Liam Neeson looks back on 'falling in love' with late wife Natasha Richardson amid new Pamela Anderson romance
While speaking with the New York Times, the 71-year-old Oscar nominee recalled falling under the late actress' spell when they starred together on Broadway in a 1993 revival of the play Anna Christie.
Richardson, who married the Taken star the following year, tragically died in 2009 from a traumatic brain injury she sustained from a skiing crash.
Neeson's sentimental reverie about his marriage comes amid his burgeoning romance with Pamela Anderson, whom he got close to while filming his upcoming spoof revival The Naked Gun.
According to the Times, Neeson's voice nearly dropped to a whisper when he brought up his earlier love with Richardson.
'It was great doing it every night with her and falling in love,' he said of their time on stage.
Liam Neeson looked back on how he fell in love with his late wife Natasha Richardson while speaking with the New York Times on Thursday. Richardson died in 2009 from a traumatic brain injury she sustained from a skiing crash; pictured together in 2007 in NYC
Neeson's sentimental reverie about his marriage comes amid his burgeoning romance with Pamela Anderson, whom he got close to while filming his upcoming spoof revival The Naked Gun; pictured together on Wednesday in NYC
Their Anna Christie production proved to be an auspicious event, as it not only set Neeson and Richardson's romance in motion, but it also led to Neeson being cast in Steven Spielberg's Academy Award–winning Holocaust drama Schindler's List.
Spielberg saw a performance of the Eugene O'Neill play and offered the role of Oskar Schindler to Neeson on the strength of his stage performance.
Despite earning an Oscar nomination for his performance in Spielberg's film which went on to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director — Neeson admitted that he struggled for years to appreciate his work in the film.
'A lot of times, I could see myself acting. Up until quite recently, I'd always think that we should have cast this or that actor,' he said. 'I just see myself acting, and I didn't like that.'
As Neeson has been showing off some sweet PDA on red carpets with his new girlfriend Pamela Anderson, a friend of his late wife weighed in on the burgeoning relationship.
The Naked Gun stars appeared together at SiriusXM studios in Manhattan on Wednesday for a Town Hall with host Andy Cohen, who confessed that he had been 'dear friends' with Richardson.
'I, and all of the friends in this circle, are very much stanning whatever this is,' Cohen gushed.
'As I was telling him at the [Naked Gun] premiere party, I go, "Liam, [Pamela] is an independent woman, just like Tash was. She loves to cook. She has her own thing going on. She has two boys. I mean, this just works, and you know?"
The 71-year-old Oscar nominee recalled falling under Richardson's spell when they starred together on Broadway in a 1993 revival of Eugene O'Neill's play Anna Christie; seen together in 1993 in LA
'It was great doing it every night with her and falling in love,' he said as his voice dropped nearly to a whisper; pictured together in 1999 in NYC
Their Anna Christie production proved to be an auspicious event, as it not only set Neeson and Richardson's romance in motion, but it also led Steven Spielberg to cast him in Schindler's List (pictured) after the filmmaker saw a performance
'She is a formidable human being, Pamela Anderson. She really is. Like what she's been through and how she kind of reclaimed herself and redefined herself.'
The Bravo host added that Neeson might be ready to move on with a new love 16 years after the death of his wife.
The latter-day action star is only known to have had one other relationship after Richardson's death, a two-year fling with Freya St. Johnston that ended in 2012.
Neeson and Anderson opened up about the sweet start to their new relationship during the interview.
The 58-year-old Baywatch star and her new beau affectionately held hands during the chat as they shared their first impressions of each other while joined by other stars of their new comedy The Naked Gun, Danny Huston and Liza Koshy.
The two had stirred up rumors of a romance recently after sharing an unexpected amount of PDA on red carpets to promote The Naked Gun — which hits theaters on Friday, August 1 — and a source confirmed to the Daily Mail on Tuesday that they have been dating 'for a while.'
During the broadcast on SiriusXM's Radio Andy, Neeson recalled being instantly charmed by his costar when they started work on the film, which is a sequel and reboot to the Leslie Nielsen-starring series of police-procedural spoofs.
'Well, you know, we had never met before and I remember thinking, "Wow, she is gorgeous," but she had this wonderful sense of silliness and just humanity about her,' Neeson said. 'I don't want to blow her head up, but it was like I just felt an ease with her, you know, and we discovered a silliness with each other, which was terrific, you know?'
Anderson, 58, and Neeson opened up about the sweet beginnings of their new relationship at a SiriusXM Town Hall in New York City on Wednesday with Andy Cohen
The two had stirred up rumors of a romance recently after sharing an unexpected amount of PDA on red carpets to promote The Naked Gun, and a source confirmed to the Daily Mail on Tuesday that they have been dating 'for a while'
Anderson admitted that she was 'nervous to meet [Neeson], of course and you're always nervous the first day on the set.'
However, she described the film shoot and 'just easy going and very silly, which puts you at ease and very silly, on and off.'
In a clip from the Town Hall, Anderson and Neeson described how they bonded over her baking on set.
The Barb Wire beauty revealed to Cohen that she tends to keep to herself in her free time and focuses on her writing — including poetry and journaling — as well as working in her garden and baking sourdough bread, which became a staple on the film set.
Neeson interjected to praise the sourdough as 'phenomenal.'
'I brought sourdough bread to Liam and cookies and muffins and kept me busy. Kept me outta trouble,' Anderson shared.
She spoke about a 'very special recipe' for muffins that Neeson became a fan of, but Cohen couldn't tell if she was being serious or was trying to slip in a naught double entendre.
'It's a very special recipe. It's very good for you. Let's just say that,' Anderson added with a smile.
