SmartLess - “Liam Neeson”

Episode Date: May 2, 2022

Avid fly fisherman Liam Neeson brings his very particular set of skills (and his Stanley thermos) to the show this week. To Sean’s dismay, we don’t talk about Star Wars. However, of his over 100 film roles, we discuss Alfred Kinsey, Oskar Schindler… and Jesus. And the time he made Jason’s mom cry for a week.Please support us by supporting our sponsors!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome to, smart glass, smart glass, smart glass, smart glass. I feel like I want to get into talking to you guys. I really do. I miss you. Sean, I owe you a call. I know that you phased out me the other night and I never called you back and I'm just realizing that now. That's okay. And I miss you desperately. I miss you guys too.

And are you okay in Chicago? Oh, William, thank you. Are you? I mean, it's other than the sirens going off every single, every fucking night. And the guy across the, across the hall from us has a dog and they leave their door open and it barks so loud, it sounds like it's in our apartment. And then it gets all the dogs down the whole, the whole hallway going, every dog starts barking. Have you talked to them about it or?

No. Giving them a hairy eyeball on the elevator at least? No, I don't. What are you guys about masks like people in this building? Dogs? They are carriers. No, like I do, like some people in the building don't wear masks anymore. And some people are like, oh, the mandate's over.

So I would like to do it based on how they look like, ooh, you need a mask. You know what I mean? But what else? I always forget to bring a meal to rehearsal too. So I'm kind of hungry all the time. We only get 20 minute breaks. So if I run home, isn't this an amazing story? If I run home. Relatable. Maybe the soldiers in Ukraine would like to hear about your 20 minute breaks. Yeah, maybe they want to talk about your tech rehearsal. Snacks aren't great. Wait, are you going to start complaining about your blocking next?

Yeah. Yes, I'll thank you for bringing that up. Wait, take it up with the director. We don't want to hear about the blocking on your plan. No, so I have 20 minutes. I don't know what to do. I never have, anyway, I'm always hungry. Yeah. Yeah, Jason. I don't have any complaints. I just feel for my fellow citizens around the world. Like what?

Sean, you would have loved it last night. I had Jason's wife, Amanda, here at the house and his daughter, Maple. But no, Jason. To have dinner with my, and not Jason. No. No, because, you know, because today is Saturday. Yesterday was a work day. So you're starting dinner at five o'clock. That means I still got two hours of work left. By the way, what a joke says this, says the guy who since January 1st has played 34 days of golf and none of them on the weekend, by the way, because he's not allowed to play on

the weekend. We're going to talk about work days. Wait, isn't that a new, is that a new rule? It is a new rule. And I feel good about it. And I'm also a new rule is, this is also something our citizens in strife around the world. Does it have to do with your Tesla? Go ahead. No, it's, I'm, I'm going to not play every day. Okay.

Oh, wow. You know, the term hero gets used a lot, but I mean, in this case. Listen, we actors are, you know, it's not, we're not, it's, it's easy. Okay. And people that say, oh, it's so hard in the hours or so, please, we're so lucky to be doing what we're doing. Let me tell you something. When I run lines with Scotty, just from to memorize lines, run lines, Tracy is like, you run lines like you memorize lines.

And he, I have such a short temper with him and it has nothing to do with him. But I'm like, okay, so I come in and I say, oh, relax. Okay. Then I say, but it's only four loud, lousy hours. What can go wrong? And he says, no, it's when I go, go back, go back to the previous line. Does he correct you on, on every word, every syllable? Yeah. And does he come to rehearsal and sit out in the audience?

And does he, do you go line in Scotty's there? No, for the actual performances. Did you imagine? Can he maybe have like a fanny pack that's got snacks in it or something for you? I know. Can you make me a fanny pack with snacks? A pack snack. You know, it's almost like he's walking you.

Like he's a dog walker, but for you and he's got a fanny pack and he could have some wipes and stuff. It's a snacky pack. Wipes. Scotty with a snacky pack. We tried to buy Shawn that toilet too. And then it wouldn't work, right? Yeah. But Jason and I wanted to buy you a fancy toilet.

I know that was so nice. Yeah. Listener. So when we were on the tour, you'd learn a lot about someone when you're living with them. And sweet, sweet Shawn, as privileged as he sounds with this past five minutes, he was completely unaware that the toilets with the washlet has snuck up on him. And he'd never heard of it before. You know, those Toto toilets that like shoot a geyser in you. Well, no, I mean, people know about them.

Not a lot of people have them. But I mean, it's like, it's this bizarre new technology in. It's a bidet built into the bath. Yeah. So we tried to buy Jason and I tried to after learning of Shawn. Did it know his birthday? I came out of the bathroom. I was like in awe. I was like, oh my God, there's these switches that can clean your ass.

I can then blow dry. We were staying in a hotel that had one and he couldn't believe it. And we're like, come on. So we know that he, while he's away in Chicago, he's doing some remodeling in the castle there in LA. And so we tried to arrange with his husband to get a new toy toy put in there. And it ended up being more expensive than the toilet. Toy toy.

You had to tear down the wall and they go into the pipes and everything. But it's the thought that counts. And you guys were so sweet to think of that. And I was going to get you guys porches, but I just didn't work out. Well, there's still time. There's still time. Maybe try again. It's a thought.

Speaking of still time, we're running out of time because we have a great guest here who has been really biding his time waiting and being so gracious. Sorry, that's my fault. And he, this is somebody who can relate to actor problems because this is a person who's been acting at a high level for longer than the three of us have ever, you know, even known what the hell was going on in the world. This is somebody who started on the stage, it's a great acclaim, moved into films, has made countless films over the year at the highest level.

Dick Van Dyke. Great performances, not Dick Van Dyke. Not only that, he and I have starred together as it turns out in three pictures together, which does only brings him down and props me up and makes me look good. Somebody that I've just admired for so long because he's such an incredible actor. And he's the star of the nut job, the nut job to the Lego movie. Also, perhaps Schindler's list that taken movies. Oh, good Lord.

If he's got a new film coming out memory, you guys, it's Mr. Liam Neeson. This is a real star. Liam Neeson. That's a real movie star. Wow. Right there. Hi, Sean. Wow, good morning.

