Liam Neeson is renowned for his intimidating personality on-screen, thanks to his formidable performances in superhit action sequences. With his incredibly captivating and highly compelling works, the Taken star has spawned several top-rated movies for the big screens that have earned him immense praise from audiences worldwide as well as from his peers, with his most recent action/thriller Retribution for one to count.

Liam Neeson

But besides the big screen, it seems that his frightening persona exists off screens too, judging from how the Retribution director was unsure as to how to approach him after finding him ‘daunting’ to work with.

Retribution Director Found Liam Neeson ‘Daunting’ To Work With

Liam Neeson in a still from Retribution (2023)

An English adaptation of the Spanish movie El Desconocido (2015), Retribution was shot in Berlin, Germany, and stars Liam Neeson in the lead alongside some other young up-and-coming stars, including Jack Champion and Emily Kusche.

The film’s director, Nimród Antal, recently appeared in an interview and shared his experience of working with the Taken A-lister, revealing how he was unsure about the manner in which he should approach Neeson for his movie. He said,

“It’s daunting for a filmmaker. He’s a king of his craft and someone that has worked with some of the biggest filmmakers ever. It’s a daunting feeling showing up to present your ideas to him. But with most of the greats, what I’ve noticed is if they sense that you are arriving with not only preparedness but a passion, then they respond to that very well. I’m a big collaborator. I’m someone that really enjoys the process of discovering things with the actors. I come with storyboards. I come [up] with a set of ideas as to how I like to approach it. None of it is set in stone.”

Nonetheless, Antal has proven his incredible approach as a filmmaker with a set of extraordinary ideas with the Liam Neeson starrer movie, shaping all the scenes in the perfect manner possible.

Nimród Antal Is Grateful For Having A Cast As Talented As His Retribution One

Jack Champion and Emily Kusche in a still from Retribution (2023)

Nimród Antal then shared how his movie wasn’t made up of his ideas alone, but rather the ideas from his entire team who were given the chance to speak and share their exceptional approaches toward it.

“Often I’ll have other ideas, whether it’s coming from the actors, the DP [cinematographer], or other team players. I can move away from the boards and improvise with them to discover something better. But I think that the boards also give the actors a sense of, ‘Okay, this guy knows what he’s doing. He knows what he wants.’ Then, if you also show a willingness to collaborate, it elevates the experience for everybody.”

He further commented on how blessed he was to be given the chance to work with Liam Neeson along with the rest of the incredibly talented Retribution cast.

“A director is really only as good as those that he or she is surrounded by. I was blessed with this incredible cast who are, like, sick talented. This is a Liam Neeson film, but this film wouldn’t have worked if those kids weren’t as good as they are. It was a blessing and a gift. I would work with those kids anytime, any day, and anywhere.”