Neeson was unsure his comedy would do Naked Gun justice
The Taken actor portrays Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr in director Akiva Schaffer's upcoming reboot of the classic action comedy series and while he thought his co-stars were "very funny", Liam wasn't quite sure if he had the comedy skills to pull off the role.
"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," he told Entertainment Weekly.
"Pamela (Anderson), Paul (Walter Hauser), Danny (Huston), 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."
Cruella star Hauser was surprised by how nervous Liam was about the project.
"He was acting really humble and nervous to do comedy," he said.
"We all knew he could do it, but he kept just being like, 'I really hope I'm doing this right'."
Producer Seth MacFarlane had the "wild idea" to cast Neeson in the lead role after working with him on Ted 2, and believes he is the only actor alive who could follow in the footsteps of the franchise's late former lead, Leslie Nielsen.
"Liam Neeson is probably the only actor alive in the 21st century who could do what Leslie Nielsen did, largely because that kind of actor is not something that we're really generating a lot of in Hollywood any more," he said.
"(He's) larger than life on screen and yet so honest, two things that don't always mesh, but he's really able to be that kind of an on-camera powerhouse."
MacFarlane's faith in Neeson made him believe he could tackle the role.
Neeson said: "I thought, Can I pull this off? The fact that it was Seth's idea, I thought, Well, maybe he sees something in me."
The original Frank Drebin was originally created by brothers David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams for the short-lived comedy series Police Squad!, and MacFarlane insisted it was key not to cast a comedian as the cop.
"One of the cardinal rules for the Zucker brothers was that you don't cast comedians," he said.
"You cast serious, dramatic actors, preferably with a ton of gravitas, which Liam has in bountiful levels."
Despite Liam's reservations, his co-star Anderson insisted the star had no problem with any of the slapstick elements of the film.
"He really is a silly guy. He acts like a silly little boy sometimes," she said.
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The Advertiser
18 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Neeson was unsure his comedy would do Naked Gun justice
Liam Neeson spent the whole time filming The Naked Gun unsure if it was "working" for him. The Taken actor portrays Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr in director Akiva Schaffer's upcoming reboot of the classic action comedy series and while he thought his co-stars were "very funny", Liam wasn't quite sure if he had the comedy skills to pull off the role. "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," he told Entertainment Weekly. "Pamela (Anderson), Paul (Walter Hauser), Danny (Huston), 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." Cruella star Hauser was surprised by how nervous Liam was about the project. "He was acting really humble and nervous to do comedy," he said. "We all knew he could do it, but he kept just being like, 'I really hope I'm doing this right'." Producer Seth MacFarlane had the "wild idea" to cast Neeson in the lead role after working with him on Ted 2, and believes he is the only actor alive who could follow in the footsteps of the franchise's late former lead, Leslie Nielsen. "Liam Neeson is probably the only actor alive in the 21st century who could do what Leslie Nielsen did, largely because that kind of actor is not something that we're really generating a lot of in Hollywood any more," he said. "(He's) larger than life on screen and yet so honest, two things that don't always mesh, but he's really able to be that kind of an on-camera powerhouse." MacFarlane's faith in Neeson made him believe he could tackle the role. Neeson said: "I thought, Can I pull this off? The fact that it was Seth's idea, I thought, Well, maybe he sees something in me." The original Frank Drebin was originally created by brothers David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams for the short-lived comedy series Police Squad!, and MacFarlane insisted it was key not to cast a comedian as the cop. "One of the cardinal rules for the Zucker brothers was that you don't cast comedians," he said. "You cast serious, dramatic actors, preferably with a ton of gravitas, which Liam has in bountiful levels." Despite Liam's reservations, his co-star Anderson insisted the star had no problem with any of the slapstick elements of the film. "He really is a silly guy. He acts like a silly little boy sometimes," she said. Liam Neeson spent the whole time filming The Naked Gun unsure if it was "working" for him. The Taken actor portrays Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr in director Akiva Schaffer's upcoming reboot of the classic action comedy series and while he thought his co-stars were "very funny", Liam wasn't quite sure if he had the comedy skills to pull off the role. "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," he told Entertainment Weekly. "Pamela (Anderson), Paul (Walter Hauser), Danny (Huston), 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." Cruella star Hauser was surprised by how nervous Liam was about the project. "He was acting really humble and nervous to do comedy," he said. "We all