Naked Gun star Liam Neeson's cheeky dig at man-of-of-the-moment Pedro Pascal
The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal is one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood at the moment, with the Chilean-American actor about to take on one of his biggest roles to date in the new Marvel movie Fantastic Four.
And even Liam Neeson couldn't help himself, with the Naked Gun star making a cheeky dig about him at an early screening for his new movie.
Neeson, 73, is starring as Frank Drebin Jr in the 80s parody's reboot, which is out in cinemas today, with r eviewers hailing it a "masterclass". Speaking at the New York screening, a video of the star has done the rounds on social media.
Posted by entertainment reporter Jonathan Sim, the clips shows Neeson thanking his audience for going to see the movie. He jokes that the needs them to "please laugh out loud" at the funny moments. It comes after Taylor Swift sparks engagement rumours as fans spot Travis Kelce's lock screen
Neeson goes on to quip: "Spoiler alert: there's no zombies, no superheroes, and Pedro Pascal isn't in this movie," with fans laughing at his comment.
His joke highlights how Pascal's career seems to be going from strength to strength, with the 50-year-old cast in numerous new productions following 20 years of working his way up in smaller roles on TV and on stage.
Those roles however have included the lead in Netflix series Narcos as well as Star Wars series The Mandalorian and HBO's hit show The Last of Us. He has also featured in films such as Wonder Woman 1984, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and Gladiator II.
This year, alongside Fantastic Four he will also feature in modern western Eddington as well as romantic comedy Materialists opposite Dakota Johnson. With his recent success, Parade magazine estimates his net worth at around $10 million.
But despite his high profile, Pascal has managed to keep his private life largely under wraps. He made headlines back in March after he was spotted getting close to former Friends star Jennifer Aniston.
The pair were spotted together in Los Angeles at a dinner that 'lasted three hours', as reported by The Mirror. They then spent the night at the Tower Bar at the Sunset Hotel in West Hollywood.
Aniston and Pascal arrived separately after 8pm and left in separate ways three hours later, in photos seen by Daily Mail. Both opted for casual outfits for the evening and soon parted ways after having a conversation outside the parking valet area.
Aniston and Pascal's dinner date comes amid speculation he might join her Apple TV series, The Morning Show. Despite the dating speculations, Pascal is thought to be single.
Meanwhile, Liam has been romantically linked to Pamela Anderson, although they too are keeping quiet about their relationship status. Neeson was married to British actress Natasha Richardson from 1994, until she tragically died in 2009 following a head injury.
The close bond between Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson has been the topic of conversation around the world as the pair continue to remain silent over whether or not they're in a relationship. But it looks as though the writing was on the wall as far back as last year when the Taken star declared his love for the former Baywatch icon.
In an interview with People magazine, Liam, 73, candidly confessed to being "madly in love" with the mum of two.
At the time, he told the publication: "With Pamela, first off, I'm madly in love with her." He added: "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."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
39 minutes ago
- Times
Suranne Jones: ‘I'd go back to Coronation Street. Why not?'
