資料來源：http://chinapost.com.tw/guidepost/topics/default.asp?id=2908&next=1&sub=5
Late bloomer
How Liam Neeson became an action hero in his 50s
The original "Taken" changed Liam Neeson's acting life. When the action film was released in 2008, the Irish actor was 56 — an age when most actors start looking for parts as grandfathers or cranky old neighbors.
There'll be none of that for Neeson. Since 2008's "Taken," he has become one of the biggest action movie stars in the world. He's played Zeus in "Clash of the Titans" and its sequel "Wrath of the Titans." He starred as Colonel Hannibal Smith in "The A Team." He was the central figure in the action thriller "Unknown," and then battled wolves and the extreme cold in "The Grey." Now he is back doing what helped launch his action movie career — rescuing family members in "Taken 2." The highly anticipated sequel opens in movie theaters in Taiwan today.
"I got a new lease on life because the 'Taken' movie was so successful. At the age of 58 — I'm sorry, did I say 58? — I meant to say at the age of 37, it's great to become kind of an action hero," said Neeson, two years after "Taken" was released.
Before "Taken," Neeson had appeared in plenty of action films, such as "Batman Begins" and "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace." However, he was perhaps best known for playing quiet and troubled characters in comedies and dramas, such as "Love Actually" and "Nell."
In fact, the Irish actor's best known role is almost certainly that of Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's haunting and powerful drama "Schindler's List." It is this ability to appear in many different kinds of films that has defined Neeson's career. "Neeson is not like a normal actor. He got the part in 'Schindler's List' precisely because he has no set persona," said Tim Appelo of The Hollywood Reporter. "Spielberg wanted an actor who audiences wouldn't have any exceptions about, so he could be completely mysterious and just represent Schindler. There's a kind of heroic remoteness or sadness to Liam Neeson."
Neeson's ability to handle both the physical and mental demands of making movies goes back to his youth, when he was an amateur boxer. "The discipline of going to a gym and hitting a heavy bag gives you a respect for hard work as well as keeping you reasonably fit. It's a discipline you have to apply if you're lucky enough to get work in films. In the movie business, you often have to get up at 6 a.m., work for 17 hours and then come home to work out or rest," Neeson said. "The training I did as a child really taught me the work ethic you need in the movie industry."
In "Taken 2," Neeson will be using that discipline to save the day again, although this time it is his ex-wife rather than his daughter who has been abducted. One might wonder why his character's family ever leaves the house.
Starring in action film's like "Taken" may have become the norm for Neeson in recent years. However, the actor, who turned 60 this year, said he's only got another year of making action movies left in him because his "knees are complaining daily." Of course, that may change if his action films keep filling movies theaters across the world, particular as it is hard to see who would replace Neeson as Hollywood's biggest action hero.
"There's Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy is becoming a movie star, Christian Bale and a few others," said "Unknown" director Jaume Collet-Serra. "But it's hard to find an actor who has the physicality, the good looks and the charm, all on top of being an amazing actor — that's the most important thing, but not always what people pay attention to."
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