Liam Neeson on Naked Gun Reboot, Retiring From Action Movies

More than 30 years after the “Naked Gun” franchise enjoyed its “Final Insult” in 1994, arguably the world’s most beloved slapstick spoof film series is back for another slice of straight-faced silliness — and to test the contemporary box office waters of big-screen comedy.

Leslie Nielsen, whose legendary turn as bumbling L.A. detective Frank Drebin still has fans merrily reciting his most famous lines, died in 2010. For Paramount’s new reboot “The Naked Gun,” out Aug. 1, Liam Neeson has been recruited to follow in the Canadian icon’s deadpan footsteps as his equally incompetent (but decidedly less silver-haired) detective son, Frank Drebin Jr.

Also starring Pamela Anderson (playing Beth Davenport, a sort of 2025 edition of Priscilla Presley’s Jane Spencer) and directed and co-written by The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, the legacy sequel to the original three films is awash in visual gags, absurd one-liners, terrible driving, comically OTT action scenes, sexual innuendo, at least one montage featuring an angry snowman and more than just a few very knowing nods to its predecessors.

But while there may be many “Naked Gun” obsessives out there keen to discover if Neeson can come close to Nielsen’s status as “the Laurence Olivier of spoofs” (thanks, Roger Ebert), one person who isn’t particularly worried is Neeson himself. As he admits, despite leading the reboot, the last time he actually watched the original films was when they were in cinemas in the 1980s and 1990s. And, as a veteran actor himself, any requests for him to try to emulate Nielsen’s classic facial expressions or deadpan monologue style — had they been made — would have fallen on deaf ears.

“I’ve done over 100 movies, so I don’t need to someone to tell me how to act,” he says.

Despite Neeson’s impressive list of credits, “The Naked Gun” — which is film No. 106 — marks the Irishman’s first comedy. But it’s a comedy that could, if it does well, open up a whole new avenue for the actor, a dramatic leading man since “Schindler’s List” whose later-in-life resurgence as a major action star (with a particular set of skills) is now, he admits, drawing to its natural end.

As he explains: “I’m 73, for fuck’s sake. I don’t want to be doing that stuff with a Zimmer frame.” (that’s a walker, for the Americans.)

I’d love to hear how your casting in “Naked Gun” came about. Did they reach out to you? Did you reach out to them? How did you come to be Frank Drebin Jr.?

I’d made a film with Seth MacFarlane 10 years ago. And he got in touch with me three years, three-and-a-half years ago to see if I’d be interested doing this reboot. I had a couple of apprehensions, but they didn’t last very long.

What were those apprehensions?

The comedic stuff I’d done were just TV skits, a couple of minutes long. But a movie – the co-lead in a movie for 90 minutes was a bit of a tall order. But I did know that if push came to shove and we did it, the script would be at least be good if Seth was involved because he’s got a wicked sense of humor. If it’s at the very least good, I shouldn’t try to be funny. Just be serious. I knew there’d be lots of sight gags.

Did Seth say why they’d approached you specifically?

I didn’t ask. Someone mentioned that Ed Helms had been considered. And I thought that would be perfect, but a slightly different movie.

Had they seen your TV skits, like in “Life’s Too Short” and “Derry Girls,” and figured you’d be good to play it straight in a comedy?

I don’t know. But a lot of people seem to have seen the Ricky Gervais sketch. I also did a couple of little things for Stephen Colbert’s show.

Since the film was first announced, many people I’ve spoken to about it have been quite shocked that another “Naked Gun” film was being made and you were playing the new Frank Drebin. It’s provoked more of a reaction than most other films I talk about. What sort of response did you get when you told people?

Some people said, “Oh yeah, I remember those, they were good, they were fun films.” And people would say, “You’re going to be the Leslie Nielsen character?” and I’d say “Yeah, but Leslie Nielsen Jr./Frank Drebin Jr.” But if the producers had said I must bleach my hair for the role, there’s no way I would have done that.

Bleaching your hair wasn’t even on the cards?

No.

I just wondered if people were shocked. Of all the roles you’ve had over the years, this seems the most out there. How did the reaction to saying you were playing Frank Drebin compare to other roles?

Well, it made me think about comedy. I grew up watching Laurel and Hardy on Saturday night. Plus Charlie Chaplin. I’m a big fan of Will Ferrell. I’ve seen a couple of his films. But I hadn’t seen the “Naked Gun” films since I first saw them in the 1980s and 1990s.

What was your relationship with those original “Naked Gun” films? They’ve obviously iconic and a lot of people watch them over and over again. But did you just see them the once?

Yeah, I saw them when they were in the cinema. They were a good giggle. Fun. School boy humor.

Did you ever watch the “Police Squad” series that came before them?

No, I never saw those. Certainly not growing up in Ireland. To my memory they weren’t screened. “Airplane,” I remember that movie. Leslie’s performance in that… I think that line “Don’t call me Shirley” changed his professional life.

Any hopes — or fears — this might do the same to your professional life?

No, I don’t think so. But it was fun to make. It was lovely to work with Pamela. And Danny Huston, we’ve done four movies together and he’s an old pal. Paul Walter Hauser is ridiculously funny. Terrific actor.

What was your approach to becoming Frank Drebin Jr.? Did you go back and study the films again?

No.

You didn’t rewatch the films? Was that on purpose? Or you just didn’t feel you needed to?

