Kevin Costner’s desperation to play Liam Neeson’s favourite role: “I’m just glad it’s me”
Not to make a sweeping generalisation, but Kevin Costner and Liam Neeson aren’t entirely dissimilar. They’re both tall, statuesque actors with stoicism to spare who’ve specialised in rugged heroism.
They’ve each enjoyed lengthy careers filled with ups and downs, and while Costner was undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s biggest names in the late 1980s and early 1990s, his gradual slide down the ladder saw his star power comfortably outstripped by Neeson, especially in the immediate post-Taken era.
It’s not impossible to imagine them competing for the same role, because they’ve fulfilled similar remits on a number of films. They’ve played father figures, mentors, action heroes, cowboys, government officials, and family men, but envisioning Costner as an Irish revolutionary sounds ridiculous.
For one thing, he can’t do accents. He’s barely tried because he knows he’s rubbish at them, and with so many American actors having failed miserably to navigate their way around an Irish brogue, there’s a high chance Costner’s would have been right up there with the worst ever spoken onscreen.
Obviously, Neeson was born and raised in Ballymena, so if it came down to a straight shootout between them, most casting directors would opt for the Irishman over the guy born in California. And yet, Costner was determined that when a biopic on the life and times of Michael Collins entered development, he’d be the one to play the title character.
“I was really interested in making the Michael Collins story,” he revealed to The Irish Mail. “I still want to make that movie. I know it was made by another director, but that’s not the story I was going to make. I love the epic notion of Collins. I’d still like to make that movie someday. I found him to be an incredible person who was compromised by politics.”
Michael Cimino was the first to try to bring Michael Collins to the screen with Sean Bean in the lead before Costner began circling the project, which eventually wound up in the hands of Neil Jordan, an Irish filmmaker. He couldn’t see anyone else but Neeson in the part, and neither could the leading man.
“If Michael Cimino had filmed this story, it would have been rivers of blood,” Jordan explained. “Had it been Kevin Costner, it would have been very heroic. I’m just glad it’s me who got to make it.” Neeson was a little on the old side, with Collins being shot and killed at the age of 31, and the actor being 43 when shooting started, but he gave a standout performance.
He earned a Golden Globe nomination for his efforts and frequently refers to Michael Collins as “my personal favourite” among his back catalogue. Costner can be great with the right story and script, but the mere thought of him attempting to maintain an Irish accent for an entire movie is enough to send shivers down the spine. His loss was Neeson’s gain, and it’s an understatement to say the right guy ended up with the gig.
