Liam Neeson, 72, is ready to retire from action movies: ‘It has to stop’

Beloved action star Liam Neeson has revealed he is seriously considering this major career move in the coming year.

Liam Neeson isn’t sure how much longer he can be an action movie star.

The Taken star, 72, addressed when he’ll retire from acting in physically-demanding projects in an interview with People magazine published Wednesday.

“I’m 72 — it has to stop at some stage,” Neeson said. “You can’t fool audiences.”

“Maybe the end of next year,” he added about his retirement plan. “I think that’s it.”

British actor Liam Neeson says he will retire from action films at the end of 2025. Picture: Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

At this point in his career, Neeson still does his own fight scenes but lets his longtime collaborator, Mark Vanselow, do the more extensive stunt work.

“I don’t want Mark to be fighting my fight scenes for me,” he explained.

Neeson has famously played the leading man in countless action films, including the Taken series, The A-Team, The Grey, Wrath of the Titans, Run All Night, The Commuter, Cold Pursuit, Retribution and his latest film, Absolution.

Neeson is well known for starring in all three Taken movies.

Neeson in the 2023 revenge movie Retribution.

His career, which started in the late 1970s, has also included war dramas (Michael Collins and Schindler’s List), blockbusters (Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace and Batman Begins) and romantic comedies (Love Actually and Ordinary Love).

Neeson is also exercising his comedy chops in the upcoming The Naked Gun remake set for release in 2025.

“Whether I can carry it or not, I honestly don’t know,” he said about his “silly” role as hapless cop Frank Drebin Jr. in the film.

But his co-star, Pamela Anderson, said otherwise.

The actor filmed Blacklight in Victoria back in 2020.

“He’s being humble,” she told People. “It was hard to keep a straight face in scenes together.”

Neeson previously said at the start of 2021 that he was eyeing a retirement from action movies.

“I’m 68 and a half. Sixty-nine this year. There’s a couple more I’m going to do this year,” he said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the time.

“There’s a couple in the pipeline and then I think that will probably be it,” Neeson added. “Well, unless I’m on a Zimmer frame or something.”

Neeson has also starred in rom-coms such as Love Actually.

The year prior, Neeson told ET he was done with superhero movies after playing Ra’s al Ghul in Christopher Nolan’s first Batman movie.

“I’m really not a huge fan of the genre. I think it’s Hollywood with all the bells and whistles and the technical achievements and stuff — which I admire — but I have no desire to go into the gym for three hours every day to pump myself up to squeeze into a velcro suit with a cape,” he said.

Neeson also said that while he “enjoyed” doing Star Wars: Episode I, he doesn’t want to return to that franchise either.

This article originally appeared in New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Liam Neeson, 72, is ready to retire from action movies: ‘It has to stop’