knew he could do it, but he kept just being like, 'I really hope I'm doing this right'." Producer Seth MacFarlane had the "wild idea" to cast Neeson in the lead role after working with him on Ted 2, and believes he is the only actor alive who could follow in the footsteps of the franchise's late former lead, Leslie Nielsen. "Liam Neeson is probably the only actor alive in the 21st century who could do what Leslie Nielsen did, largely because that kind of actor is not something that we're really generating a lot of in Hollywood any more," he said. "(He's) larger than life on screen and yet so honest, two things that don't always mesh, but he's really able to be that kind of an on-camera powerhouse." MacFarlane's faith in Neeson made him believe he could tackle the role. Neeson said: "I thought, Can I pull this off? The fact that it was Seth's idea, I thought, Well, maybe he sees something in me." The original Frank Drebin was originally created by brothers David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams for the short-lived comedy series Police Squad!, and MacFarlane insisted it was key not to cast a comedian as the cop. "One of the cardinal rules for the Zucker brothers was that you don't cast comedians," he said. "You cast serious, dramatic actors, preferably with a ton of gravitas, which Liam has in bountiful levels." Despite Liam's reservations, his co-star Anderson insisted the star had no problem with any of the slapstick elements of the film. "He really is a silly guy. He acts like a silly little boy sometimes," she said. Liam Neeson spent the whole time filming The Naked Gun unsure if it was "working" for him. The Taken actor portrays Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr in director Akiva Schaffer's upcoming reboot of the classic action comedy series and while he thought his co-stars were "very funny", Liam wasn't quite sure if he had the comedy skills to pull off the role. "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," he told Entertainment Weekly. "Pamela (Anderson), Paul (Walter Hauser), Danny (Huston), 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." Cruella star Hauser was surprised by how nervous Liam was about the project. "He was acting really humble and nervous to do comedy," he said. "We all knew he could do it, but he kept just being like, 'I really hope I'm doing this right'." Producer Seth MacFarlane had the "wild idea" to cast Neeson in the lead role after working with him on Ted 2, and believes he is the only actor alive who could follow in the footsteps of the franchise's late former lead, Leslie Nielsen. "Liam Neeson is probably the only actor alive in the 21st century who could do what Leslie Nielsen did, largely because that kind of actor is not something that we're really generating a lot of in Hollywood any more," he said. "(He's) larger than life on screen and yet so honest, two things that don't always mesh, but he's really able to be that kind of an on-camera powerhouse." MacFarlane's faith in Neeson made him believe he could tackle the role. Neeson said: "I thought, Can I pull this off? The fact that it was Seth's idea, I thought, Well, maybe he sees something in me." The original Frank Drebin was originally created by brothers David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams for the short-lived comedy series Police Squad!, and MacFarlane insisted it was key not to cast a comedian as the cop. "One of the cardinal rules for the Zucker brothers was that you don't cast comedians," he said. "You cast serious, dramatic actors, preferably with a ton of gravitas, which Liam has in bountiful levels." Despite Liam's reservations, his co-star Anderson insisted the star had no problem with any of the slapstick elements of the film. "He really is a silly guy. He acts like a silly little boy sometimes," she said. Liam Neeson spent the whole time filming The Naked Gun unsure if it was "working" for him. The Taken actor portrays Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr in director Akiva Schaffer's upcoming reboot of the classic action comedy series and while he thought his co-stars were "very funny", Liam wasn't quite sure if he had the comedy skills to pull off the role. "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," he told Entertainment Weekly. "Pamela (Anderson), Paul (Walter Hauser), Danny (Huston), 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." Cruella star Hauser was surprised by how nervous Liam was about the project. "He was acting really humble and nervous to do comedy," he said. "We all knew he could do it, but he kept just being like, 'I really hope I'm doing this right'." Producer Seth MacFarlane had the "wild idea" to cast Neeson in the lead role after working with him on Ted 2, and believes he is the only actor alive who could follow in the footsteps of the franchise's late former lead, Leslie Nielsen. "Liam Neeson is probably the only actor alive in the 21st century who could do what Leslie Nielsen did, largely because that kind of actor is not something that we're really generating a lot of in Hollywood any more," he said. "(He's) larger than life on screen and yet so honest, two things that don't always mesh, but he's really able to be that kind of an on-camera powerhouse." MacFarlane's faith in Neeson made him believe he could tackle the role. Neeson said: "I thought, Can I pull this off? The fact that it was Seth's idea, I thought, Well, maybe he sees something in me." The original Frank Drebin was originally created by brothers David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams for the short-lived comedy series Police Squad!, and MacFarlane insisted it was key not to cast a comedian as the cop. "One of the cardinal rules for the Zucker brothers was that you don't cast comedians," he said. "You cast serious, dramatic actors, preferably with a ton of gravitas, which Liam has in bountiful levels." Despite Liam's reservations, his co-star Anderson insisted the star had no problem with any of the slapstick elements of the film. "He really is a silly guy. He acts like a silly little boy sometimes," she said.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Neeson was unsure his comedy would do Naked Gun justice
