Liam Neeson, who was a teen when The Troubles began, spoke about the influence of his experiences on his new film “In the Land of Saints of Sinners.”
November 17, 2023: Liam Neeson attends the 2023 Spirit Of Ireland Gala at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City. GETTY IMAGES
Irish actor Liam Neeson said he was “surrounded by violence” while growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
Neeson, who was born and raised in Ballymena, Co Antrim, was 16 years old when the Troubles started in 1968 and spoke about the influence of his experiences on his new film “In the Land of Saints of Sinners,” which is set in Ireland during the height of the Troubles in 1974.
Neeson said he was surrounded by violence while growing up in Northern Ireland, although he added that he was “never part of it.”
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Speaking to YouTube channel MovieWeb, Neeson said it was “interesting” to shoot a “piece of entertainment” based on the Troubles.
He also said the new movie offered an opportunity to work with Irish actors Ciarán Hinds and Colm Meaney once again.
He noted that the film also marked the first time that he has worked with Irish actress Kerry Condon.
“She’s terrific. I didn’t know Kerry at all. I had seen her in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin,'” Neeson told MovieWeb. “She’s such a strong actress and a good laugh too.”
The new film, which was released on March 29 in the US, takes place in the Donegal town of Glencolmcille and follows ex-assassin Finbar Murphy (Neeson), who seeks penance by living a peaceful life.
That peace is shattered when an IRA terrorist and her cohorts arrive in Glencolmcille, terrorizing the locals and forcing Finbar to make a decision about revealing his identity.
Neeson also discussed the upcoming “Naked Gun” reboot, which he is set to star in.
He said shooting will begin in May and added that the script is still a work in progress, stating that there are currently three “laugh out loud moments” and said there needs to be about seven or eight by the time the script is fully complete.
