Liam Neeson, gunning for his daughter in the smash hit TakenWith Taken starting on Sky Movies Premiere/HD on Saturday 24th October at 10pm, Liam Neeson reveals why he took the tough as nails movie.

SMM: Did you choose such a tough action movie because you wanted a change of pace?

LN: I did. The script was a real page-turner – Luc Besson co-wrote it, so it was a no-brainer. I loved that the hero is in his late forties and that I was being asked to do it at 54 years old. I thought, “In a few years’ time I’m never going to be asked to do this sort of stuff again.” I liked the idea of making a thriller that aimed high on an emotional level, but there’s a real kick from shooting baddies and driving like a racing-car driver.

SMM: So you performed your own stunts?

LN: I did all the fighting myself but my stunt double did all the big stuff. I’ve done a few fight scenes before, with lightsabers, broadswords, stuff like that. It was great to do one-on-one physical combat with these great stunt guys. I got together with a couple of guys in Paris to learn different techniques like parkour – we kept at it for weeks because there were so many complex fighting sequences. Pierre Morel was the camera operator as well as director, so there wasn’t a lot of time to rest weary bones between takes.

SMM: Can you relate to being an over-protective father?

LN: I’m a father of two boys and it’s any parent’s worst nightmare for something to happen to your children. But when my kids turn 17 or 18, I’m going to show them the door and say, “There is a big world out there. Go out. See it. Learn about different cultures, identities, schools of thought.” You can only do that by travelling.

Words: Richard Matthews

This feature originally appeared in the Sky Movies Magazine, October 2009