The actress and producer Suranne Jones, 46, grew up in Chadderton, Greater Manchester. Her first major role was playing Karen McDonald in Coronation Street. She won a Bafta for Doctor Foster and was nominated for her role in Gentleman Jack. She has also starred in Vigil and appears in Netflix's Hostage. She lives in London with her husband and their nine-year-old son. It's a scary time for the industry and the arts. I worry that the government won't continue to fund in the right places and we don't take it seriously enough. Theatre needs to reach young people. If they asked, 'Would you come and do an episode of Coronation Street?' I'd say, 'Why not?' If you had asked me two years after I left the show, I'd have said, 'Absolutely not. I'm going to do all these things.' But now it's 21 years ago, it might be fun. Donald Trump is like a caricature. What he's said [about 100 per cent tariffs on films made outside America] is absolute madness. It's mind-boggling. The women before us had no language for the perimenopause. It must have been horrendous. I never heard my mum, aunties or cousins talking about it, other than that they were hot or they felt a bit mad. I have the language to say to anyone, 'This is what I'm experiencing.' You can walk into a room and have that conversation. You could never do that before. A woman stopped me in the toilet and said, 'You're the reason I was able to tell my gran I was gay and introduce her to my girlfriend.' [Jones played gay characters in Vigil and Gentleman Jack.] I get a lot of messages on Instagram and I feel really connected to the LGBTQ community. I would be scared to play the Doctor. I thought Ncuti Gatwa [who left Doctor Who in May] did a brilliant job. That's a lot to live up to. It's a pressurised job. I love Jodie Whittaker — watching some of her episodes with my son, I'm like, wow, that takes a lot. So I'd be a bit frightened of it. But I'm really pleased I got to play in that universe [in the 2011 episode The Doctor's Wife]. It was so special. I lost both my parents. You have to rebuild yourself. I feel lucky that not only do I have a therapist, but I have a way of giving back my experience of grief via the arts. • Read more TV reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews I worry when the people who make smartphones say they don't give them to their kids. Or they limit themselves. My son doesn't have a phone. It's so addictive. I get lost scrolling. I have to take a holiday from it, because it's scary. I'd love to have a huge digital detox. I have always looked after my wellness and mental health in a really serious way. Not only with therapy — exercise to me is also about mental health. If I don't do it, then I'm very lost and I just want to go to bed — I get so overwhelmed with life. I do what therapists call 'parts work', where you look at the different parts that make up a person. I've got little girl me who's ready to play, teenage me who's ready to knock someone out, someone with a drink and a fag, someone with a clipboard, the one who has got a chip on her shoulder and the one who's a geek. We need to take care of all these aspects of our personalities. Being bullied was hard. It made me stand up for myself. But it's nothing like what young people must experience now. Anything I went through was for a moment at school, then I got home and into the safety of family life. Now, you can't get away from it. My nine-year-old loves ChatGPT. I never use it. He likes coding and he's good at maths – I've got no idea how that is even possible, because his dad and I are not. Therapy is amazing. It's having a safe space to talk. It's a toolkit. I have learnt how to navigate things when I start to become overwhelmed. Not everyone can afford to go to a therapist and there's a huge waiting list on the NHS. But therapy can be talking openly with your partner or friends. I had to make friends with fame. A lot of people may well see Hostage and recognise me more often on the street. That will be a little tough, but I've been there before. I've seen waves of it. I was there with the Circle of Shame [a feature in Heat magazine that criticised female celebrities' appearances], worried about how I looked. Fame gets you some nice things, but what I really want is to go to the seaside with my little boy and do what everyone else is doing. Hostage streams on Netflix from August 21 Love TV? Discover the best shows on Netflix, the best Prime Video TV shows, the best Disney+ shows , the best Apple TV+ shows, the best shows on BBC iPlayer, the best shows on Sky and Now, the best shows on ITVX, the best shows on Channel 4 streaming, the best shows on Paramount+ and our favourite hidden gem TV shows. Don't forget to check our critics' choices to watch and browse our comprehensive TV guide