No, I just trusted the script. And knew it would get better the more they worked on it. Akiva was the co-writer but there was always another writer on set — a friend of Akiva’s, obviously — and they would supply alternate endings to scenes. Try this, try that.

Was there any attempt to emulate Leslie Nielsen or was there a Leslie Nielsen expert on set? A lot of what he does is in the facial expressions.

No, those sort of notes I wouldn’t have accepted. I’ve done over 100 movies, so I don’t need someone to tell me how to act.

But was there anything specific you were told about how to play Frank Drebin Jr.? Anything written down in terms of what he was like and how he should be?

No. Just that he’s very serious and very committed to being a policeman.

With this role, it’s all about keeping the straightest face possible while chaos is erupting around you and you’re saying ridiculous lines. Are you just particularly good at that, or do you have a method for not breaking down into laughter on set?

No, that didn’t happen. When we rehearsed stuff, we’d get rid of our personal giggles. And some of the scene require certain choreography — sight gags and stuff like that. I don’t want to say it was always serious, far from it. But it was serious business, of course, shooting any movie and keeping a sense of lightness. You know, that’s very important.

There are many ridiculous scenes in this. Were there any where you — perhaps you and Pamela — struggled to keep a straight face?

No. There weren’t. Pamela and I have been talking about it. Obviously we’d rehearse and giggle at some stuff, but when we shot it we did what we had to do. No, it never really broke down. I can’t remember occasions like that.

You’ve spoken a lot about working with Pamela and there was an interview a few months ago where you said you were “in love with her,” which obviously sparked a few headlines. Was that just a throwaway line?

Yeah, it was just a throwaway line. I admire her very much and just wanted to acknowledge the fact she’s terrific. No airs and graces, no big ego. She’s there to do the work. She’s just a lovely human being.

And she’s having a bit of a moment right now.

Yeah, she is. Doing these wonderful independent films.

There was an interview with her recently in which she said she arranged romantic dinners with you during the shoot so that you could stay “professionally romantic.”

We had dinner a couple of times. She’s a wonderful baker. She made me sourdough bread. And her assistant made some beautiful muffins. Gluten-free muffins. Terrific. She’s very into her gardening back home. But yeah, we had a couple of meals together.

There are several sex scenes between the two of you. I feel like there’s actually more sex and sexual innuendo in this “Naked Gun” than the previous films. Or maybe it just went over my head as a teenager, but some of it really pushes it to the edge.

Yeah, there’s a couple of outlandish scenes. From day one we just seemed to have a nice chemistry together and I trusted that and didn’t want to work on it. Like, there’s something happening here, it’s nice, so just leave it alone and it’ll grow, you know?

I’m impressed that you were able to do those scenes, which look so hilarious and insane, and not start cracking up yourself. That feels like a real art form.

Yeah, there were a couple of lines I remember as the script developed that I said, “That’s too much, that’s way, way too much.” But at the end of the day, I always trust Akiva. There were references in one scene to some TV show that to me was like ancient Arabic. What the fuck am I saying? And he’d be like, “Don’t you know this show, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ or something like that.” But he said they’d done a screening and it plays, it gets a laugh.

I feel like I haven’t seen a film as silly as this for a very long time. It made me realize how much I’ve missed silly films. There were so many of them in the ’80s and ’90s and it feels like, especially in this day and age when the world is so serious and miserable, we could really do with them.

You said it, we’re living in these awfully concerning times. We all need a giggle and those films epitomized that. So it’s a lovely, innocent release. So we’ll see how it does and how audiences react to it. Certainly, the trailers seemed to work very well, especially with young audiences too that weren’t brought up in those films.

Was that a surprise? I had the feeling that this would be more for people of a certain age who remember the originals.

Yeah, I was kind of surprised by it. My two sons told me they got calls from their buddies saying they thought the first trailer was very cool.

This is your first comedy film. You became an action star later in life with “Taken.” Has that era closed? Could this be the new dawn of Liam Neeson, the straight-faced funnyman?

The first “Taken” was 18 years ago, I was 54. Feels like a lifetime ago. I still get offered the occasional one. But I’m 73, for fuck’s sake. I don’t want to insult audiences if they’re watching whole fight scenes and it’s not me. I just wouldn’t do it. Up until recently, I liked doing my own fight stuff. But I don’t want to be doing that stuff with a Zimmer frame or walking stick. Sure, there might be another one out there, but nothing definite on the horizon.

But did this make you think, perhaps comedy could be a nice, gentler, less fighter genre to move into?

Sure. Yeah. But I’m a big believer in writers and the script. That’s the foundation stone, no matter what the genre. Except horror. I won’t do horror.

Any reason why not horror? Lots of actors are moving into it these days.

As a kid I would have loved it — the early Dracula films and Frankenstein, all that stuff, the Hammer movies, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing. But no, it’s just my taste.

When Leslie Nielsen started working with Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker on their comedies, it came to define his image. Do you think you could go back to serious films now you’ve done “Naked Gun”?

I think so. I hope so. I guess it’s all a question mark. Let’s see.

Has there been any discussion about doing more “Naked Gun” films?

No. I think we’ll wait and see how it performs.

Now you’ve made “Naked Gun,” are you planning to go back and watch the originals?

No plans. If it was on, I’d watch it. But I’ve no plans to revisit it.

Is it just a delightful coincidence that your name and Leslie Nielsen’s name are very similar?

That is strange. I’ve been asked that a few times. “Mr. Nielsen?” “Sorry, I don’t know who that is.”