Every word that came out of Liam Neeson’s mouth was worth over $35,000 in his role as Zeus in Clash of the Titans

SUMMARY

Liam Neeson is one of the most renowned actors and among the highest paid as well
The actor starred in Clash of the Titans alongside Sam Worthington and he was paid $5 million reportedly for only speaking 142 words in the film
The actor also bagged a hefty $7 million paycheck starring in the sequel of the critically panned film

Liam Neeson and Sam Worthington are both very successful actors in their own right. The Irish actor’s portrayal of Oskar Schindler in Schindler’s List (1993) still gets talked about. Meanwhile, the Australian star boasts the experience of leading the Avatar franchise as Jake Sully – the role that many top actors would do anything to portray.

Liam Neeson.
However, when the two joined hands for Clash of the Titans, the end result left a lot to be desired and the only thing associated with the action movie that exceeded expectations was the size of the cheque Neeson took home.

Why Liam Neeson’s High-Paying Movie With Sam Worthington Failed to Impress Critics

Sam Worthington played the role of Persues, a demigod and the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), who takes on the responsibility of defeating the Ruler of the Underworld, Hades (Ralph Fiennes), to stop him from conquering Olympus and Earth.

Sam Worthington as Persues.

Against a massive budget of $125 million, it did reasonably well to gross $493.2 million at the box office. However, the movie which was a remake of 1981’s epic Clash of the Titans, didn’t live up to the expectations, failing to make the most of the ensemble cast’s talents and already well-received storyline.

Instead of giving stars like Worthington, Neeson, and Fiennes ample opportunities to work their magic or using the intriguing premise of the tussle between man and the gods as the driving force, director Louis Leterrier relied too much on CGI to carry the movie, much to the disappointment of the fans and critics alike. Ironically, even on the action sequences front, Clash of the Titans didn’t manage to leave any positive lasting impression on its viewers.

Neeson didn’t get many lines to show his class – just 142 words to be precise – but he still earned a hefty fee of $5 million, as per WhatCulture. This equates to eye whopping $35,211 for each word.

Accordingly, not many were surprised when reprised his role of Zeus in the sequel, Wrath of the Titans, for which he was paid $7 million. The second installment did not do any better than the first critically and also underwhelmed at the box office, managing just $302 million globally.

Liam Neeson’s Paycheck in Clash of the Titans Falls Pale in Comparison to Taken 3

$35,211 for each word might make Clash of the Titans Neeson’s most efficient role to date, but as far as his highest-paid stint is concerned, the epic saga falls far behind Taken 3. 

Liam Neeson in Taken.

The third installment of his action franchise Taken, wherein he plays the role of former CIA operative Bryan Mills, saw him earn $20 million in 2014. Taken writer, Robert Mark Kamen even claimed in 2021 that the franchise has proven to be a money-making machine for the acclaimed actor. He told Uproxx:

“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.”
In total, Neeson has made $40 million from three Taken movies, as per Celebrity Net Worth.

Considering how profitable picking up guns has been for the actor, it won’t be wise to rule out another installment. However, it would certainly be a huge challenge for the makers to come up with another story involving Bryan saving his family members without making the plot seem repetitive.