Steven Spielberg’s 2012 biopic of the former US President, Abraham Lincoln, was met with positive reviews from critics. In fact, it even got lead actor Daniel Day-Lewis an Oscar for his role in the film. However, the Oscar winner would not have been on the stage receiving the award had actor Liam Neeson said yes to the role.
That’s right. The Schindler’s List actor was Steven Spielberg’s first choice to play Abraham Lincoln in the biopic. And even though Liam Neeson appeared for a script reading, he soon realized the role was not meant for him. However, Liam Neeson was initially interested in the role when the filmmaker first approached him but a change in the script might have made him have a change of heart.
Liam Neeson Refused to Star in Lincoln
In an interview with GQ Magazine in 2014, Liam Neeson opened up about how Steven Spielberg approached him for Lincoln years ago. At that time, Neeson was absolutely invested in the role and took his time to do appropriate research on the former President. When the interviewer asked if it was hard to let go of the role, Neeson stated,
“No. I had a real thunderbolt moment with that. Steven had approached me to play it – f*ck, it must be ten years ago. Sent me a script, and I was like, ‘God.’ And he told me roughly when he might want to shoot it, so I started researching. I maybe did four years’ worth of research.”
Things changed when writer Tony Kushner was brought on to write the screenplay for the film which was loosely based on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals novel.
“Tony was on board and I was sent the script. I had – it was different to what had been before. Before it had been, I thought, a wonderful kind of old-fashioned biography of Lincoln, you know from his inauguration to his death. And Tony’s was very – it was that period between passing the Proclamation and…”
After the script change, Neeson went to attend a three-hour-long reading for the film where he had an epiphany that the role was not meant for him. The reading took place about a month after his wife, Natasha Richardson passed away in 2009. Recalling the reading, Neeson stated,
“We started reading this, and there was an intro and then I see ‘Lincoln:’ where I have to start speaking, and I just – a thunderbolt moment. I thought, I’m not supposed to be here. This is gone. I’ve passed my sell-by date. I don’t want to play Lincoln. I can’t be him. So the next two and a half, three hours of reading through it…This extraordinary piece of writing, but it had no connection with me whatsoever. It was a very strange feeling, and it was partly grief.”
Neeson remembered how despite giving a half-hearted performance, people would come up to him and say that he was made for the part. The actor couldn’t help but cringe at the compliments.
Liam Neeson Asked Steven Spielberg to Recast the Role
After the realization hit Neeson, the part was as good as done for him. When Spielberg came over to where the actor was, Neeson directly asked him to recast the role. While the filmmaker was not sure at first, he eventually agreed to let Neeson go. The actor stated,
“Afterward, Steven came over, and I said, ‘Steven, you have to recast this now.’ And he said, ‘What are you talking about?’And I said, ‘I’m serious. You have to recast it.’ So I went back home, and that night I called Doris [Kearns Goodwin], and I had wee chat with her. And then I called Steven and I said, ‘Steven, this is not for me. I can’t explain it. It’s gone. It’s not…’ And he got it. He said, ‘Okay’ and that was it.”
The part then went to Daniel Day-Lewis who certainly did justice to the role as a majority of critics would agree. He won an Oscar, after all! As for Neeson, this was not the first time he rejected an iconic role. The Darkman actor initially refused to play Ra’s al Ghul in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins before the filmmaker managed to convince him. Neeson’s portrayal of the character was one of the highlights of the film. Can you imagine what would’ve happened if he let his nervousness get the best of him?
You can rent or buy Lincoln from Prime Video and you can stream Batman Begins on Max.
Source: GQ
