Acting is invigorating. But I don't analyse it too much. It's like a dog smelling where it's going to do its toilet in the morning.
Acting with creatures that aren't there is kind like acting with an actor who refuses to come out of his trailer. You still have to go on and do the scene.
And as the hour approached for the execution, in his own mind, Collins became both the executioner and the victim. He would pace up and down, transformed in almost a kind of exorcism when he knew he was responsible for taking someone's life.
And the Institute sent me a little film footage of Kinsey himself preparing to do an interview for television to talk about his work, so that was quite valuable for me.
At the Sex Institute in Bloomington, Indiana, they were a phenomenal help, too. We went out there for a few days, and they gave us access to materials. And the biographies, there are four or five, ranging from very poor to excellent.
But I was very, very lucky, and it was a wake up call as far as motorbikes are concerned. I never flirted with death on the bike, but now I'm totally convinced they're death machines.
But let's just say, I'm Irish. I grew up in the 1950s. Religion had a very tight iron fist.
But, you know, sex is controversial, it just is and it always will be.
But, you know, there's still an argument, there's still ten states that outlaw premarital sex, and many more states where adultery is still outlawed and a crime.
Every cliche about kids is true; they grow up so quickly, you blink and they're gone, and you have to spend the time with them now. But that's a joy.
Getting married and settling down isn't the most important thing in my life.
I always wanted to be a cowboy, and Jedi Knights are basically cowboys in space, right?
I did, although I didn't read from page 1 to page 187 but I read chunks of it. I did a little bit of science when I was in the university so I was able to understand the graphs and pie charts and stuff like that. It was extremely dry.
I grew up in Ballymena, a hardworking town, like in most of Northern Ireland.
I love working with children and this young boy, Thomas Sangster, is quite a remarkable young actor. He raises your game, you know. He certainly raised mine.
I thought, well of course, Kinsey absolutely adored teaching. He was a wonderful teacher. So these kids really inspired me. So that was a clue I hung onto. He loved young people, he absolutely loved them. And he loved teaching them and trying to help them.
I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.
I'm absolutely crazy about fly fishing.
I'm not the kind of actor that would know what my character had for breakfast last Tuesday.
In bed at night, I could be reading some book, and I'll come across a sentence that's totally unrelated to some scene I did years ago. But I'll play the scene back in my mind and think, I did that wrong - I should've opened the door more slowly.
In Los Angeles, it's like they jog for two hours a day and then they think they're morally right. That's when you want to choke people, you know?
In my general reading in my twenties I think I became aware of the Kinsey reports and the effect they had of American society.
It's extraordinary to look into a baby's face and see a piece of your flesh and your spirit. It makes you realize you are a part of the human race.
It's interesting, the more successful you become the more people want to give you stuff for nothing.
Kinsey's quest was really for us all to be tolerant and accepting of each other.
People ask me if I ever feel outside the Hollywood loop, and I never do, because both of us do a lot of theatre, so it's great for New York and it's also half-way between Europe and the west coast, so it's the best of both worlds.
Sitting down to eat in our house is about sharing, you know, talking about the day you've had, be it in school or work or whatever, so that's very important to us.
Some mornings you wake up and think, gee I look handsome today. Other days I think, what am I doing in the movies? I wanna go back to Ireland and drive a forklift.
Well I think people think sex is controversial. Not always, but certainly it's something to be discussed.
Well I was on the jury duty on the Deauville Film Festival, a few years ago.
Well, from an acting point of view, I bear no relation, I don't look like Alfred Kinsey at all, but I thought somewhere in my artist's soul, my actor's soul, I could capture something of the spirit of the man.
Well, I think I've made 44 films and only like four times I've played real characters I'm just drawn to people who have a pioneer spirit, this extraordinary energy and commitment to their cause.
Well, I think they're all basically the same story. Every culture in the world has them. When you strip it down and analyze it, it's the young man or girl who goes through a trial or ordeal and hits a very low ebb but manages to get guidance from a Merlin type figure.
Yeah, well, I finally stopped smoking for good.
Yes, I'm Catholic; I'm proud of it. But I had lots of Protestant friends.
