Liam Neeson agrees the acting is "wooden"

Many have probably seen this but here is the interview with Neeson:

The Star Wars franchise can no longer be taken seriously, according to one former Jedi master.
"Ummm, well, they've kind of got silly now, haven't they?" actor Liam Neeson told The Toronto Sun yesterday while doing interviews for his latest film, the forthcoming ensemble romantic comedy Love Actually.

"That last (Star Wars movie) was just pyrotechnics, you know," Neeson said of Episode II -- Attack of The Clones, lamenting that the "computerized stuff" fails to connect with either the actors or audiences.

Neeson said he expects nothing different when Episode III, in which he is not involved, is released in 2005 to complete the prequel trilogy.

Yet Neeson has no regrets about his own participation in Star Wars lore, despite feeling that he did less than stellar work in 1999 in Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace.

"The one I did, I loved working on it," he said, "and I loved working with George Lucas."

Neeson played Qui-Gon Jinn, a Jedi master knight who counsels Obi-Wan Kenobi and the young Anakin Skywalker.

"Admittedly," Neeson said with a wane smile, "we all come across as pretty wooden. But a lot of that was interacting with blue screen, which was difficult and was also a great challenge, you know, to try to make it seem as an everyday thing that (you're with) a winged beast that talks."

Blue screen is an in-studio process in which actors literally perform in front of a giant blue screen, replaced later with computerized special effects. "But listen," Neeson said, "I'm glad I did it."

Interesting that Neeson agrees that all that crappy CGI doesn't connect with the actors or audience.

 

the same discussion is going on next door

 

its supposed to be wooden..people..they are serious jedi...they are not there to make you laugh or tell jokes..goverment and the jedi order take themselves very seriously..they have to act that way...they cant be acting like han solo or luke because they have a code..to follow..its the way its meant to be damn..someone lock this!

 

Well, I don't think he should be so hard on himself... I thought he did one of the best performances in the whole saga.

Anyway, glad he enjoyed making them. I wish he talked more about SW. I bet he has a lot of great stories, but (and I can understand why) always seemed to distance himself from it... wanted to be known as Liam Neeson the actor, not Liam Neeson the guy who was Qui-Gon.


That said, maybe he didn't think much of the SW film he was in, but what does he have to say about "The Haunting"?


Rick McCallum loves you!

 

Haha, or K19: The Widowmaker.

I'm glad he chose the role, it's hard to imagine anyone else as Qui Gon, even if he was a little wooden.

 

Doesn´t matter what he, Spielberg or even Lucas thinks. I go by my own opinion.

I did not want to know whether or not he´s involved in EpIII BTW....
But maybe he´s just keeping a secret?

 

Is this really supposed to make a difference?

 

its supposed to be wooden..people..they are serious jedi...they are not there to make you laugh or tell jokes..goverment and the jedi order take themselves very seriously..they have to act that way...they cant be acting like han solo or luke because they have a code..to follow..its the way its meant to be damn..someone lock this!


Bah, thats hardly a good argument for defending the less then spectacular performance these top rated actors delivered within the context of this film. [i.e. poor directing]

That being said, I found Liam Neesons as Qui Gon to be the best performance of the entire movie.

Liam Neeson as Qui Gon: Through him you see how heavy a burden it is being a Jedi. He was the only character in the movie you could relate to.

Ewan Mcgregor as Obi-Wan: he doesnt shine in this movie. in TPM he comes off as a cold snob.

Natalie Portman as Padme/Amidala: Two movies into this saga and Im still not liking this character .

Jake Llyod as Anakin: One of the worst examples of miscasting ..ever. Ive never seen a child actor have such a hard time acting like a child.


Its funny when you consider that in the DVD extras, GL takes his crew to task for a less then convicing performance from a CGI Yoda. You never ever see him trying to coax that kind of effort from his real life actors.

 

well the phrase "good, lets do it again with more feeling" doesnt always work with the computer animators.

 

homelessjedi: its supposed to be wooden..people..they are serious jedi...they are not there to make you laugh or tell jokes..goverment and the jedi order take themselves very seriously..they have to act that way...they cant be acting like han solo or luke because they have a code..to follow..its the way its meant to be damn..someone lock this!

The characters in LOTR are serious too. But they aren't wooden (imo). They say they're lines with more conviction.

 

He never said he didn't like TPM.

He didn't like AOTC very much though.

But he said he loved working with Lucas and doing TPM and is glad he did it.

He was dissing AOTC, not TPM.

So I have no idea what your point in brining this up here. This is more for the AOTC forum.

BTW, as much as I loved AOTC, I did feel TPM was the superior film. So I guess I have to agree with Liam on that note.

And on that note, Harrison Ford always complained about the acting and dialogue in the the entire OT. So what's your point?

And in my opinion, Liam was far from wooden. He was the best actor in the entire saga thus far. He really got into the character.

 

Normally I am relunctant to mention LOTR on these boards but you're right.

Both movies are heavy on the special effects yet LOTR seems to resonant more emotionally compared to what I've seen in the PT.

This might have to do with the actors in LOTR loving the source material and director in stark contrast to some of the actors in SW's having borderline contempt if not outright ridicule for theirs.


EDIT: You always read or hear "how difficult" it was acting to blue screen, or "not understanding" what they were doing.

Sounds like Liam was backpedaling a bit towards the end of that interview. You don't want to put yourself at odds against one of the most powerful men in hollywood.

 

Yeah, cause George is the vengeful type. Say anything bad about him and you'll never work in Hollywood again!