Liam Neeson spent the whole time filming The Naked Gun unsure if it was "working" for him. The Taken actor portrays Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr in director Akiva Schaffer's upcoming reboot of the classic action comedy series and while he thought his co-stars were "very funny", Liam wasn't quite sure if he had the comedy skills to pull off the role. "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," he told Entertainment Weekly. "Pamela (Anderson), Paul (Walter Hauser), Danny (Huston), 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." Cruella star Hauser was surprised by how nervous Liam was about the project. "He was acting really humble and nervous to do comedy," he said. "We all knew he could do it, but he kept just being like, 'I really hope I'm doing this right'." Producer Seth MacFarlane had the "wild idea" to cast Neeson in the lead role after working with him on Ted 2, and believes he is the only actor alive who could follow in the footsteps of the franchise's late former lead, Leslie Nielsen. "Liam Neeson is probably the only actor alive in the 21st century who could do what Leslie Nielsen did, largely because that kind of actor is not something that we're really generating a lot of in Hollywood any more," he said. "(He's) larger than life on screen and yet so honest, two things that don't always mesh, but he's really able to be that kind of an on-camera powerhouse." MacFarlane's faith in Neeson made him believe he could tackle the role. Neeson said: "I thought, Can I pull this off? The fact that it was Seth's idea, I thought, Well, maybe he sees something in me." The original Frank Drebin was originally created by brothers David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams for the short-lived comedy series Police Squad!, and MacFarlane insisted it was key not to cast a comedian as the cop. "One of the cardinal rules for the Zucker brothers was that you don't cast comedians," he said. "You cast serious, dramatic actors, preferably with a ton of gravitas, which Liam has in bountiful levels." Despite Liam's reservations, his co-star Anderson insisted the star had no problem with any of the slapstick elements of the film. "He really is a silly guy. He acts like a silly little boy sometimes," she said.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Pamela Anderson found 'friend forever' in Liam Neeson
Pamela Anderson thinks she has made a "friend forever" in Liam Neeson. The Last Showgirl actress stars opposite the 72-year-old star in the upcoming Naked Gun reboot and they quickly developed a "very loving" relationship and a "sincere connection". Pamela, 58, gushed to Entertainment Weekly: "I think I have a friend forever in Liam, and we definitely have a connection that is very sincere, very loving, and he's a good guy." The former Playboy model noted how different her and Liam's respective careers have been and she found it "very meaningful" to share the screen with the Taken actor. Pamela added: "He's a true artist. He comes from theater and Schindler's List and has done over a hundred films. And I did things inside out and backwards, came from television, and then my personal life kind of overshadowed my professional life. "It is funny: We all come to this place in different ways, but to be able to share this experience with him is very meaningful and such an honour." Liam wasn't sure what to expect from Pamela, who plays his character Lt. Frank Drebbin Jr.'s love interest Beth Davenport, but he was very impressed by her performance. He said: "She embraced and embodied the silliness, the quirkiness, and the intensity — and a little sad quality in her, too, which was adorable. "She's got that feistiness and innate sense of humor… And very easy on the eyes, too." Liam - who has sons Micheal, 29, and Daniel, 28, with late wife Natasha Richardson - previously admitted he fell "madly in love" with Pamela while working on The Naked Gun. He told People magazine: "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. She's going to be terrific in the film." And Pamela has described her relationship with Liam while working on the movie as "professionally romantic". She previously told Entertainment Weekly: Explaining how she bonded with the "true gentleman" over their mutual "love of literature and a good laugh." She said: "I also baked my sourdough bread for therapy and regularly shared with him, along with cookies and muffins. "We had many dinners out with the cast. I invited him and his assistant over for romantic dinners with me and my assistant so our relationship stayed 'professionally romantic' during filming."
