The Commuter Interview: Liam Neeson says it's 'rare' to act opposite women his own age (exclusive)

Liam Neeson might be getting on in years, but the action roles just keep coming.

His latest film, The Commuter, sees the 65-year-old Irish actor re-team with Spanish filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra for the fourth time. The actor-director team have previously worked on three films together: Unknown (2011), Non-Stop (2014) and Run All Night (2015).

Their fourth film follows a former New York cop-turned-office worker who, on his daily train commute, is unwittingly recruited into a murder conspiracy by a mysterious woman.

The mysterious woman is played by Vera Farmiga – who at 44 is 21 years younger than Neeson – but his wife is played by Elizabeth McGovern who is closer to his age at 56, but is still nine years younger.

Liam admitted to Yahoo Movies UK that he scarcely finds himself acting opposite women his own age.

“Rare, I agree with you,” he explains. “I was thrilled that Elizabeth McGovern decided to do the part, and we only have a few scenes together, but it’s really really important that we have a fantastic, first0rate actress rather than an extra doing it.

“It’s just a sad fact about Hollywood, that past a certain age women find it tough. Men do as well but as not as much as women actors.”

Last week, the actor called out the wage disparity between men and women in Hollywood.

‘There’s a lot of discussion about it and a lot of healthy and necessary discussion about it because the disparity sometimes is fucking disgraceful,” he told the Associated Press.

“We’re starting and it’s starting with these extraordinary actresses and brave ladies and we as men have got to be part of it. We started it, so we have to be part of the solution.”

Though that solution does not involve pay cuts as Liam admitted he wouldn’t take one if it meant his female co-star getting a fairer wage.

“Pay cut? No, no, no, no, no,” the actor said. “That’s going too far. There has to be parity; there just has to be.”

The Commuter is out this Friday

READ MORE
Liam Neeson open to returning as Qui-Gon Jinn
Saudi Arabia lifts cinema ban, premieres bad film
Every Disney live-action movie in the works