Look at this. I did love listening to you. I did love listening to you. Sorry about that. Jason, you play golf. I have to tell you. I'm sorry. Only because I'm trying to understand how the common man lives his life.

He's sorry for you. He said, did you hear that? He said that he already feels pity for you, Jason. I know. I'm embarrassed. But I do it for the mental anguish of it. To me, it's work. It's very hard to do.

Very believable. Anyway, I still don't thank you. As George Bernard Shaw once said, it's a good walk ruined. That's right. It's true. That's part of the job, trying to stay positive. We've had our first George Bernard Shaw quote. You have already classed us up a million percent, Liam.

Thank you so much for being here, man. It's such an incredible honor. I'm very honored myself, and I'm very, very fucking nervous. Don't be. Liam, let me start by this, because this is an area that Sean loves the most, which is our stories from the theater, and you have a long history of performing in the theater for many years. So, Sean, I'm going to give you the opportunity to right off the bat,

ask Liam a theater question, your most prized theater question. Well, now I'm put on the spot. First of all, I can't believe I'm talking to you. I know. This is so awesome. This is so cool. And I'm nervous a little bit. So, my question to you is, what is your favorite tragic theater story?

I've said so many of mine on here. I'm trying to think of another one. Well, I can tell you another one. Kristen, I did a play with Kristen Chenoweth years ago. The listeners are so sick of me talking about it. And at the end of the show, we come up for our bows, and I look over from opposite wings, and Kristen and I are supposed to come from opposite sides of the stage,

meet in the middle, walk down the center, and take our bow together. Complicated. And I... Never seen that before. So, these are the curtain calls, huh? The bows, right? Okay. Did you bump into each other?

How do you avoid that? What were your two characters' name? Promises and promises, right? Those are the two characters? Keep going, Sean. We're a classy guest. So, Kristen. So, I look over, and Kristen's not there,

and I'm like, oh, my God, everybody's clapping waiting for us to come out. I'm like, where's Kristen? And I look over, and she's dead passed out on the side. On the floor, passed out on the floor. What? And I'm like, what the hell happened to Kristen Chenoweth? And so, I'm like, Sageman,

and I'm like, do I go out? Do I wait for her? What's happening? They're trying to revive her, get her back up. So, I went out and took my bow by myself, and turned out she... You were thinking, wow, I'm getting double the applause. So, then...

What happened to her? She passed out because she didn't eat that day. So, they gave her a candy bar, and she came back to... She did a whole show, and then passed out at the end. Oh, my gosh. When is the last time you did a live theater show? Oh, my God. 14 years ago, I did a little Samuel Beckett piece called

A. Joe. It lasts about 25 minutes. I don't say a word. That's one of the reasons I took the job. And Ray Fiennes was... It was an evening of Beckett pieces at Lincoln Center. That was the last time. And do you want to do it again?

Or you're like, I'm good. No, the muse has gone from me. It's left me completely. Really? Yeah. And I don't... I used to worry about it because I started off in the theater for four years, just nothing but theater.

Did the odd play, and the crucible, and the Beckett piece, and then about three, four years ago, it just... The muse just left me. I was offered some stuff, and it's just... I love seeing my friends do it. I love... You're talking about the muse for theater. Muse for theater.

Yeah. Yes, just, yeah. You know, I hear people say that about theater because the schedule is really, really challenging. But the movies you are doing... Are so demanding. ...are... You cannot ask for a harder genre for you to do,

and you do it... I can understand maybe one out of every five films you're out there doing all the action stuff. But my God, the amount of stamina that you must have and work ethic you have and discipline that you have and the shape you must be in, it's so incredibly admirable. Well, thank you, sir. A nice little three-act drama down the street.

I mean, come on. You need a break. Yeah, I... Maybe some little farce comedy, you know? Some sort of French farce, you know? Noises on. Yeah, a bunch of doors slamming, a bunch of grab-ass. Yeah, that stuff's hard to do.

Is this to it? Or get yourself a podcast, Liam. Oh, God. Come on. Look how cozy this is. Liam, I'm going to tell you something. I'm 51, almost 52, and I... He plays 36.

He plays 36, looking at you. Well, we won't talk about age, but I'll tell you this. I read a script the other day. They said, take a look at this. They said they're interested. And I read it in the first scene said, Exterior Night. And I said, I'm not interested.

That's a true story. Liam doesn't care about that. Yeah, I mean, it does take a lot of those films you do. Look, we've all done it. You know, it takes a village, right? Yeah. I have a little routine when I'm doing one. I get up, I exercise for 30, 35 minutes, maximum.

That's it. No more than that. And, you know, when you're doing the junkets and stuff, say, oh, you do your own stunts. And I always say to them, please listen to me. I do not do my own stunts. I don't do that at all. I do my own fighting.

That I like to do. But stunts, no. You know, jumping out of windows and falling over too. Wait, wait, wait. So you're doing your own fighting? Yeah, the fighting's no bargain. That's not simple. Yeah, but it's like learning a dance, Jason.

Yeah, but I did actually the last big fight I did was with Will Arnett on Arrested Development. And it was supposed to be, it was supposed to be funny because it lasted so long. You know, two idiots that don't really know how to fight. They just end up on the floor wrestling. And they kept cutting back to the scene and we're still throwing. So we had to shoot it over the course of like,

I don't know, it was like a 15-minute fight. It literally put me in the hospital. We had to shut down for a few weeks because I was so exhausted. And this was 20 years ago. I'm allowed to handle. You'd say that. You're allowed to. You got a real back on you.

Sure. Yeah. You play golf every day. I play golf. You fit. Now I only play nine holes a day. I can't walk 18. No, that's not true.

But Jay, I asked you about that last, the last episode of the latest Ozark Chunk. Yes. Where the guy comes in and beats the crap out of you. I'm like, was that you? And you're like, no, are you fucking kidding me? No, I, for a while there, I kind of thought, oh no, I'm going to, if there's some kind of a stunt,

I want to do it. And then a stunt coordinator took me aside one day and he said, hey guy, I know you're trying to do the right thing for a camera and everything, but having it be your face. But you know, you're taking money out of this guy's pocket over here. He was just standing on the set, ready to double you. That's true. And he gets paid for every take.

