Liam Neeson has been continuously using his particular set of skills for over four decades and we all know, how it’s going. From exploring several genres with projects including Schindler’s List and the Star Wars franchise, he cemented himself as an action star with the Taken franchise. Since then, Neeson has often been attached to action!

Liam NeesonLiam Neeson
 

However, this drastic switch led him closer to his large paychecks with the action-thriller franchise highly responsible for that.

Liam Neeson’s Taken Franchise Was His Money-Making Machine!

Liam NeesonLiam Neeson in the Taken franchise
 

The 71-year-old actor, Liam Neeson has continued to solidify his skills by starring in what gives him the best output. However, his demand in Hollywood surged after he proved his potential in the successful franchise.

In an interview with Uproxx, Taken writer, Robert Mark Kamen addressed that the former realized where his profit lay, leading him in the money direction.

He shared,
“Liam Neeson has made a fortune doing Taken 1, 2, 3. I always kid him about it. I say, ‘Oh, where are you?’ ‘I’m in Australia.’ ‘Are you doing Taken 12?’ He figured out that he’s a great actor, but he wanted to make money. This is a money machine for him. Liam picks up a gun, and they pay him a lot of money.”
After the success of the Taken franchise, Neeson went on to star in several action projects, which eventually brought him major profits.

How Much Did Liam Neeson Earn from Taken Franchise?

Liam Neeson in TakenLiam Neeson in Taken
 

Before the money-making franchise, the Kinsey fame had already starred in a blockbuster project. He even got an Oscar nomination for his performance in 1994’s Schindler‘s List.

However, the action-thriller franchise brought him real value as he was able to earn a total of $40 million as per Celebrity Net Worth.

For the 2008 film, he was paid $5 million for his role which only increased once the movie rocketed at the box office. Not just becoming commercially successful, but it opened new doors for the actor who told EW,
“I had no idea that it would lead onto other films and other action scripts,” he shared. “They started sending me action scripts and you’d see ‘Leading man, age 37’ crossed out and ‘late 40s, early 50s’ written in instead [laughs]. I feel very privileged, and a little bit guilty. I’m having fight scenes with guys half my age and I just can’t stop laughing. It’s just so silly on one level and great fun on another.”
The next sequel brought him $15 million meanwhile the third installment splendidly compensated the A-list actor with a whopping sum of $20 million. However, Taken 3 was unable to garner a great response from the critics but was a great project for Neeson’s pocket.

The Taken series is available on Disney+.

Source: Uproxx