Liam Neeson Had One Condition To Star In A Million Ways To Die In The West

He might have earned himself a reputation for pummeling henchmen's domes, but Liam Neeson is actually game for a laugh when the opportunity arises. Take, for example, his turn in the 2014 comedy "A Million Ways to Die in the West," which saw Neeson playing a deadpan gunslinger out for the blood of the film's star, writer, and director, Seth MacFarlane. Given the subject matter and MacFarlane retaining the same standard of humor he's known for in "Family Guy," it's kind of a wonder the movie managed to get the "Taken" actor on board. However, while it turns out the Oscar-nominated performer was won over by a jab that MacFarlane had previously taken at him in animated form, he also had specific stipulations for his villainous character in the film, Clinch Leatherwood.

During an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" in 2014, Neeson recalled that he was the punchline of a classic "Family Guy" cutaway gag that suggested he (being an Irish actor) would be hopeless trying to play the role of an American cowboy. "They were making fun of the fact that I did it in an Irish accent. That you couldn't have an Irish accented cowboy," the star explained to Fallon. "So anyway, when Seth called me up to ask would I do this film, I said, 'I'll do it on condition that I can use my own Irish accent.'" Thankfully, the agreement was made, although MacFarlane was still shocked that he signed on. Not only that, but the actor's involvement would also lead to the pair reuniting on an even bigger project in the future.

In an interview with Movie Viral in 2014, Seth MacFarlane praised his stone-faced co-star. "I'm still astonished that he agreed to do the movie," MacFarlane admitted, having accommodated the actor's request. He went on to liken Liam Neeson's turn as Clinch Leatherwood to a crucial character in the 1985 comedy classic "The Naked Gun" (itself a genre parody much like "A Million Ways to Die in the West"). "As ridiculous as 'The Naked Gun' is, that movie does not work without Ricardo Montalban [as the villainous Vincent Ludwig] playing it completely earnest and completely real. It just crowns the whole thing and gives it a backbone. And that's what Clinch had to do," MacFarlane explained. The "Family Guy" creator continued to praise Neeson's performance, adding, "It cannot be overstated how essential Liam's presence was to the story working as a whole. He was just fantastic, and a great guy to have around."

Clearly, Neeson's work on "A Million Ways to Die in the West" left a lasting impression on MacFarlane. The latter is now producing a remake of "The Naked Gun" starring Neeson, with The Lonely Island's Akiva Schaffer (who also directed "Hot Rod" and "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping") calling the shots for a 2025 release. Ahead of then, Neeson has kept busy promoting the project in exactly the way you'd expect him to. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in 2021, the actor assured that "It'll either finish my career or bring it in another direction. I honestly don't know." That lethal, bad guy breaking Liam Neeson — always the kidder.