So if you just sit there and try to be a hero, this guy's trying to make a living too. And I was like, oh. So I learned that lesson early on at Liam. I'm sure you learned it way before. And he's going to make it look good. Exactly. Yeah, it's going to make you look good.

Yeah, on top of it all. Yeah. So when Will kind of said that you guys are on nut jobs up, you've got to look for some of those jobs, sometimes that are nice and cushy, maybe just with a microphone preferably like an animated film. But even if it's on camera, maybe some sort of nice domestic, you know,

dramedy or something. Yeah, but I don't get to kill people, you know. You could have a dream sequence right in the middle of like a Thanksgiving dinner, you know. That's true, yes. Liam, wait, you touched on something I wanted to ask you about, which was, you know, obviously you've done tons and tons of such phenomenal work in your life and your career.

And you know, one of the biggest ones out of all of them was of course, Schindler's List and with Ray Fiennes. And then here I am years and years later watching Clash of the Titans. And it wasn't until the end of the movie, I was like, oh wait, those two were in Schindler's List too. That's how great you are. Completely forgot that you both were in another movie together.

And so do you have a relationship with Ray? Did you know him? Did you build a family? Ray is a really, really good friend. But I remember when we shot that, that was the first, we did two at Clash of the Titans and Wrath of the Titans, was it? Yeah.

And the first one was nearly 13 years ago. But when Ray comes on, he's playing Hades, you know, the God of Hell. And I'm Zeus, the God of Gods. He comes and he's my brother. I couldn't do the scene with him. I couldn't look him straight in the eyes. I had to keep looking at his forehead.

Why? Why? To make you laugh? Why? Because he kept cracking you up? Well, we just, you know, we're dressed in wigs and beards and all that stuff. And it's like, it's like, oh, come on.

It was so good. I couldn't do the scene with him. I just had to keep looking at his forehead. There are people that you have that kind of relationship with. There's that kind of chemistry that they just make you laugh. And when I was doing a recipe, it was Tony Hale who played Buster. And we would often come into a scene together. And so we'd be on our start mark and we would be looking at us

about to give us our cue. And like right as you could hear the dialogue, we're about to get the cue. Tony would immediately kind of go into his character of Buster. All of a sudden, he'd be standing there. Kind of tuck his chin. And he'd go. Raise his eyebrows.

Ooh, like this. Get ready. And as soon as he did that, I couldn't stop laughing. So I'd come into scenes laughing already. Because I've just coerced offstage. You know what I mean? Oh, God. Now, speaking of people that are unprofessional and can't keep it together,

Laura Linney, your friend. Boy, we finally got through that show. How have you managed to stay friends with somebody that undisciplined and untalented for so many years? I know. I know. Come here. So when am I going to see series three, part two?

I've seen part one. I've seen. I love the show, by the way. This is of Ozark. Ozark. Ozark. Ozark. Thank you.

Yes. No, it's coming the end of April. And of April. When this is going to air, but probably right about now. And that, Laura, my goodness, is she good? Yes. She's, you guys have been friends for many, many, many years, right? Yeah.

And she's got so many great stories about you. And I'll bet you of her. But, you know, it's just, sorry, listener, for just a second. Listen, the listener can relate to this. Anybody in any working experience, work environment, if you love the people that you work with, you don't spend a minute working ever. Right.

And she was just so incredible in sort of washing the whole set with her good vibes and positivity and warmth. Do you think she'd say the same about you? No. No, no. Between the two of us we had, we got to something right in the middle. You guys work together originally. Is that how you met?

Yeah. I'm trying to think. Yeah. Am I totally forgetting a big thing you guys did together? Or was it just a social? No, we did The Crucible on Broadway. Okay. And then we did a film called Kinsey.

Yes. And Laura was my wife in that. And then we did another film with Antonio Banderas. She was having an affair with him. She cheated on me in Ozark too. I love that Liam is still angry about it. It's just a movie. Especially Antonio Banderas.

He's so ugly. I was like, come on. It's the homework of a, I don't want to embarrass you, Liam, but it's a homework of a great movie star that you barely remember how many movies you've done or what they are. And for us, like as sort of like fans, we're like, this is so exciting to have somebody who... Well, do you know something?

I'm not blowing smoke up my ass here. Just prior to Christmas past, I finished my 100th film. No way. Wow. Wow. That's crazy. Tony Hopkins used to say, anytime we see each other, give each other a hug.

And I say, who's it going, Tony? I'm not great. He says, I haven't been found out yet. I feel the exact same. But Liam, I'm not great at math here, but if you did four movies a year for 25 years in a row, that would give you 100 films. So, I mean, to do... Listener, you know, doing a film as an actor is a three month shoot.

So if you did four, I mean, that's working 12 months a year, every year for 25 years. No, not really. I mean, I started... My first little film was 1977, Jason. Yeah. So little parts count, obviously. Oh, yeah.

Was that in Ireland, or were you living in England when you did your first film? I wanted to get into this. I was actually living in Belfast. I was in the theatre. There were bombs and armored cars going... It was just like... Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You know, it's... It was a bit like Ukraine. I can imagine at the minute. Yeah. And we were in... I was in this theatre called the Lyric Players Theatre, and we played six nights a week during the height of the troubles. That theatre never closed.

A couple of times there were bomb scares. Wow. Soldiers would come in. We'd have to go out onto the street with the audience. Okay, all clear. And go back and do the show. And what is that experience like? Because for us, obviously, we're such pampered guys

who have not had to experience anything like that. But to do a play in an environment like that, it must feel so far apart. Does it even feel like show business, or does it feel like you're... What is your mindset doing a play day in and day out with real threat just outside the doors? Well, my mindset was I was just so thrilled to be acting

and getting paid for it. And it was literally as simple as that. I was 24 when I turned professional and stalled pretty much a kid. All this shit was happening out in the streets and stuff. But I don't know. I felt I was in a bubble, my own bubble of joy doing these plays. We did a different play every four weeks, you know?

Wow. We'll be right back. And now, back to the show. So there at 24, who was the Liam Neeson for you at 24? Who were you looking at and going, my God, if I could have a career that lasts that long and hold that amount of relevance that long and be at the top of my game at that age,

now that I'm 24, I hope to be that age doing that. Well, who was that North Star for you at that point? God, that's a good question. Well, certainly my ambition then would have been... I mean, it wasn't... I never thought of movies at all. Really? I was unattainable for some reason.

But I thought, oh, wouldn't it be great to be in Britain's national theatre as a regular player, you know? That was about that. Who was the big shot in the national theatre at that point? Was it... Does it go back too far to say John Gilgoode? Maggie Smith, Judy Dench, Robert Stevens, Colin Blakely, who was my hero, he was from the north of Ireland too.

But it was... Yeah, it was that. It was based on theatre. Was Albert Finney doing work in the national theatre at that point? No, 1976 he did a Hamlet, which was very, very good, which I saw. Oh, that, my God. Yeah, it just seems... I've just been so lucky, Jason.

I genuinely mean that. But you're doing theatre and you say... And I'm glad Jason brought that up. And you said that you never had any ambition to do movies that felt like just probably so far away from where you were at that time. Sure. But then you do a film in Belfast, your first film. And then the first time you're on a movie set, do you think like,

yeah, I could see... This seems about right. Did it feel comfortable? No, I didn't have that. The first movie was for an evangelical outreach who were making a film in Belfast, believe it or not, of Pilgrim's Progress. Wow. John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.

And apparently the little film is still touring African stuff, you know, to get converts and stuff. Oh, wow. The evangelical religion. And I remember there's a place called Cave Hill that sort of overlooks the city of Belfast. And I was playing Jesus Christ. Sure.

And I'm actually... I'm crucified. So I was on a cross with a fake crown of thorns and stuff in my hands with makeup, you know, false nails stuck in them and stuff. And I remember thinking, why are they not rolling the camera? Why are they not saying action and stuff? And they were all... The team of the evangelical people, they were all praying.

Oh, wow. I was down there and I was like, my arms were getting so shaky. And I'm looking down at Belfast and I'm seeing armored cars going up and down and sirens going and stuff and saying, this is fucking crazy. But I love it. Yearning for a nice little one act. Yes. And you're thinking, I finally made it.

Yeah. Yes. That's so funny. So then you moved to England and you start your film career in England really in earnest at that point. Yeah, I mean, that was... No, I moved on to Dublin and was fortunate enough to do a couple of plays there. And then I joined the Abbey Theatre, which was Ireland, is Ireland's national theatre, I guess.

I was there for a while and I did a production of Steinbeck's of Mice and Man. Yes. John Borman, the film director, who lives in Ireland, he came to see it and he was putting together this film, Excalibur by Arthurian legends. And he asked me what I play, Sir Gawain. And I was in this film with the shining suits of armour, myself, my best buddy, Kieran Hines. Wow. It was a lot.

And the bug really got me there. I thought this is just the best. But it must be tough. I mean, you start your first film role, you're playing Jesus. I mean, everything after that is kind of a step down. I mean, when he comes to you, he says, do you want to play this night? You're like, guy, I was Jesus in the last one. How do you prepare an audition to play Jesus?

I'm practicing your faces in the mirror playing Jesus Christ. I would not really know where to go. How did he even research that? I don't know how I can see the gentleman's face, Mr. Anderson. I think it was Ken Anderson who was in charge of this little outreach. And I didn't do an audition. I just met him and he knew I was Catholic. I was Catholic and we never really spoke about professional questions.

And this shoot was only about three weeks or something. You just reminded me there. I had a vision of, Will, didn't you play Jesus Christ unarrested for one of your illusions? Didn't Job had some sort of a religious themed illusion? And I remember you in some sort of a loincloth. Yeah, and then I went into the cave and I was going to come back. And then I got stuck in there. And started whining.

Yeah, it was a very, not a very well thought out illusion by my character. And you ate nothing but plums and turnips for a few weeks just to prepare for that scene, right? They ended up finding me because I got, there was a false sort of back on the cave that I put on the stage. And then they ended up, they were one of those storage facilities. And they were doing one of those foes, those shows where they go into storage facilities and they auction off all the stuff. And they find this rock and they find me living in there sort of months later. Even thinner. In this cave.

And I was very thin at the time. But Liam, you mentioned Tony Hopkins and for Tracy in Wisconsin. By the way, Liam, if you're not, I don't imagine you're a listener of the podcast, but Tracy is Sean's sister in Wisconsin. So anytime we mentioned something that people might not know, we talked to Tracy and explained to her. Specifically the inside baseball of showbiz. Yeah, so Tracy, Tony Hopkins is Sir Anthony Hopkins. And you work together the first time I imagine on The Bounty, is that right?

That's right. It was The Bounty and we shot it in Mariah, which is an island, beautiful island just off Tahiti. And oh my God, I turned 31, so I turned 78 in June of this year. So that's a bunch of years ago. First of all, you look incredible. Please let me be. Yeah. Yeah, you look incredible.

But I know. So you meet, so you're there and you've only made a few films at that point. Am I right? You made sort of five or six films? Yeah, I'd done some stuff in Ireland and some mini series in England. But now you're there and you're in Tahiti with Tony Hopkins and Mel Gibson? Tony and Mel, Daniel Day, Lewis, are a bunch of great British actors. You had trouble casting it, huh?

Real trouble, but you made do. What was that experience like making that? I loved that. I bring it up just because I loved that film so much. I remember as a youth I watched it many times. Oh, gosh. Yeah, it was good. It was six day weeks and we all just loved Tony because he, as well as been, you know,

Captain Bligh, he played brilliantly. He took care of us. He took care of his crew. And a lot of the crew were guys just fresh out of drama school in England, you know. First job and there you are in Tahiti, you know. But Tony just took care of us and I'll never forget that quality he had. And we had a great director, Roger Donaldson from New Zealand. But he and Tony didn't get on terribly well because he would do endless takes.

I remember one day, 27 takes of hoisting the princess, Tahitian princess up onto the bounty. Oh, God. Like 27 takes and the sun beating down and stuff. And what's the point of my story? It was just great. It was a great experience. But we all started developing that. What's the opposite of cabin fever when you're surrounded by water all the time?

There's a scientific, there's a medical name for it. So if somebody sent you out a newspaper from Britain or Ireland, you would read this from cover to cover. Sure. And someone would, you'd give it to your friend to read to, you know. But this stays, the newspaper's a week old, ten days old. And then you'd start, I'd say, Richard, where's my paper? I said, but you read it, you finished it. It doesn't matter.

