Irish actor Liam Neeson is no stranger to playing dramatic lead roles. His critically acclaimed performance in the 1993 film Schindler’s List garnered him nominations from the Oscars and the Golden Globes, and he has since played several other historical figures, including outlaw Robert Roy MacGregor in Rob Roy and the revolutionary Michael Collins in the movie of the same name.
Perhaps it was the influence of playing a Jedi Knight in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (or the allure of big box-office paychecks), but lately Neeson has shifted from drama to high-octane action. He’s played opposite Christian Bale in Batman Begins as Batman’s enemy Ra’s al Ghul, and he singlehandedly took on the Albanian Mafia in Taken, playing the role of a former CIA operative.
Next week Neeson will take the stage at TimesTalks with director Joe Carnahan, with whom he worked on the action-thriller reboot of the A-Team and played the role of the unorthodox Lieutenant Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith. Neeson and Carnahan will discuss their latest action film The Grey about a man trapped in the Alaska wilderness. Check out Neeson in the trailer below:
