Why Steven Spielberg Picked Liam Neeson Over Warren Beatty For Schindler's List

There was never a point after the blockbuster triumph of "Jaws" when it could be said Steven Spielberg needed a hit, but in 1992, coming off a string of critical and commercial disappointments in "Empire of the Sun," "Always," and "Hook," his future as a filmmaker did look a bit cloudy. His last two certified box office smashes at this point were "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," and while both were the work of an energized director, he clearly had loftier ambitions. And when the critics failed to realize he'd made a stone-cold masterpiece in "Empire of the Sun," he had cause to wonder if they were going to irrationally hold his unprecedented rush of success against him forever.

We know how this played out. Spielberg eventually reinvented the blockbuster with "Jurassic Park," and finally, in the eyes of critics, proved himself as a serious filmmaker with "Schindler's List." The latter earned him his first Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director, and made everyone look silly for doubting his artistic instincts. From there, Spielberg settled into a groove where he alternated between heightened commercial films like "Minority Report" and "War of the Worlds," and prestige pictures like "Amistad" and "Munich."

There was probably not a chance that Spielberg could've fumbled "Schindler's List," but he did have an intriguing option during the film's development that would've given the film a dramatically different vibe. Indeed, movie star du jour Warren Beatty was briefly in the running to play Oskar Schindler. So, why did Spielberg head in a different direction?

In an interview with Susan Royal for Inside Film Magazine, Spielberg was once asked about Beatty's early interest in portraying Oskar Schindler. Though Beatty played the eponymous character for a table read (he was also in the running for "Misery" around the same time), Spielberg ultimately opted for Liam Neeson. Obviously, the idea of Spielberg directing Beatty would've been a Hollywood spectacle unto itself, which is probably a big reason why Spielberg opted for Neeson. There's also Beatty's notorious penchant for meddling behind the scenes; Spielberg is a particular filmmaker, and likely wouldn't have put up with Beatty's power games.

According to Spielberg, however, casting Neeson over Beatty was purely practical. As he told Royal:

"[I] don't think Warren would have ever really worked on the accent. I think Warren would have played it like Oskar Schindler through Warren Beatty, but I don't think Warren would have taken on the accent perhaps. Liam, as you know, is Irish but he took on the accent completely."

Beatty could play against type when he wanted to (and did so brilliantly in "Ishtar"), but he was not known for his accent work. His Oskar Schindler would've been a star turn, and that would've worked against Spielberg's deglamorized aesthetic. That said, there's a part of me that would've loved to see if Beatty had it in him to go from self-serving cad to inadvertent savior. What a high-wire act that might've been.