I want a bike. So there was, you know, we were there for three months. So we were just all starting to get on each other's nerves. Yeah. If you watch The Bounty today, do you think you would have notes for your performance? Has your style of acting changed over the years that presupposes that you watch what you do? Are you one of those actors that watches what you do? Because some don't like to.

I don't. I do. I like to say it at least once. I mean, if I'm playing the lead, I watch it at least a couple of times. But that's it. This is while you're shooting, right? You'll watch one of the playbacks to see if you're kind of on the right track? No, I don't do that.

Unless it's some technical thing where the director needs me to be on the left. And I think, no, I should be on the right of this character, for example. But you'll watch the final product, though. Yeah. Yeah, I would watch it. So what about your style? I just said, I ask that because I get so cringy when I look at the old stuff that I've done. Oh, my God, I do it so differently today because you have such a wide body of work.

I'd imagine it would be pretty fun or scary or what for you to look at all the stuff you've done way back when. Oh, God, yeah. It's overacting, isn't it? I don't know if you ever feel that. Anytime I see something, I think, oh, God. That's what I notice I try to do is do less and less every year. Yeah. If I do something, I used to, when I was younger, would watch it once and now I don't watch anything I do.

And if somebody comes up and says, that was really good, I'll check it out. But if nobody says that to me, I don't need to see it. Yeah, but Sean, you were on a very popular comedy sitcom for many years. The Millers? Yes. The Millers that we run together. And you were in one of the top shows for many years and it would be hard to avoid that. I'm going to ask you this.

So how did you avoid that? You must have seen episodes of your show when it was on the air because it was kind of everywhere. Yeah, Liam, take a seat just for a second. I would, yes, you're right, the reruns when they used to have reruns and all that stuff. It is hard to avoid, but the reboot of the Will and Grace three seasons, I haven't seen one episode. Really? Just like everybody else? I was there.

Just like everyone else. I heard that. So you wouldn't have viewing parties, Sean, if you were to have your stuff? No. Maybe when I was like 27 and I was not up to 20. Liam, I want to ask you something. Because you mentioned a hundred films, it's just an unbelievable accomplishment. There has to be an award for that or something.

Or we'll make one for you and send it. By the way, that includes narrating documentaries and stuff like that. And let's not forget the one you did with my sister called Satisfaction where she played a little rock and roll star. Wait, is that it? Oh, yeah. Is that true? Oh, yeah. She played the lead of a band and what did you, I forget.

Oh, I saw that movie. Did you play the manager, the band manager or something? I was a retired ex kind of Keith Richards sort of guy. I think they wanted me to manage them. You did not submit that that year for Academy Consideration, did you? No. No. I don't think so.

Wait, Jason, I remember that film. That was your sister's kind of breakout attempt from Family Times. Yeah, I remember that film too. I think Julia Roberts was in the film too, I think. Julia was in the tape? What was it like 30 years ago? Yeah, it must have been a long time ago. It must have been.

Julia, I know Julia was 19. Wow. So that made me, I was 30, 34. How do you, you're crazy with numbers. How do you remember 31 years old, 19 years old? He's like Will Arnett. Are you one of those people that can remember what you did like April of last year versus June of last year? No, no, that I can't.

Will Arnett. I can't. Names to you. I'm the older I get. I have real trouble with names. Even if I'm calling my sisters, I have three sisters. It's tough. It's tough.

I know. Jason's the same with names. Well, Jason's the same with faces. I was just going to say. Right, Jason? I think I discovered my smallest dog yesterday who, you know, we've had for eight years now. I think he's got facial blindness, right? Whatever that thing is.

Recognizing? He barks at me every day. Sure. And usually about 30 seconds after he just saw me last. And he'll look at me like I'm a stranger that's just broken in through the side window and I'm coming in to do a lot of damage. I'm like, guy, I just fed you. The actor in you wants desperately for him to recognize you. Please.

I walk around with my headshot and it's signed and he doesn't want it. I watched you. You always have a stack of headshots with you, which I admire. I think that takes a lot of cuts. Just try to disarm some sort of unfriendly. Yeah. Jason, your dog's interesting. Maybe it's, that is interesting. I adore dogs.

That's fascinating. I do too, but not this one. Jason, by the way, speaking of your dog, I met this guy yesterday, you know, Frank, your dog. A top dog? Your top dog. I met a guy yesterday. This is a true story. I forgot to tell you what he said.

My dog is Jason's dog, Frank's brother. And I said, no kidding. And he said, yeah, the guy who I... First of all, my dog's name is Hank. Nice to meet you. And so his dog is related to my dog, Hank. Now this is my dog's name. Your dog's name is... Petrol.

Nice try. Peter. You don't remember either. You don't remember either. Shan... Bella. Bella. Bella.

So, yeah. Now that's my other dog who's, he recognizes me right away. He's very loving, very lovely. I don't have a problem with him. Yeah. And we all cut you off. Sean, go, please. No, I just was interested in our guest.

Favorite color, Liam. Did I guess it? Did I guess it, Sean? No. Now you've told us your funny theater story. What's your funny movie story? He's the worst Liam. I'm so sorry.

I don't want to get into movie stories, but I'm surprised. Sean hasn't asked this yet because I'm fascinated. One of the great films of all time, Schindler's List, and how that experience came to be for you. Yeah. Well, I was going to ask that too. I know. I know everybody wants to know it,

but I don't know any stories. And it's one of my favorite films. Yeah. I was living out in Los Angeles at the time, and my agent sent me this script, which was just breathtakingly horrible and beautiful and incredibly well written. And I knew Steven Spielberg a little bit.

Was it Eric Roth or Steven Zalion? One of the two? Steve Zalion. Yeah. Steve Zalion. And I had read for Steven with a bunch of kids when he was casting Empire of the Sun. Oh, wow.

Christian Bale's first movie, right? Yeah. I guess he remembered me. So I was asked to go in and meet him for Schindler's List. And I had, you know, because of setting the 1940s, I hired a 40 suit, and I tried to keep my hair short and stuff. And I spent about two, two and a half hours with Steven. And Steven had a camera.

