Why Liam Neeson was nervous about showing his funny side in comedy remake

Irish star Liam Neeson is known as a serious actor. From his performance as Oscar Schindler in Schindler’s List to his transformation as an action hero in the Taken series, Neeson consistently demands attention on screen.

However, even an acclaimed actor can be unsure of themselves when faced with new challenges, which Neeson admitted to while filming the new Naked Gun remake.

Surrounded by “very funny” co-stars, the Love Actually star wasn’t quite sure if he had the comedy skills to pull off playing Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr in director Akiva Schaffer’s upcoming reboot of the classic action comedy series.

The 73-year-old star made the startling confession while promoting the new flick in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

“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 revealed.

“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.”

Producer Seth MacFarlane had the “wild idea” to cast Neeson in the lead role after working with him on previous projects, and believes he was the only suitable choice to 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,” MacFarlane 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.”

Neeson told Entertainment Tonight that MacFarlane’s support was what pushed him to accept the role.

“I thought, Can I pull this off? The fact that it was Seth’s idea, I thought, Well, maybe he sees something in me,” Neeson confessed.

-with BANG.