Does Liam Neeson regret being in Star Wars? The actor shared the one issue he had during his time playing the role of Qui-Gon Jinn.
Liam Neeson is back in the action movie saddle. The actor recently made his return to franchise films by taking on the leading role of Frank Drebin Jr. in The Naked Gun revival. This has led many to look back on his history with fandom films, the most notable of which being his role as Qui-Gon Jinn in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
While the Star Wars prequels aren’t exactly beloved by fans, there were some decent spots in there. To give credit where it’s due, one of those spots was Liam Neeson’s role as Qui-Gon Jinn. He added a depth of seriousness to a rather cartoony film. That seems to be since he was the only one taking things seriously on set, remarking in an interview with GQ that George Lucas wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of directing.
“George doesn’t like directing. Period. He told me that. He’d finish a scene, he’d say, ‘Natalie, a little bit faster. Liam, a little bit faster there.’ [In the] editing suite afterwards, that’s when he starts enjoying the process. But actually directing actors and stuff, he told me he doesn’t like it.”
Liam Neeson’s One Issue With Qui-Gon Jinn
Of course, Liam Neeson isn’t directly attacking George Lucas. Some people just don’t love directing. And just as Lucas didn’t love that part of the job, Neeson has one part of his time as Qui-Gon Jinn he isn’t the biggest fan of. Namely, that he believes the way his Star Wars Jedi was killed off didn’t live up to the prestige expected of the role.
“I thought my death was a bit namby-pamby. I was supposed to be a Master Jedi, you know? My character fell for that, ‘Oh I’m going for your face! No, I’m not I’m going for your stomach!’ ‘Oh, you got me!’ I was like oh, please. Hardly a Master Jedi.”
While a bit silly in hindsight, there was certainly an emotional weight to the suddenness of Qui-Gon Jinn’s death. But even if Liam Neeson’s time in Star Wars wasn’t perfect, it seems as though he was generally happy taking on the role. While it’s not likely he’ll return to the franchise anytime soon, it’s good to see that the actor is still going strong keeping other franchises alive and well!
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