It was just he and I in a room. And I prepared a couple of little speeches from the film, the script. And then after it was over, he said, thank you very much. And I felt great. I thought, well, if I don't get this, I've spent two and a half, three hours, which is one of the great movie makers of our time. Yeah.

And then I went to, yeah, I went to New York after that to do a play. I had to, I had to get on the stage again. I thought you were going to say, then I went to Ed DeBevix and got a drink. So you go to New York and do a play. How long do you make you wait? Well, it was quite a few weeks. I was doing this play where I met my wife.

The play was called Anna Christie. I met my wife and Steven and his wife, Kate, and Kate's mom came to see the play. And they came backstage afterwards, which is very sweet of them. And I opened my door and I was half undressed and stuff. I said, oh my God, Steven, I'm sorry, let me put a rubon or something. And Kate's mom was quite emotional, quite teary after the performance,

the play. And I went and just gave her a hug. Apparently on the way, when they were left and they were driving back home, Kate said to Steven, that's just what Schindler would have done. Now, Steven told me, no, it was your audition that got you the part. But I like the story of that's what Schindler would have done. What's the great quote from the Manly Shot of Liberty balance

when the legend becomes fact, print the legend? I like to think it's because I hugged Kate's mom that got me the part. That's great. And now a word from her sponsor. And now back to the show. Working with you've worked with so many great directors. Can you remember anything that from any of them, I imagine Spielberg would be right near the top of it,

that really kind of took your breath away like, ah, that is the difference in great directing versus good directing. Is there anything that was super noticeable about what he or any of the other incredible directors you've worked with have done their ability to make a set comfortable, the way in which they worked with the crew, anything that stands out maybe even specifically about Steven with that film, because it was just so finely done.

It was interesting with Steven because it was the first film he had done without using a storyboard. Now he always uses a storyboard and you can go up and see the cartoons drawn of what you're going to shoot. He didn't. And he was telling the story of his people, his Jewish people. And he was incredibly nervous. He felt the responsibility of the story he was telling you.

Yeah, and I remember the first day, we finished the play here in New York on Sunday afternoon. I flew out on Monday. And as far as I can remember, it was either Tuesday morning or the Wednesday morning, like 5.30 in the morning. We were at the gates of Auschwitz, the real Auschwitz in Berlin. And I think the World Jewish Congress, I think that's the right name,

didn't give Steven permission to shoot inside Auschwitz. But the production design team did a brilliant job. We shot outside of Auschwitz, but made it seem as if it was inside Auschwitz. Right. I remember that story. And I was dressed in a big fur coat and hat and nice and warm, even though it was unbelievably cold. And this train was coming in and all these extras were coming out, as Jewish people and German extras with guard dogs.

And it was terrifying. It was terrifying. And I remember, I was waiting to do my bit. And I walked down, you know, by the barbed wire fences and looking inside at the huts that, you know, the Jewish people were crammed into all those years ago. And I was just looking and Branko Lustig, who was one of the producers, he's dead and I got dressed him, but he came up to me and said, how do you feel?

I said, yeah, I'm okay, Branko. I'm warm enough and just looking forward to starting, you know. And we were looking at the huts and he pointed out to a hut and said, see that one there, third one from the left. I'm making this up now, but he said, that's where I was. No way. At the age of six. Well, I just lost it.

Wow. Yeah. I lost it. My knee started to shake and I thought, fuck, this isn't acting. This isn't a fucking movie. This is a piece of history we're telling here and I'm not worthy. I just kept saying to myself, I'm not fucking worthy. I'm a fucking Irish actor.

I should have gone back to Ireland and go into the theater. What the fuck am I doing here? Dressed up in this big fur coat and here to save these Jewish people. I just, it was terrifying. But Stephen was great. And it's a little scene where I pull one of these girls with a lot of Jewish girls up because these prisoners shouldn't have been sent to Auschwitz. They're supposed to be working in my factory because Oscar Schindler had this armaments factory.

And he was there to save their lives. Otherwise they were going to die in Auschwitz. So I go up to this guard and say, how dare you do this? These are my people. They have to go back. And I'm shaking. I pulled a little girl up and I was doing it too gently because she was freezing. There's a little actress.

And Stephen came over to me and said, stop the niceness. Grab her. Pull her up. Her life's at stake here. So I apologized to her. I said, look, I'm going to grab you quite roughly and pull you up so that this guard sees you. She was only about seven or eight years of age. And I'm supposed to say to the guard,

I need this little girl to small hands so they can clean the inside of metal casings for the armaments. But I could never quite say the line right. You're speaking in German at this point, right? It's supposed to be, yeah. But in English. But anyway, I'm rambling. Jason, I love this. All the directors are different.

Listen, Liam, you just reminded me the first time I saw that film, because I've seen it a few times, like a lot of people in so incredibly moving hearing you talk about, I can't imagine feeling that. And it comes across that sense of responsibility that you felt in that moment. And I remember I was at the theater, the old Chelsea theater is, I don't think it's called that anymore, but on 23rd at 8th Avenue, I was living in New York. Oh, yes. Yeah, and I remember I was seeing that film and there was that moment where there's the chaos of everybody coming off the train and stuff, and everybody's freaking out, nobody knows what's going on.

And at that very moment, in the theater itself, the fire alarm went off, so they've got those little lights that are blinking. And there's a sound going, woo, woo, and the blinking. And it was almost like it happened, you know, that it was part of the film, and people started freaking out in the theater, and people were openly weeping, because it just heightened an already very heightened moment. Yeah. And it made everybody, and it forever changed the way, it was just such a visceral thing to actually have happened in that moment. And...

Yes. Yeah. What do you get into that is not really, really hard work, like you usually do? Yeah, are you still boxing too? Is that part of your regiment? I have a bag. Well, I have a gym, and I use a bag sometimes, but I just like to read. I mean, I have a reader, you know? Really?

Yeah. Wow, you guys are... We're very similar, Liam. Easy. Well... No, Liam and I are very similar. I like to read, and I also have a bag right out the door here, and Jason has a bag, but he keeps it behind the toilet, and he just goes in there for a couple of minutes at a time.

Or he plays past the bag with one of his Hollywood friends. But don't use too much of it, yeah. I got to get through the night, yeah? Liam, I would like to ask this question. What drugs have you dabbled in? Because here's the thing. When you... Here's the thing.