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Liam Neeson's son Daniel reacts to his romance with Pamela Anderson
Liam Neeson 's son Daniel Jack Neeson reacted to his surprising romance with his Naked Gun leading lady Pamela Anderson, by commenting on her Instagram post of the coy couple last Friday. The De Nada Tequila co-founder - turning 29 this month - posted emojis for two hands raised in celebration, two fires, two white hearts, and a water pistol. And Daniel wasn't alone in the comments as his aunt Joely Richardson - the sister of Liam's late wife Natasha Richardson - also expressed her feelings. Joely posted seven red heart emojis in response to her former brother-in-law and the 58-year-old Baywatch alum, who are celebrating the tremendous success of their No. 3 hit movie in the States. And last Monday, Pamela's son Brandon Thomas Lee remarked about them 'having a great time' during their whirlwind press tour. 'It's fun to see them be, you know, good castmates [and] have a good time,' the 29-year-old producer told Access Hollywood. The De Nada Tequila co-founder - turning 29 this month - posted emojis for two hands raised in celebration, two fires, two white hearts, and a water pistol 'I just think they're such great co-stars. I think [chemistry] is part of that, right? I think they have such a great onscreen chemistry that it really, you know, means it's well done.' Anderson and Neeson looked like every bit the blended family as they posed with their two sons, including 30-year-old Micheál Neeson and 27-year-old Dylan Lee, at the New York premiere last Monday. The 15-time Playboy cover girl has been married an eye-popping, five times to four different men - Dan Hayhurst (2020-2022), Rick Salomon (2007-2008 and 2014-2015), Kid Rock (2006-2007), and Tommy Lee (1995-1998). Pamela and the 73-year-old Oscar nominee are the happiest they've looked in years, as a source confirmed to People: 'They're enjoying each other's company. It's a budding romance in the early stages. It's sincere, and it's clear they're smitten with each other.' Anderson's slideshow also received supportive, shipping comments from punk poet Patti Smith, who wrote: 'You two are great.' Comedian Chelsea Handler wrote in all caps: 'Love is in the air!' Former child star Macaulay Culkin wrote: 'Want it. Have it… So very happy for you.' And Dancing with the Stars pro Emma Slater gushed: 'I'm obsessed with these two.' In addition, Geena Davis, Jessica Alba, Debi Mazar, Sonja Morgan, Heather Dubrow, Sherri Shepherd, and Ana Gasteyer all posted supportive heart emojis. Fans can catch more of Liam and the Canadian-American beauty's undeniable chemistry on Sunday night's episode of Bravo boozy talk show, Watch What Happens Live. The 29-year-old producer told Access Hollywood: 'It's fun to see them be, you know, good castmates [and] have a good time. I just think they're such great co-stars. I think [chemistry] is part of that, right? I think they have such a great onscreen chemistry that it really, you know, means it's well done' Comedian Chelsea Handler wrote in all caps: 'Love is in the air!' Host Andy Cohen happened to be 'dear friends' with the late Natasha Richardson, who was married to Neeson for 15 years until her tragic skiing accident. 'I, and all of the friends in this circle, are very much stanning whatever this is,' the 57-year-old Bravo exec gushed on SiriusXM last Wednesday. '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?" '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.' Pamela experienced a full-blown career resurgence last year after starring in Gia Coppola's drama The Last Showgirl, which earned her Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations. Andy noted that 'it's been 16 years' since Richardson died, at age 45, from a traumatic brain injury in 2009, so the knighted Northern Irishman might be ready for love again. However, Liam has technically been single since 2012 when he ending his two-year relationship with Freya St. Johnston. Anderson portrays grieving sister Beth opposite Neeson's Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr. in Akiva Schaffer's slapstick comedy continuation, which has earned $28.5M back from its $42M budget at the box office since opening worldwide last Thursday. The Naked Gun is 'certified fresh' with a 91% critic approval rating (out of 212 reviews) and a 77% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It also features Danny Huston, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Busta Rhymes, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, and Eddie Yu. Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker wrote and directed the original trilogy spanning 1988-1994, which amassed a total $476.4M at the global box office, following the short-lived ABC series Police Squad in 1982.
