USA: Liam Neeson walks the red carpet for the first time after the death of his wife, actress Natasha Richardson

Record ID: 219718

  • Title: USA: Liam Neeson walks the red carpet for the first time after the death of his wife, actress Natasha Richardson
  • Date: 12th August 2009
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 11, 2009) (REUTERS) NEESON ON THE RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) LIAM NEESON, ACTOR, SAYING: "I was tempted two or three times but was ultimately never drawn in - A, because of my parents, because I had a great schooling and I was an amateur boxer and I did amateur dramatics. I always had something to take me away from the ghetto violence and I think of a lot of those boys and girls that something. I don't mean just a hobby, that's too blase a thing, but if they'd had something else to go to. These communities were desolate, there was nothing for children to do, nothing, protestants and catholics, nothing, except the streets." PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) LIAM NEESON, ACTOR, SAYING: "You used the word - juggle. That's what I'm doing at the moment, juggling. But it's working out so far. It's okay. It's good to be wanted - isn't it?" HIRSCHBIEGEL GIVING AN INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) OLIVER HIRSCHBIEGEL, DIRECTOR OF "FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN" SAYING: "When it comes to this tale which is set in Northern Ireland what intrigued me as well is that it's not looking backwards. It does, it shows the events then but then it cuts to now and it offers like a way, suggestions how you can move on in your life. So, it's kind of like the first uplifting tale if you will." NEESON ON THE RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) OLIVER HIRSCHBIEGEL, DIRECTOR OF "FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN" SAYING: "Yes, she did. She was very touched and very impressed because of A, a brilliant performance. And then he's going back to his roots, right? And he hadn't done that for twenty years, so it was very intense and she liked it very much. She whispered things in my ear which I will not repeat."
  • Embargoed: 27th August 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA8PF9816ZR6TLT27SJGPZU7F77
  • Story Text: Irish actor Liam Neeson walked the red carpet for the first time on Tuesday (August 11) since the tragic death of his wife, actress Natasha Richardson, in a freak skiing accident this March.
    Neeson was promoting his new film, "Five Minutes of Heaven" at its New York premiere. He appeared on the red carpet with the director of the film, Oliver Hirschbiegel.
    The film is based in Ireland and inspired by true events. In the film, Neeson plays Alistair Little, who in 1975 as a 17-year-old Protestant assassinated a 19-year-old Catholic Jim Griffin. Jim's murder was witnessed by his 11-year-old brother, Joe Griffin (portrayed by Irish actor James Nesbitt), and the impact of the death destroyed Joe and his family. Little was arrested, convicted and served 12 years in prison.
    The film moves from a re-enactment of these tragic, real events to a fictional interpretation of what might happen should these two surviving men - Alistair and Joe - ever come face to face over 30 years later. According to the director, screenwriter Guy Hibbert worked closely with the actual men, using their words and feelings to create a fictional scenario.
    Neeson said that while he had read over a hundred scripts based in Northern Ireland, but had avoided them because most of them did not address the violence that had besieged the country in the 70s and 80s.
    "I've avoided all of them because they were all based on kind of entertainment. The Troubles were always a backdrop to some romantic story or something. And I just always wanted to avoid them. But this one ("Five Minutes of Heaven") really tackled the issue of a perpetrator of violence and a victim of violence in a very, very real way," said Neeson.
    Neeson admitted that as a teenage boy growing up in Ireland he too was tempted a couple of times to join a militant group, but was ultimately never drawn in.
    "A, because of my parents, because I had a great schooling and I was an amateur boxer and I did amateur dramatics. I always had something to take me away from the ghetto violence and I think of a lot of those boys and girls that something. I don't mean just a hobby, that's too blase a thing, but if they'd had something else to go to. These communities were desolate, there was nothing for children to do, nothing, protestants and catholics, nothing, except the streets," said Neeson.
    Neeson, who had suspended shooting of his films for a little while when his wife died, is now once again busy with work. He has been on a professional tear since the surprise success earlier this year of the French-produced action thriller "Taken." He is playing Zeus in a remake of "Clash of the Titans," and will revive George Peppard's role as "Hannibal" Smith in Fox's big-screen version of "The A-Team." Neeson next stars in "Chloe," the thriller from Atom Egoyan set to premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival.
    When asked how he juggles this flood of work, Neeson answered, "You used the word - juggle. That's what I'm doing at the moment, juggling. But it's working out so far. It's okay. It's good to be wanted - isn't it?"
    While Director Oliver Hirschbiegel who also walked the red carpet with Neeson seemed clearly elated by the warm reception his film received at the Sundance film Festival this year, where it won two awards. Hirschbiegel said that Richardson had actually watched the film before she died and that she was very touched because Neeson goes back to his Irish roots in the film.
    "Yes, she did. She was very touched and very impressed because of A, a brilliant performance. And then he's going back to his roots, right? And he hadn't done that for twenty years, so it was very intense and she liked it very much. She whispered things in my ear which I will not repeat," said Hirschbiegel.
    "Five Minutes Of Heaven" opens in theaters across the U.S. on August 21st.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register