MANILA, Philippines - Who would have thought that Academy Award nominated star Liam Neeson — one of the greatest actors of all time noted for his highbrow films like Schindler’s List, Kinsey, Les Miserables and Michael Collins — is also a self-proclaimed fan of Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao?
Yes, Liam doesn’t mind professing his love for Pacman — right in the middle of a New York press junket for his movie Taken 2, a sequel to his 2008 surprise blockbuster action film, which is still showing in the Philippines.
“I love Manny Pacquiao, he’s like Muhammad Ali,” declared the 6’4”-tall Irish-born superstar, who was surrounded by members of the international press, including The Philippine STAR, in a roundtable chat last Sept. 23 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Battery Park, Manhattan.
Liam appeared a bit exhausted from meeting other journalists on that day and answering the same set of questions over and over again about his latest movie and career. But his face just lit up when the topic of Manny Pacquiao came up after a journalist from Italy prodded Liam to talk about his favorite sport.
The one-time university football player mentioned boxing right away as one of his favorite sports and named Pacman as one of the sports icons he admires the most.
With Pacquiao’s name already mentioned, I followed up and asked Liam why he loves the GenSan boxer.
“For every punch you threw at Pacquiao, he’ll threw five back at you... from different angles,” noted Liam, who became animated and started throwing punches in the air. “Pacquiao is simply extraordinary. He’s like Muhammad Ali. He seems to break the mold in every fight. He’s ferocious and his training techniques are amazing.”
How Manny lost the fight with Timothy Bradley on June 9 “is just a travesty,” according to Liam, who just couldn’t get enough talking about Manny.
“It was an insult to professional boxing,” he said. “Manny clearly won that fight.”
Liam said he’s almost sure to watch the forthcoming bout of Pacman against Juan Manuel Marquez in December at MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas unless something really urgent comes up in his tight schedule.
“I want to be there,” Liam said of the much-heralded fight.
During the same press meet, the classically-trained actor, who just turned 60 (and is still youthful and gorgeous), admitted he’s surprised by his newfound fame as Hollywood’s latest action star.
He confided that most of the scripts he’s getting nowadays require him to play, what else, an action hero.
”It’s great, but I don’t know how long it’s gonna last,” he said. “But don’t get me wrong, I enjoy doing those fight scenes.”
In Taken 2, Liam returns as Bryan Mills, the retired CIA agent who stopped at nothing to save his abducted daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) from sex traffickers in Taken. This time, it’s Bryan himself and his wife Lenore (played by Famke Janssen) who will be abducted by the enemies seeking revenge, with the exotic Istanbul as the backdrop.
Taken 2 is directed by Olivier Megaton and co-written by Luc Besson and Roberrt Mark Kame.
Although the film is as brutal and bloody with non-stop, high-octane action as the first installment, it has more heart and even a strong message to perpetrators of senseless violence and wanton bloodshed.