These Surprising Facts Will Change How You See Liam Neeson

While the James Bond franchise has long been a rite of passage for distinguished British and Irish actors, Liam Neeson’s brief flirtation with the role ended not in rejection but in romance.

During the early 1990s, Neeson was reportedly on the shortlist to inherit the tuxedo and Walther PPK. Still, he declined the opportunity after Natasha Richardson, the woman he was dating at the time, expressed reluctance about marrying someone so steeped in fictional espionage.