Liam Neeson has given a terrific performance across all the different genres he has starred in, as both a hero as well as a villain. A mastermind, almost all of his portrayals have been critically acclaimed worldwide, earning him the title of being one of the most renowned legendary actors of his time in Hollywood. But there was one movie that made this very legendary actor almost lose it.
This film was none other than the 1993 globally praised war/documentary masterpiece, Schindler’s List. In fact, the film had such a massive impact on Neeson that it had him weak in his knees before even the cameras rolled for his first scene — so much so that it might have been the very reason the actor ended up giving one of the best performances of his entire career!
Liam Neeson nearly lost it while shooting for Schindler’s List!
Steven Spielberg‘s Schindler’s List (1993) was an inevitable grueling experience for many viewers, if not all. Encompassing the real-life story of the many Jewish refugees who were saved at the hands of Oskar Schindler during the Holocaust, it was even harder for the ones shooting it.
Yet while others were equally devastated by the harrowing experience of merely shooting it, Liam Neeson was affected to a whole another level despite being one of the most intense actors of all time. The reason? Because he had first-hand experience of the place where all of this happened.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he shared how the gravity of what he was about to shoot hit him and how he almost lost it before the cameras even began rolling for the first scene. Explaining how it happened when they were at the gates of Auschwitz, the Taken star said:
“I was walking outside the barbed wire, waiting to be called to set. I had my Schindler stuff on, a big fur-lined coat, and I was a little nervous, looking at the huts inside Auschwitz.”
That’s when the late Branko Lustig, one of the Holocaust survivors and co-producers of the film, stepped in and asked Neeson how he felt. While Neeson said, “I feel OK. It’s an intense scene, and it’ll be good to get it under my belt,” Lustig realized he had to really get into it.
“Branko casually pointed to a hut and said, “See that hut there, second from the left?” I said, “Yeah.” He said, “That’s where I was.” F—, I just lost it. He was there at the age of 6. Two years he spent there. I remember my knees weakened, and I thought, “You’ve got to pull yourself together, man. This isn’t acting in just another movie.”
Thanks to the late Branko Lustig, Liam Neeson really stepped into the role and gave such an unparalleled performance that is still remembered and commended as one of his best onscreen performances to date.
Liam Neeson’s Schindler’s List performance was critically acclaimed
As harrowing as it was, Schindler’s List was one of the biggest masterpieces of the 1990s. It starred Liam Neeson in the lead as Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist cum businessman who actually saved all of these thousands of refugees by employing them in his factories throughout the genocide and protecting them as industrial workers.
Besides the 84 wins out of a staggering 128 nominations for other major awards, the film also got nominated for a stunning 12 Oscars, out of which it brought home seven accolades. While this granted director Spielberg the first two Academy Awards of his life, it also earned Neeson his first-ever Oscar nod for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Then there are all the near-perfect star-studded reviews the film earned. This includes a whopping 98% rating on the critically brutal Rotten Tomatoes, 5/5 stars on Common Sense Media, and a 9 out of 10 by IMDb critics besides the 98%+ audiences’ commendation of the movie. In fact, to say that Neeson and Spielberg’s hard work paid off wouldn’t be an understatement at that!
You can watch Schindler’s List on Amazon Prime Video.
