Hollywood star Liam Neeson has noticed a pattern when it comes to chatting to American during an appearance on Conan O’Brien’s podcast
Taken star Liam Neeson has revealed that, no matter where he travels in the US, Americans consistently want to share the same piece of information with him as he reflects on his early visits across the pond.
Marking his 74th birthday today, the Ballymena native has become one of Northern Ireland’s most celebrated actors over the decades.
His impressive body of work includes numerous beloved films, including Schindler’s List, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and the action-thriller franchise Taken.
Beyond his achievements on the big screen, Liam recently reflected on his experiences in America during an appearance on the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast.
Recalling one of his earliest visits to the United States in 1988, he spoke warmly of the welcome he invariably received, saying: “When I came to the States in 1988, I’m an American citizen, a very proud one too, and an Irish citizen.
“But everybody I’d meet wanted to tell me they had a connection with either Ireland or Scotland,” reports Belfast Live.
Finding it amusing how rarely he met someone who simply identified as American, Liam joked: “I was dying for someone to say, I’m an American. Do you know what I mean? They always wanted to make a connection.”
As he tried to understand the strong Irish links across the US, he began to appreciate the historical reasons behind them, explaining: “It made me think, okay, there was a million and a half during the potato famine in Ireland in 1845 and 1852 (who) came out here on coffin boats and coffin ships, you know.
“I was like, oh, of course. 1845, that was a nanosecond ago, you know.”
The Irish famine of the 1840s triggered a mass exodus, with around two million people leaving Ireland, many travelling to America in search of survival.
According to figures released this year, an estimated 31.5 million Americans claim Irish ancestry.
Having captivated audiences around the world throughout his career, Liam returned to the big screen in The Naked Gun last year.
The father of two played Lt. Frank Drebin Jr, while Pamela Anderson also starred in the film, which was directed by Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy.
However, one iconic role fans should not expect him to revisit is Taken, with the actor jokingly telling Stephen Colbert: “There’s only so many times your daughter can be taken.”
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