The two had never met before, but Neeson was blown away by Anderson's beauty. 'She had this wonderful sense of silliness and just humanity about her . . . it was like I just felt an ease with her, you know, and we discovered a silliness with each other, which was terrific'
Anderson admitted that she was 'nervous to meet [Neeson], of course and you're always nervous the first day on the set'
However, she described the film shoot and 'just easy going and very silly, which puts you at ease and very silly, on and off'
Anderson and Neeson star in The Naked Gun (pictured), a legacy sequel and reboot of the police-procedural spoof series that starred Leslie Nielsen
Earlier in the day Pamela was seen out and about in New York as she waved to fans
The star wore an elegant pale yellow dress with lace trim detailing
She was seen struggling not to get caught in her dress as she made her way out of the car
'A lot of bran,' Neeson added, grinning, while Anderson said the muffins were also made with molasses.
'Wow. What are we talking about?' the confused host said to laughter from the audience.
On Tuesday, a source revealed to the Daily Mail that Anderson and Neeson first felt 'sparks' flying when they shot the movie in May 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
The May/December lovebirds — Pamela is 58 and Liam is 73 — have been kissing on the red carpet while promoting the high-profile comedy in New York City and London.
'Pam is very drawn to Liam because he is totally open to her way of thinking and living, and especially her approach to fame, which is impressive,' the source told Daily Mail.
'She has been telling friends he is smitten and does a lot of sweet things for her, like sending her flowers, and spending time with her sons and dogs.'
The insider has noted they've managed to keep the long-distance romance private by spending time at her house in Canada.
'Pam cooks and gardens at home... it's wholesome and appealing and very un-Hollywood and Liam loves that,' said the insider. 'He actually gets involved.'
On Tuesday, a source told Daily Mail that Anderson and Neeson are dating. The two have been in a romance 'for a while,' and they started having 'sparks' when they began filming their Naked Gun movie in May 2024; seen on July 28 in NYC
Now the lovebirds have been kissing on the red carpet. 'Pam is very drawn to Liam because he is totally open to her way of thinking and living, and especially her approach to fame which is impressive,' the source told Daily Mail; seen July 22 in London
Daily Mail has reached out to Anderson's and Neeson's representatives for comment.
On Monday evening at their New York premiere, Anderson suggested they were an item when she went in for a kiss on Neeson's lips before she pulled back during their joint ET interview.
And they both talked to Extra, Pamela said of building their relationship, 'We just like each other.'
Liam added, 'It just grew naturally. We didn't force it, just allowed it to grow.'
She also wrote on Instagram, 'Love is in the air.' The full post read: 'A beautiful evening at the NYC Naked Gun premiere… thank you to everyone who came out to laugh with us… love is in the air.'
Eyebrows were raised in October 2024 when Neeson said he loved the former Playboy model. He told People: 'With Pamela, first off, I'm madly in love with her. She's just terrific to work with. I can't compliment her enough, I'll be honest with you. No huge ego. She just comes in to do the work. She's funny and so easy to work with.'
Anderson said that Neeson is 'the perfect gentleman' and he 'brings out the best in you … with respect, kindness and depth of experience. It was an absolute honor to work with him.'
And she told EW: 'We definitely have a connection that is very sincere, very loving. He's a good guy.'
'She has been telling friends that he is smitten and does a lot of sweet things for her, like sending her flowers, and spending time with her sons and dogs,' said the source
The insider said they've managed to keep the long-distance romance private by spending time at her house in Canada. 'Pam cooks and gardens at her home, it's wholesome and appealing and very un-Hollywood and Liam loves that, he actually gets involved,' said the insider
They can't keep their hands off each other even in the film's poster
This comes after Neeson has joked his favorite part of The Naked Gun was filming 'the sex scenes' with Anderson.
The actor stars as Frank Drebin Jr. opposite Anderson as nightclub singer Beth in the upcoming comedy reboot, and Neeson has now teased he particularly enjoyed shooting their love scenes, which were made with the help of an intimacy coordinator.
The Sun newspaper reports Liam joked the best bit of the shoot was 'the sex scenes', and he added of the intimacy coordinator: 'I'd never had one before. But she was in the background. There was no kind of: "Ok! Excuse me!"'
The publication went on to report Liam claimed the intimacy coordinator threw her hands in the air and exclaimed: 'I can't take this! This is too hot for me. I'm going for coffee.'
In The Naked Gun — which is a new take on the original Leslie Nielsen 1988 comedy movie — Detective Frank Drebin Jr. (Neeson) takes on his first big case, determined to solve a high-profile murder and save the police department from closure.
Following in his father's hilariously clumsy footsteps, he stumbles through outrageous situations while trying to solve the mystery.
Neeson recently said he didn't want to 'emulate' Nielsen in the new film, which was directed by Akiva Schaffer and hits screens on August 1.
He told Empire magazine: 'I wouldn't say nerve-wracking, but every day I would go up to Akiva after we wrapped and say, 'How was it?' Because I just didn't know.
The two could not keep their hands off each other when at Cineworld Leicester Square
'I did not want to emulate the wonderful Leslie Nielsen, but the only thing I grabbed from him, was, 'Be serious. Don't try to be funny. Just stick to being a serious cop who is a bit of a doofus.'
The Taken actor also admitted he wasn't sure if he was funny enough for The Naked Gun, which also stars Paul Walter Hauser and Danny Huston.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Neeson said: 'During the whole shoot — I'm being very honest — I still did not know, when we wrapped at the end of each working day, whether it was working for me.
'Pamela, Paul, Danny, everybody else, I thought, were very funny. I just couldn't put a verdict on myself, on my own performance.
'I'd always ask Akiva, "Are you sure it's working?" That continued from day one till we finished.'
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