his craft altogether. He put those fears to rest with his deeply affecting turn in Martin Scorsese’s “Silence,” and then took what appeared to be a small (though important) role as Viola Davis’ ill-fated husband in Steve McQueen’s “Widows.” There was more to the character than we were led to believe, which is what made him perfect casting. Neeson, however, disagrees.

An action-thriller about four women who attempt to pull off a heist that was being planned by their slain husbands, McQueen’s “Widows” works on every conceivable level. It’s tightly scripted (by Gillian Flynn and McQueen), expertly directed, and acted to the fare-thee-well by a murderer’s row cast. Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, and Cynthia Erivo are sensational as the widows, and they’re up against some serious heavy hitters in Daniel Kaluuya, Colin Farrell, Jackie Weaver, Brian Tyree Henry, and Robert Duvall.

If you knew the premise of the film going in, you expected that Neeson, as Davis’ husband, would not be around for long. Indeed, he is dispatched early on in the movie. But — spoiler alert — his performance isn’t quite through because, as we learn in the twist ending, his character is still alive.

Neeson’s performance is effective, but far from the reason to watch the movie. Alas, while he loves the movie, he’s highly critical of his performance. As he told /Film in 2022:

“It was a very good film. I loved Steve McQueen. I adored Viola Davis. I saw it quite recently … and I thought, “No. No. This isn’t…” I thought I was miscast. I’ve never felt that before. I still maintain it, but I thought it was an excellent film. All the girls, especially Viola, terrific, and Steve McQueen’s somebody to watch, really. He’s something extraordinary … We launched it at the Toronto Film Festival three years ago, and I did lots of interviews, but Viola and I hadn’t seen the movie, and I’m glad I hadn’t seen it because I wouldn’t have been able to have done those interviews. I just know I wouldn’t. Hated myself in it.”

I think Neeson was spot-on casting as a seemingly loving husband who unsuccessfully pulls the rug out from under Davis, if only because I never suspected his character would do such an awful thing to the woman he, to my mind, clearly loves. McQueen’s instincts were sound. I’m surprised Neeson disagrees, but I respect the man for speaking his unvarnished truth (though McQueen might feel otherwise).