In the name of love: why Liam Neeson turned down James Bond
The quintessentially British action movie hero James Bond is truly unique, being something of a mass murderer who kills in the name of the Queen as well as a famous womaniser and creep who stalks mysterious women in casinos. Indeed, he’s not quite as virtuous as Batman, as doggedly pure as Ethan Hunt, or as genuinely charming as Indiana Jones, yet a vast generation of Brits still pray at the altar of 007.
Created by author Ian Fleming in 1953, Bond was supposed to represent the classic British spy, and in the first few movie adaptations, the character reflected exactly that. Depicted by Sean Connery from 1962-1971, the Scottish actor played Bond with the same suave style that Fleming had originally intended, with the tone of his stories following suit, being the perfect blend of melodrama and serious spy fiction.
But, as time went on and Roger Moore took the character to space in 1979’s Moonraker, there was no going back for the character. Now, there was no limit to who or what Bond could be, with this being taken to the next level in the 1990s when 007 was pushed to the limits of its camp identity with invisible cars and a helicopter that had saw blades attached to its rotor.
Around this time, the Irish actor Liam Neeson was “heavily courted” for the role of 007, as he told the Hull Daily Mail. Becoming an action star of his own accord in the 2010s, Neeson could have fast-tracked his way to being a Hollywood genre hero if it hadn’t been for one thing that held him back from taking the role, his late wife Natasha Richardson, who prohibited him from appearing as the spy.
“It was about 18 or 19 years ago, and my wife-to-be said, ‘If you play James Bond, we’re not getting married,’” he told the publication, adding, “I had to take that on board because I did want to marry her.” Exactly why she didn’t want him to take on the role is unknown, but it’s likely because the role would have shoved him too aggressively in the public eye or would have made him into a reluctant sex symbol.
Instead, Neeson made a mini-franchise of ‘Bond’ action movies for himself, becoming an aggressive father in the Taken series, where he is forced to save his family from imminent death repeatedly. In addition, he also featured in the underrated 2011 film The Grey, where his love for his wife saw him defy death at the hands of a pack of wolves. Neeson is, indeed, the greatest husband in the world.
Such success in the late 2000s and early 2010s was just the beginning for Neeson; however, in the 2020s, he began churning out action flicks as if the genre was soon to be erased. Even if he never played Bond, the spirit of Britain’s greatest and most bombastic spy has clearly always been within him.