He's our secret weapon, Liam. He's the best. Keep going. Sorry, Sean. No, please. When you're doing, like you said, 100 things, like 100 films or whatever, docs and everything. Sure. And you're traveling, and the time changes, and the night shoots, and this stuff.

When you were younger, you're like, how am I going to get through this? You had to have partaken into something to get through all of those many, many films of just endless... Are you Cindy Adams? What is going on? Do you want him to admit to drug use? I'll talk to you about the... We've talked about the drugs we took. Go ahead.

Tell Rona Barrett what the last time you participated in some sort of illicit drug use. You don't want to answer that if you don't want to. I'll bet the way you stay up in peppy nowadays is all that exercise. I'll bet you eat well. Sounds like you're staying nice and sane with lots of reading. It doesn't sound like you're doing a lot of things to slow yourself down or hurt yourself, huh? No, that's about it. It's very boring.

I mean, I fly fish. I love to do that whenever I get a chance. You should hook you up with Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy is. Yes. Jimmy Kimmel is large sometime this year. I don't know when.

I was supposed to go last year. There's a big group of us going in a few months. We're going to send you the invite. Come on up. We're going to go this summer. Then you can teach me that. Are you really? Yeah.

I swear to God. It looks spectacular. It's stunning. He's really done a great job with it. I can't wait. That's terrific. I can't wait. Wait, Sean, do you still want to know about Liam's drug use, right?

No. Sorry, Sean. No, no, no. You don't have to answer his garbage questions, Liam. It's interesting. No, it's fair enough. I'm not talking about it. Certainly when I was in Ireland in the theater, after shoes, we'd go to the local pub.

I adored Guinness. Absolutely adored it. Then you turn a certain age and it sticks to you. You know what I mean? You're still putting on weight and it's like, oh my God. I switched to red wine. I absolutely adored that. Does that put that puts on less weight, but there's the hangovers not as fun, right?

All that sugar. I stopped drinking eight. Yeah, just over eight years ago. Wow. I must say I don't miss it. Same here. We don't drink. I don't drink basically out of vanity.

I can admit that. But that's okay. What's the remaining vices for all of us? I mean, it's pathetic with me. It's like sugar and like crunchy, salty snacks. And you know, Jay? Yeah. Oh.

Golf? No, hot gummies. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, gummies. I mean, is that advice? I don't know. It's legal nowadays. Jason, have you tried those, Liam? Have you tried the gummies with the THC in it?

And the CBD. No, I have gummies with the CBD on a little bit of melatonin. I take those every night. Yeah, puts you right out. I do have trouble sleeping. Jason's got some other stuff for you. And the first one's free. The first one's free.

I'm just going to just stay on afterwards. Let me get your PO box or something. People still use PO boxes? Sean, you like weed. You like to smoke weed every once in a while. Well, I haven't smoked in years. I can't smoke anymore. But I do eat the gummies as well.

The gummies as well. You don't mind that. And then what's your other advice? You don't drink coffee. Do you drink coffee? Liam, are you a coffee guy? No, I give up caffeine. I know.

So fucking boring. No, you're very disciplined. And I'm constantly this. It's a mug. What is that? Okay, it's a Stanley mug. I do one of them. It keeps my black decaf tea hot for five or six hours.

And it's also my little security blanket. Sure. I take it on set. I try and get it into every movie. Oh, you do. You try to get it. Do you ever smash guys in the face with it? Because you're in the exact...

Including Clash of the Titans. You don't have them. What are you... Are you doing anything currently that you're embarrassed of? Any crappy TV you're watching? Are you... You say you read a lot. Are you reading a comic book that you're not...

That you're not proud to reveal to anybody? No. Crime. I'm still into my Nordic noir crime. Oh, no. Here comes Will. Oh, like Nesbo? Nesbo and those guys?

Yeah, Nesbo's good. And Henning Mankell. He passed away about four years ago. He's just extraordinary. And I just played Philip Marlowe in my last film. So I had never read, much to my shame, Raymond Chandler before. So I read most of his stuff for preparation, I guess. Will has met his match with the smokiest voice on this podcast.

Yes. Oh, God. Do you guys do any voiceover work? We've done three films together. It should be... And the other... And we've never met. And also, we were talking before about Ray Fiennes.

He also was in Lego Batman and played Alfred to my Batman. And we had a lot of scenes together. Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah, we have yet to meet. And I'm just such a fan. I can't wait. That's terrific. Liam, do you do any voiceover work other than the animation every once in a while?

Are you the voice of any particular product on television? You do any commercial stuff? No. We'll talk about GMC trucks all the time. Yes. Lucky for them, he's still doing it. I don't. I've done documentaries and I've done quite a few of those.

The products, no. You should, my God. Liam, you would clean up. Have you done any of the Ken Burns documentaries? Yes, I have, actually. During lockdown, I did... Oh, there's one on Anne Frank that's coming out. Oh, that's cool.

I played Anne Frank's father just a few lines. And the current one on Benjamin Franklin, I think, is combined. I have a small part. Is that one out yet or no? Not yet. Ken Burns is a genius. He's been on the show. He was an incredible guest.

We had him on. We had him on, yeah. You did. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he's so erudite and he's just... Did you see the Ali? The Ali. I haven't seen that one yet.

I have to say, and Muhammad Ali was, is, always will be my idol. Always was. Yeah, that documentary is incredible. The one he did on World War II is incredible, too, called The War. World War II, but the American Civil War, I have two warts that at least once a year. It's incredible. And it came out, I don't know, 25 years ago or something. Well, I love that you love Muhammad Ali because you were, and I mentioned before,

you did box a little bit, amateur box for a couple years there? Yeah, I started when I was nine. I think I had my last fight when I was like 17 or something. Oh my God, that's old enough to get hurt. Yeah, it was starting to hurt. Yeah, because like kids punch each other all the time, but then you become a teenager and you've got to really be pissed off if you're going to get into that because you can get hurt. So, but boxing, so you were boxing as a young adult or adult, right?