Liam Neeson is one of seven actors who has played a character from Star Wars and Batman. William Hootkins, who played an X-Wing pilot in the first Star Wars, played Lt. Eckhardt in Batman. Garrick Hagon, who played Biggs, played a mugging victim. Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando Calrissian, originated the role of Harvey Dent. Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, also voiced The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series. Clive Revill, the first actor to play Darth Sidious, voiced Alfred Pennyworth before being replaced by Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. Brock Peters, who voiced Darth Vader in the radio adaptation of the original trilogy, voiced Lucuis Fox on the television series. Neeson played Qui-Gon Jinn and Henri Ducard/ Ra's-Al-Ghul. He is the only Star Wars actor who shares his Batman role with a Star Trek actor. In Batman: The Animated Series, Ra's-Al-Ghul is voiced by David Warner, who appeared in Star Trek V and VI.
In the past it really got in the way of Liam Neeson's creative process, when Liam Neeson got obsessed about acting.
Liam Neeson played the role of Jean Valjean in the movie Les Mis?rables (1998).
Liam Neeson played the role of Henri Ducard in the movie Batman Begins (2005).
Liam Neeson played the role of Michael Collins in the movie Michael Collins (1996).
Liam Neeson played the role of 'Priest' Vallon in the movie Gangs of New York (2002)
Liam Neeson played the role of Mikhail Polenin in the movie K-19: The Widowmaker (2002).
Liam Neeson played the role of Carver in the movie Seraphim Falls (2006).
In 1976, Liam Neeson joined the Belfast Lyric Players' Theater and made his professional acting debut in the play The Risen People.
It was his role in Shining Through as a Nazi high party official that gained him notice with Steven Spielberg, and that eventually led to Liam Neeson as being cast as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List.
Liam Neeson graduated from the Gaiety School of Drama in Dublin, Ireland.
Many people didn't recognize that Liam voiced the role of the Lion, Aslan, in 2005's The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
In 2000, Liam was nominated for a Taormina Arte Award.
In 1995, Liam was nominated for the ALFS Award for Actor of the Year for: Schindler's List (1993).
In 2005, Liam was nominated for a Golden Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama for: Kinsey (2004).
In 1997, Liam was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for: Michael Collins (1996).
In 1997, Liam won the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor for: Michael Collins (1996).
In 2000, Liam was nominated for a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Favorite Actor - Horror for: The Haunting (1999).
In 1994, Liam was nominated for a BAFTA Film Award for Best Actor for: Schindler's List (1993).
In 1994, Liam was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for: Schindler's List (1993).
Liam is an honorary board member of the CDS (Conference of Drama Schools) in England, which also includes Sir Anthony Hopkins, Brian Cox, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole and Jeremy Irons (to name a few). The board oversees all drama schools in England.
Liam was chosen for the role of Gawain in Excalibur primarily because director John Boorman wanted a large man in the role for the duel between Gawain and Lancelot (the late Nicholas Clay). Liam met Hellen Mirren (Morgana) on the Excalibur set.
He recalled his most embarrassing moment in acting as when, relatively early in his career, he auditioned for the role of Fezzik, the giant, in The Princess Bride (1987). He said Rob Reiner had a look of disgust on his face when he realized that Neeson was "only" 6' 4", and 'Andre the Giant' ended up getting the role.
Has worked together repeatedly with Laura Linney, including in Kinsey (2004), Love Actually (2003), and in a Broadway revival of The Crucible, having played husband and wife in Kinsey (2004) and The Crucible. The two have joked about feeling like "an old married couple."
Liam attended Queen's University of Belfast for a short while to study physics and computer science, but flunked out.
Liam first worked with future wife actress Natasha Richardson on the TV mini-series Ellis Island (1984).
Liam made his Broadway debut in Anna Christie in which he co-starred with Natasha Richardson. (1993).
Liam also worked as a truck driver, and an assistant architect before he began to study acting.
Liam used to work as a forklift operator for Guinness.
Liam is the brother-in-law of Joely Richardson.
Liam was considered for the role of James Bond in Golden Eye, but lost out to Pierce Brosnan.
Liam has dated actresses Helen Mirren, Julia Roberts, Brooke Shields, Barbra Streisand and singer Sin?ad O'Connor.
Liam was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#74).
Liam was nominated for Tony award for Best Leading Actor in a play for his role in The Crucible in 2002.
Liam stands 6'4" tall.
Liam wanted to be in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace so badly, that he accepted the role before he even read the script!
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