The Review Geek
4 hours ago
- The Review Geek
The Naked Gun (2025) Movie Review – One funny son of a gun
One funny son of a gun Back in the late 80's, The Naked Gun series set the gold standard for absurdist brilliance. Boasting a near-constant stream of gags, deadpan one-liners, and physical comedy, Leslie Nielsen took the reigns of this franchise and absolutely run with it. He embraced the role of bumbling Lieutenant Frank Drebin, transformed from serious dramatic actor into a comedy icon, playing it straight while everything around him spiralled into slapstick chaos. It was glorious, crazy and remains, to this day, a masterclass in parody. Fast forward to 2025 and there really haven't been a whole lot of good comedies released lately. Unless you count unironic jokes like The Minecraft Movie (which was only funny for the audience memes and how bad the film was) or hilariously misguided efforts like Prime Video's War of the Worlds, there just hasn't been a whole lot to laugh about. In an age of endless sequels, reboots and prequels, it's ironic then that from the ashes of this dull sludge of grey, a sequel to The Naked Gun series steps up to try its luck. While this 2025 Naked Gun homage does manage to capture what made the originals so good, it never comes close to hitting the same upper-echelons of greatness that made Nielsen's trilogy so memorable. Unlike other sequels though, The Naked Gun doesn't sneer or belittle what's come before, instead deciding to embrace the craziness and deliver a lovely homage to the originals. Just like in those films, Director Akiva Schaffer has done his best to try and make every frame of the movie count. There are countless gags all over this movie in the background, from a beaver on the mantlepiece to more obvious segments like a couple of girls being escorted out the police station for running a Lemonade stand racket. Stepping into the well-worn shoes of Lesley Nielsen here is Liam Neeson. For anyone who has seen his brief segment from Ted or his deadpan Life's Too Short skit, Neeson does have a 'particular set of skills' for transitioning from serious roles to comedy. Here, Neeson plays the son of Frank Drebin, Frank Drebin Jr., who becomes entangled in a world-ending plot with a megalomaniac inventor, dead-set on disrupting the status quo. All the usual cliches are here, and the film leans into those like an old friend. The advanced tech, the McGuffins (handily called PLOT devices) and the investigative beats leading to a big world-ending showdown, are all mixed in to this simple story. The story really doesn't have a whole lot of meat to it though, instead designed as a platform for the comedy to shine through. The comedy itself is a mixed bag and for every couple of hits, there's an equal miss or two waiting to show up. The Naked Gun understands that not every joke will be laughed at, but there are so many thrown in across the 90 minute run-time that you won't notice too much. There are clever wordplay jokes (one of which including a play on manslaughter that had me laughing out loud) and deadpan one-liners. There are also bathroom jokes and satire, along with big movie spoofs too. However, The Naked Gun also unashamedly borrows entire gags from other movies too, which is a bit disappointing. There's a segment involving thermal binoculars that feels ripped right from Austin Powers: Goldmember. The shocking twist in The Hand That Rocks The Cradle involving the inhaler is thrown into this too, along with kung-fu moves from The Matrix (remember when every 90's spoof movie did this?), the Mission: Impossible masks and James Bond spy names. Of course, it's hard to be wholly original in this field, but given how pioneering the Naked Gun series has always been, it's a bit of a shame to see such familiar jokes pop up so frequently. A lot of the issues with this movie though largely come toward the end of the movie. It's a weird comparison to make but this film has the same problems that The Secret Life of Pets had. All the best jokes and gags are thrown into the first half of the movie, leaving the second half to scramble and try to hit the same heights. Like Pets, it never manages. While the character arcs are relatively good and the movie at least makes the most of its talented cast, all of them are very much 'in on the joke'. What made the originals so endearing was how the characters kept playing it straight when everything around them continued down an increasingly absurdist path. Here though, all the actors feel like they're leaning into the campy hilarity, especially Neeson toward the end of the film. To be fair, comedy is incredibly difficult to get right and you can tell the creators of The Naked Gun have done their best to at least try and honour the originals while going their own way. It doesn't quite hit the mark but it does have some genuine laugh out loud segments, which is more than can be said for some of the other comedies released recently. Your mileage with The Naked Gun will certainly vary but by all accounts, this isn't a bad effort. Go in with low expectations and you're bound to find something to chuckle at here.