Well, at the age of 13, 14, I started to shoot up. I mean, I'm six foot four and I... That's amazing. Then I guess I was about six foot three or something. Punches were, yeah, they were starting to hurt, you know? And I remember once coming, we had a tournament in our little local parochial hall in my hometown back in Ireland. And I was boxing this guy and I actually won the fight, but I felt my heart of hearts. I didn't win that fight.

But when I came out of the ring, my trainer said, go downstairs and put your clothes on and I was... And fix your face. But I didn't know what he meant. Clothes. Oh, no. Go down. It was weird.

And that was like a kind of a strange concussion, you know? So that was my last fight. I knew enough to think, fuck this, I'm getting out of this. You know, I did a friend of ours, Lisa Kudrow, produced this show called Who Do You Think You Are? And it traces your ancestry. She hit you hard in the face during the shooting of that. And all of my ancestors, you know, from Ireland, I'm Irish as well. And we went over to Ireland.

Everybody is a drunk and a thug. Everybody fought and just fights everybody. Well, there we go. There's a great quote. Thanks, Sean. No, of my ancestors. Thanks, Sean. Of my ancestors.

Your ancestors, not everyone in the country. No, not everybody Irish. All of my ancestors were just thugs and drunks. And it's like, why is everybody, I don't know, everybody just seems to be, loves to be in fights. Where are they from, Sean? Where do your family, hey? Dingle and... Oh, Dingle.

Beautiful. ...County Carry. Yeah. Yeah. All around. You ever go back there, Sean? Just for the show I did. Just to fight.

Just to fight. It's so pretty over there, right? Oh, it's unbelievable. I think it's like the... Oh, Dingle. Dingle's very, very special. My grandfather's from Dingle. And he was...

Beautiful fruit from there. Dingleberries. Have you tried? No, Will. I'm thinking of something else. You are. Liam, we've taken way too much of your time. We could talk to you forever.

You're just such a fascinating guy. And one of those, just such a great performer. And I'm just in awe of your talent. Oh, shut up. Thank you for... No, but I was such a kind man, too. Yeah. So thank you for spending some time with us on your off day here.

Yeah. Thank you, Liam. Jason, can I say to you, I know I said this to you before when I saw you at the garden a couple of years ago, three years ago, wasn't it? Please give Victoria your mom my love. Oh, my God. Now he's showing off. This guy is the nicest guy in the world.

He meets my mother one time on a Pan Am flight. She was a flight attendant for Pan Am. 20 years later, he runs into me. He's never met me before, but I guess she had mentioned, when she had met him, that I was her son. So this is 20 years later. We're back at a ranger game at Madison Square Garden. And I see Liam Neeson.

I'm like, oh, my God. I'd totally forgotten that my mother had said anything that she'd met him. He stops me. He says, hey, hey, you're Jason. I met your mother X number of years ago on a plane. And how is she? Is she doing new remembered her name? It just knocked me out.

And then when I told my mother that, she cried for a week. I mean, yeah. So thank you so much for being such a kind man. No, please. I'm just in to you. Please, please give them my love. I will tell her for sure. And it's something, and I can't quite remember Jason,

but it was a flight from either Los Angeles to London, Pan Am, which doesn't exist, of course. Or from London to LA, I can remember. And I was just, I was very vulnerable, not because I have a fear of flying. I don't. Something was happening, and for some reason, Victoria, your mom, spotted something in me,

and she just took care of me. Yeah. She'd bring me tea and take on me every so often. I'll just never forget it. You know, I was, she was... Look at both these guys. Very special. Just writing jokes.

As soon as you said, take care of me, both of them wrote about six jokes in four seconds. Well, luckily, he followed up and said with a cup of tea. Luckily, he said that. Oh, they put their pens down. I didn't mean to, yeah. She was very accommodating. Yeah.

Well, that's very sweet. It's so great. And again, Liam, such a fan, and thank you so much for your time. Yeah, it was such an honor. Thank you. Honestly, yeah. It was an honor to talk with you,

the three of you. Thank you so much. Thanks. Can you say hi to Laura if you talked to her before I do? I sure will. I love her so much. She's going over to Ireland, I think,

in May to shoot a film. Oh, really? I'm going over there to shoot a film with my best dear friend, Kieran Hines. Oh, yeah. I don't want to shoot a film in Donegal. You're not killing anybody in that, are you? Oh, yeah.

You are. Yeah, of course. Quite a few. Quite a few, he says. What are you thinking? He took the part. There's the public athlete. Come on.

The great Liam Neeson. Thank you so much, our friend. Thank you, pal. Thanks, guys. It's so nice of you to do this. Thank you, Liam. That's great. Thanks, boys.

Take care. Bye-bye, pal. See you later. The great Liam Neeson. When he came on the screen, I was like, what? That's so... Like iconic.

It's so crazy. When I was like, I wanted to have him on the show. And then they said, and Michael MGT said, yeah, we're going to have Liam Neeson. He's going to do it. And I thought like,

is this really going to happen? That's crazy. Yeah. How'd you do that, Willie? Yeah. I don't know. I have no idea. I think that he thought, you know,

I mean, he knew you a little bit and he was such a fan. He talked about seeing us at the garden another time and he wanted to come say hi. And he did not. And his new movie, Memory, comes out April 29th, which is...

I didn't even get a chance to ask him about Star Wars. I know, Sean. Too bad there's not enough Star Wars in the world. I know. Thank God. It's such a shame that we never

had an opportunity to talk about fucking Star Wars. He was in so many Star Wars movies. And then he was like, he was one of those stormtroopers in Force Awakens. And you spent your time with Wrath of the Titans,

the sequel to Clash of the Titans. That's right. You're going to lose your card. Sean, I loved... I really, out of deference to you, I wanted to start it off by asking about theater stories because...

Thank you. Because he started in the theater. I know, I love that. Thank you. Yeah, I love that. I love... You'd think people would have, like, at the ready...

Well, it turns out, it does start to feel like the only embarrassing things in the theater happened to you. Yeah. And Chris and Chenoweth. Maybe that's true. And the time that you...

Poisoned Chris and Chenoweth. I forgot how the story went. But... Maybe she just had an anxiety attack because the curtain call was such complicated blocking. So we'll just go back. So you came from either side of the...

So it was sort of like a by-entrance? Was it a by-entrance? Oh! A what? A by-entrance? Wait, wait, wait, wait. Are we done? Bye!

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