While big names like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger have put their action hero days behind them in their 70s, Liam Neeson is still pretty active in the genre. Between his big starring role in The Naked Gun reboot to some of his other newer releases that always seem to perform well on streaming, how can he stay so fit at his age?
The actor recently shared the secret to his physical health with Yahoo Entertainment. While Neeson wouldn’t consider himself a gym rat, it does sound like he does what he needs to ensure he can stay as healthy and active as possible to be ready for his various film roles:
I don’t train the way people think. I do not stay in the gym for two or three hours every day. If you’re playing a lead or semi-lead in these films, there’s a crew of 50 to 100 people waiting on you. That group requires a commitment. And part of that commitment should be keeping yourself reasonably fit.
Liam Neeson didn’t drop the gym routine for others looking to move as he does in his 70s, but apparently it’s the secret to his signing on for more action-heavy movies decades into his career. I’m happy because it means we may get more Naked Gun sequels, even if the co-creator of the original wasn’t a fan.
It’s impressive to think that Neeson is still moving around as well as he is after a terrible motorcycle accident back in 2000. The actor was thrown from his bike after colliding with a deer, and ABC News reported he fractured his right pelvis, chipped his left pelvis, and had multiple abrasions down his legs. Liam Neeson shared some added context to that night, mentioning something involving his late wife, who passed in 2009:
They told my wife that I wasn’t going to survive the night. It was only because of the physical wellness that I pulled through. Health is wealth.
Health is wealth, especially when it comes to repeatedly overcoming unfortunate accidents like an on-set stabbing. Perhaps it was those accidents that taught the actor not to take any moment for granted or gave him the confidence to continue to pursue action roles like Taken.
While I love his work in action movies, I’d love to see Liam Neeson get back into doing more dramatic works or revisit some of his previous beloved roles. I’m of the opinion that if so many other Star Wars characters can come back from the dead, then why can’t Qui-Gon Jinn? I think he’s healthy enough to participate in lightsaber battles at his age, and if it were a prequel to Episode 1, he could even get away with playing a younger version of himself.
We’ll see what the future holds for Liam Neeson, as he remains as active in the industry as actors half his age. I can’t wait to see what other projects he has coming out, and what actor will be the next Neeson in future eras.