Why Liam Neeson Is Glad He Didn't Play James Bond

Amazon has taken creative control of the James Bond franchise, wresting control from the Broccoli family, the family that has overseen the 007 movies for decades. There is some speculation as to what this means for the franchise, as many presume that Amazon, following the current filmmaking trends, will try to launch an expansive, multimedia cinematic universe. Some fear the onslaught of tiring over-commercialization that will no doubt be attached to Ian Fleming's noted spy, but others may be excited that a new James Bond movie is coming at all. 

The last Bond film, "No Time to Die," was released in 2021, and it brought the five-film Daniel Craig cycle to a definitive end. This means the next film will have to recast 007 with a new actor, and speculating which actor could potentially play James Bond — in any generation, really — is a speculative sport played by cineastes everywhere. It's fun looking over film history and discovering who was officially approached to play Bond, and who lost out on the part. Many Bond fans know that, during the making of "Diamonds Are Forever," for instance, Adam West was being looked at to play James Bond. Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, John Gavin, and Robert Wagner also visited the casting office. The mind boggles, picturing Reynolds as the suave British James Bond.

Another case in point: Did you know that Liam Neeson was once orbiting the role? The tall, tough Irish actor was friends with the Broccoli family, and was made savvy to when a new Bond film was being cast back in the mid-1990s. It seems that Neeson wanted to talk to the Broccolis about taking over the role starting with "GoldenEye." According to a 2023 interview with Rolling Stone, however, Neeson stopped pursuing 007 when his wife at the time, Natasha Richardson, expressly forbade him. 

James Bond fans also likely know that, way back in 1986, Pierce Brosnan had already agreed to play James Bond for the then-upcoming "The Living Daylights." He was gearing up to announce his new role when he found he was contractually obligated to finish his hit TV series "Remington Steele" first. Timothy Dalton ended up getting the role instead, and Brosnan had to bide his time. He was finally given the chance to play James Bond in "GoldenEye," as he had essentially been waiting in the wings. He played the role in four movies, and if you'd like the correct order to watch the Brosnan Bond films, we've got you covered.

But the casting directors still took a look at a few other actors, including Liam Neeson. He was never under too-serious consideration, but he revealed that the Broccolis at least asked if he was interested. As he put it, he was. Neeson knew he was a hot commodity after the blockbuster "Schindler's List." But it seems that Natasha Richardson, at the time still his fiancée, ordered Neeson not to take the part. She never explained why, but as Neeson recalled: 

"[M]y lovely wife, God rest her soul, said to me while we were shooting 'Nell' down in the Carolinas, 'Liam, I want to tell you something: If you play James Bond, we're not getting married.' So I would tease her by going behind her back, making my fingers as though I'm holding a gun, and then [hums the James Bond theme]. I loved doing that s***! [...] She gave me a James Bond ultimatum. And she meant it! Come on, there's all those gorgeous girls in various countries getting into bed and getting out of bed. I'm sure a lot of her decision-making was based on that!"

Neeson, happy to appease his fiancée, ceased pursuing James Bond. He took a job playing the title role in Michael Caton-Jones' historical biography "Rob Roy" instead. He and Richardson married in 1994 and remained blissfully paired until 2009, when she unexpectedly died in a skiing accident. Neeson has been single ever since.