Liam Neeson: Liam and the Force

Q: Did you have favorite Star Wars characters?

A: I loved Obi-Wan Kenobi. I just loved what this man stood for. And because Alec Guinness is such a brilliant actor, I believed that world.

Q: And is your character, Qui-Gon Jinn, similar?

A: I'm from that code, from that world of Jedi.

Q: How did Lucas convince you--or you convince him--that you belonged in The Phantom Menace?

A: I sent out feelers. I'd heard there was maybe a part for someone like me. The feeler returned was, "Do you want to meet George Lucas?" Of course I did. We were both going to be in London at the same time, so I met with George and Rick McCallum, his producing partner. And all we talked about was rearing children. He suggested I read this book, which he sent to me, and that was the end of it.

Q: Never talked about the movie at all?

A: Not really. And I hadn't read the script.

Q: Did you find that strange?

A: I didn't. I said at the end of the interview, "Look, George, for what it's worth, if you think there's something for me, I'd love to be involved in your film. And I'm glad you're gonna be directing it." When they offered me this, I still hadn't read the script. Rick called up and said, "The character was originally a 60-year-old, would you be prepared to play 55?" I said, "Sure, I'm an actor." But I thought, I'm not going to do old-man acting, because that would be stupid--this guy has to have a lot of lightsaber fights. So we struck a balance.

Q: Where does the name Qui-Gon Jinn come from?

A: I never asked George. I just loved the poetry of it. I had a joke with Ewan McGregor, who is Obi-Wan Kenobi and my apprentice. I was Qui-Gon Jinn and he was Tonic. Gin and Tonic.

Q: Did you understand your character's background?

A: There's actors who want to know what their character had for breakfast last Tuesday. I'm not from that school. I had this amazing costume, half samurai, half Arthurian, and just having that on, I got the guy. I knew how he stood. So, do I know his world? Yes, I do. But if I have to describe it, I can't.

Q: Did Lucas describe him to you at all?

A: Yeah, he did. George is very passionate about it. There's a scene where I talk to one of the characters about these "midiclorians"--it's a wee bit of science gobbledygook. I asked George, "What is this stuff I'm saying?" He said, "It's like in our bodies there are thousands of different bacteria that our body needs in order to stay alive. Let's say one of those bacteria has an intelligence that's able to commune with the ether, the cosmos, the universe." That's clever, I thought. "Thank you. Say no more, I've got it." So I'm from that world. Times 10.

Q: Has anyone ever played this kind of master?

A: Alec Guinness in the first Star Wars. And there was Takashi Shimura in Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai--he kind of inspired me. But my character is supposed to be a slightly maverick master Jedi. Unlike Sam Jackson's character, my character's not on the Jedi Council, this elevated board of Jedi masters who rule the universe. I could have been on that years ago, light-years ago, but I chose to follow my own instinct, and have sometimes gone against what the Jedi Council stands for.

Q: How old is your character supposed to be?

A: On this planet, compared to where they are? About 400 years old, given Einstein's theory of relativity and all the rest.

Q: The plot of the film has something to do with the taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems. So, is this going to be like the American Revolution of the future?

A: To answer your question: in Michael Collins I fought for the Republic. In The Phantom Menace I fight for the Republic again. I'm very honored to do that.

Q: What did you have to learn to play this Jedi knight?

A: Reading Joseph Campbell and watching the Star Wars films again, and the _Star Wars _comic books, which I found so complex I almost couldn't fathom them.

Q: Are kids already asking for your autograph?

A: I made this pact that I will only sign Star Wars stuff if it's going to a children's charity, because it sells for a fortune. The more I sign, the less money it will get at auction for something like Down's syndrome children. I have a sister who has a Down's syndrome child.

Q: You didn't make a lot of money when you did Schindler's List--will you for this one?

A: I took a big cut to do it.

Q: What about on the other side? Do you have any percentage?

A: We'll see. [Chuckles]

Q: Do you think your life will ever be the same?

A: I'm 46 years of age. I'm married with two kids. I love to fly-fish. That will never change. At the end of the day, you know something? It's just a movie.

Q: Harrison Ford was the break-out star of Star Wars. Who do you think might be the break-out star here?

A: They all have a chance. There's this wonderful actor called Ahmed Best, who plays the amphibian character Jar Jar, truly one of the great comic creations. George saw him in Stomp in San Francisco. He's totally concealed, but the computer graphic is all based on Ahmed's wonderful performance. If I was to hedge a bet, he's the next Eddie Murphy.

Q: OK. Let's talk about some of your other movies. You're in the middle of filming a second movie for this summer, Jan De Bont's The Haunting of Hill House. How's it going?

A: I've worked with Jan before, when he was a director of photography. He's a good man, passionate, which is what I like. Jan could film all day until someone tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Time to go home." I love that energy.

Q: You have another movie coming up, too. How did Sandra Bullock convince you to work for her low-budget film Gun Shy?

A: I read the script. I thought, I'm totally wrong casting, so when I eventually got through to Sandra, after finding out all her aliases--she was in Paris at the time--I asked her, "Why me?" She said, "Because no one would think it." I said, "I'm feeling very scared, and very excited. That's my litmus test. I want to do this." It ended up one of the happiest shoots in my life.

Q: I've heard that in the movie you get an enema from Sandra, who plays your nurse.

A: There's never been a courtship scene like this. We laughed. We had to.

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