Liam Neeson reveals reason for drastic weight loss
Liam Neeson in October this year. Photo: Getty
A thin-looking Liam Neeson in October this year. Photo: Getty
Liam Neeson has finally explained the reason behind his dramatic weight loss which shocked and concerned fans earlier this year.
The 63-year-old made headlines when he was photographed in New York in July this year looking gaunt and dishevelled.
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Now, the Taken star has explained the transformation – which involved a nine-kilogram weight loss – is all for a movie role.
In Silence, due to hit cinemas next year, Neeson stars alongside Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield as a 17th Century Jesuit priest.
In a press conference for the film, Neeson said the film’s director, Martin Scorsese, wanted the cast to appear “gaunt”.
“Martin wanted us all to look a bit more gaunt,” Neeson said.
“I know Adam [Driver] went to the extreme. He’s an ex marine and when he’s given an order, he follows it through. He was like something out of Auschwitz. Martin requires this level of [dedication] and I think it pays off.”
Neeson joins a growing list of actors who have dropped the kilos for movie roles.
Most famously, Matthew McConaughey lost 21 kilograms to play HIV-positive Texan man Ron Woodroof in 2014’s Dallas Buyers Club.