Cometgreen

 

I've had this very strong belief, ever since I started loving movies and following directors' careers and remembering names and weird trivia -- I've always felt that the characters in a film usually speak and act just like their director. This doesn't apply to every filmmaker, but you'd be surprised how often it seems true.

Spielberg, Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino, for instance, are known to be very talkative, energetic personalities. (At least I think so). And dammit, I think their movies really reflect that. I think Peter Jackson has bits of that same infectious enthusiam, from what I gathered from his many interviews and documentaries. And directors who are more of the quiet, reserved type isn't exactly going to be busting out something as hyper-kinetic as Trainspotting on us.

I really think Lucas' prequel characters like Anakin, Mace, and Padme speak just like him. Dry, deliberate, and polite. But I do realize of course that 25 years ago, in ANH and American Graffitti, the actors in those films are full of spunk and natural humor.

If movies, the really good ones, are considered art, and art is an extension of man, it just makes sense that your "creation" is more often than not a reflection of you.

 

Yeah, cause George is the vengeful type. Say anything bad about him and you'll never work in Hollywood again!

But George is outside of Hollywood.

 

George may be an "independent" film maker, but I'd say that 99% of all hollywood blockbusters needs ILM.

I think the work WETA has done certainly gives ILM a run for their money.

 

Allow me to pull out of this article what Liam actually said, and compare that to what these guys "say" he said. Here is what Liam actually said:

---

"Ummm, well, they've kind of got silly now, haven't they?"

"That last (Star Wars movie) was just pyrotechnics, you know,"

"computerized stuff"

"The one I did, I loved working on it," he said, "and I loved working with George Lucas."

"Admittedly, we all come across as pretty wooden. But a lot of that was interacting with blue screen, which was difficult and was also a great challenge, you know, to try to make it seem as an everyday thing that (you're with) a winged beast that talks."

"But listen," Neeson said, "I'm glad I did it."[hr][/blockquote]And here is what was actually the article writer's "interperetation" of how Neeson "feels":[blockquote][hr]The Star Wars franchise can no longer be taken seriously, according to one former Jedi master.

(quote removed) Neeson said of Episode II -- Attack of The Clones, lamenting that the (quote removed) fails to connect with either the actors or audiences.

Neeson said he expects nothing different when Episode III, in which he is not involved, is released in 2005 to complete the prequel trilogy.

Yet Neeson has no regrets about his own participation in Star Wars lore, despite feeling that he did less than stellar work in 1999 in Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace.

Neeson played Qui-Gon Jinn, a Jedi master knight who counsels Obi-Wan Kenobi and the young Anakin Skywalker.

Blue screen is an in-studio process in which actors literally perform in front of a giant blue screen, replaced later with computerized special effects.[hr][/blockquote]This wouldn't be the first time some "journalist" put words in Liam's mouth. After TPM came out, there was one reporter who said Liam was so disenchanted by the bluescreen sfx process that he was getting out of the acting business altogether. Liam Nesson ended up publically denying these claims.

 

I've had this very strong belief, ever since I started loving movies and following directors' careers and remembering names and weird trivia -- I've always felt that the characters in a film usually speak and act just like their director. This doesn't apply to every filmmaker, but you'd be surprised how often it seems true.

Never thought of it like that before. Good point!

 

This wouldn't be the first time some "journalist" put words in Liam's mouth.

That is how journalists report Go-Mer. They don't just list the interview from start to finish. They "report" what they find and incorporate direct quotes. My parents, sister and girlfriend are all journalists and they report this way because they are trained to. I could say about you: "There is this guy on TF.Net forums who thinks TPM is really top notch" and this would be putting "words into your mouth" but it is an accurate report of your opinion.

Likewise, just because the journalist reported rather than direct quoted Neeson doesn't mean he was going out of his way to lie. That's illegal and he would lose his job for making stuff up like that. But you can join the list of people who see evidence and imediately tear apart the source...because you can't handle it.

 

I wish some fanboys would take off their rose-colored glasses and realize that much of what you liked about TPM and AOTC has to do with the "newness" of it all. You are also attaching fond memories of when you waited in line for hours with your friends, watched all the trailers, and bought all the toys in advance. So when you watch TPM and AOTC, this is also what you remember and what contributes to the good feelings you get. You must realize that the PT is really not as good as you remembered it. Perhaps someday you can look at things objectively once all the hype and excitement over a modern movie series dies down. It is quite understandable to get excited and momentarily blinded by the latest things sometimes. Skewed opinions usually change after a few years.


( This is the type of *beep* I hear all the time in the Ep3 forums about "nostalgia". See how annoying it is to be fed this type of stuff?

 

I still stand by TPM as a solid movie and Liam Neeson in giving an amazing performance.

 

Thank you Mr. Neeson for telling something that is missing from actors today:The TRUTH!

Liam was not the first Ewan TRIED to tell the truth but certain people took what he said and twisted so it look like he was misinterpreted.

There can be not misinterpretion in what you said Mr. Neeson the word "wooden" and "pyrotechnics" came out your mouth. Let's see them twist that but they will try.You have probably open a door for other SW actor to step thru.

Mr. Mcdiamind,Mr. Lee,Mr. Jackson-come over from the dark side and tell the TRUTH.

 

QUEEN_LEIA: Why? What does it matter to you? Do you sleep better at night because an actor agrees with you?

 

Absolutely my friend,absolutely.

 

Oh. Well, I guess you just became a little happier then. Lucky you