The Naked Gun's Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson lift lid on long-awaited reboot: ‘Outrageous'
The stars of The Naked Gun reboot have hit the red carpet for the London premiere ahead of its highly-anticipated release.
In the follow-up to the cult comedy classic, Liam Neeson takes over the iconic role of Detective Frank Drebin (albeit Jr.) made famous by Leslie Nielsen in the 80s and 90s. He was joined by co-star Pamela Anderson, aka his love interest and investigative partner Beth Davenport, in Leicester Square on Tuesday night.
The new instalment of the beloved franchise sees Drebin Jr. caught up in a murder case, part of a broader sinister plot for mass destruction, which he must solve in order to prevent the police department from shutting down.
Just like those in the original franchise, the latest Naked Gun movie leans in to the most bonkers humour – and even co-writer Doug Mand admitted to news.com.au that he was shocked they got most of the jokes over the line.
'I can't believe this movie got made,' he revealed ahead of the UK screening.
'You dream about writing something that's silly and fun and joyful and they're not making a lot of movies like this anymore. Every joke that's on screen [in The Naked Gun ], I can't believe they shot it, and I can't believe they spent money on shooting it.'
Neeson revealed to news.com.au that he'd needed to be 'convinced' to go through with some of the movie's more 'outrageous' scenes.
'There were a couple of apprehensions, mainly to do with the script,' the Taken actor, 73, said.
'There were certain scenes that were too outrageous.'
After voicing his concerns, however, he was eventually thoroughly 'convinced they would work' by the production team.
The Naked Gun certainly shows off a whole new side of the actor, who's known for his intimidating and stoic on-screen presence.
But his latest role is actually more aligned with his sense of humour, as Anderson, 58, told news.com.au, joking that he was inherently 'a silly little boy'.
'He's very funny. I think with most people, there are so many sides to them, and that's what makes them interesting.'
She added: 'Playing it straight was very important to make this film work – we had to make sure we weren't trying to be funny. That we were in the relationship, and in the situation, and then the comedy came from the circumstances.'
With so much slapstick comedy, deadpan one-liners and an extraordinarily lengthy and a surreal romantic scene involving a snowman, most actors' ability to keep a straight face would be put to the test.
'We tried to get the laughs out in rehearsals … but the snowman. The snowman!' Anderson laughed.
'There were so many things that happened that were just so ridiculous, and we'd be like, 'What are we doing?' But those were where the most fun parts were.'
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Michael Musandu, the CEO and founder of digital model studio which partnered with Levi's to create its AI models, said that the use of AI models in fashion is already more widespread than many realise, and that brands of all sizes are simply not disclosing it because there is no legal obligation to. The recent sale of Musandu's company to digital design firm Browzwear is a testament to the growing opportunities in the space, he said. Like many AI model creators, Musandu insists his work is supplementary and not intended to replace real-life models. 'We launched by solving a massive problem, which is people of color feeling underrepresented while shopping online. I never got to see models that looked like myself,' said Musandu, who was born in Zimbabwe, raised in South Africa, and studied computer science and AI in the Netherlands, where he is currently based. 'We need to ask who's getting paid, who's getting seen and who gets erased.' As diversity in fashion continues to be a priority, brands are still shooting with real models but using AI to increase their output, said Musandu. 'There is no brand that we work with that is scaling down on traditional photography.' Musandu added that it would be impossible to entirely replace real-life models, who 'can create genuine connection with consumers.' Spring Studios' Ferris agrees, noting that the most successful models and online influencers today, such as Julia Fox, Gabbriette and Olivia Neill, are not traditional in that they are not 'statuesque and don't speak,' but they have a large fanbase because they are 'really active online and engaged with their communities.' While it will become 'increasingly difficult' to tell an AI model apart from a real-life person online, Ferris argued that the latter's personalities will set them apart and become an even greater asset. Still, the further use of AI in fashion is just another potential risk for models, who have historically lacked protection in the workplace and across the sector. It's what the New York State Fashion Workers Act, which took effect in June, seeks to do (the new law, co-sponsored by Ziff's Model Alliance, regulates model management companies, provides complaint procedures and sets up penalties for violations). 'I don't think that the use of AI is inherently bad, but it will be used to exploit people without the proper guardrails in place,' said Ziff. The new law, she added, 'is not a silver bullet by any stretch, but it's a starting point.'
