Micheál's choice to take Natasha Richardson's surname 'a lovely gesture', says dad Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson and Micheál Richardson in 'Made In Italy'.
Liam Neeson said working on a film with his son helped them heal after his wife’s death 11 years ago.
Natasha Richardson passed away in 2009 after suffering a head injury while skiing at Mont Tremblant in Quebec.
Liam said it was a “cathartic” experience to work with his son, Micheál Richardson, on a film, particularly one that deals with the death of a wife and a mother. Micheál was 13 when his mother died.
Liam added he is proud of Michéal, now 25, for paying tribute to his mother by taking her surname two years ago.
"I think he did the right thing. I think it was a lovely gesture," Liam told Andy Cohen on SiriusXM.
"He's not saddled with my last name. I have a certain celebrity status I guess. I'd hate for him to be constantly asked: 'Oh are you Liam Neeson's son?' So, it was a lovely gesture.
"Natasha's family, mother, and sisters were very touched by it."
Micheál began acting a number of years ago and worked with his father once before when he had a small part in Liam’s 2019 action film,
Their latest film together, , follows an artist and his estranged son as they try to mend their relationship while working together to repair a dilapidated house in Italy he inherited from his late wife.
Liam said he was very impressed by Micheál’s acting skills.
“I’m very proud of him. I’m not going to blow smoke up his anus or anything but he does have a presence, he really does," he said.
“The subject matter is very close to home, with losing my wife, Micheál losing his mother, and that is part of the story of It was quite cathartic in many ways for both of us. It was lovely to act with him.”
Liam said he was approached with the script first and after reading it knew he wanted to work with Micheál on the film.
"When I first read it I [felt] as though someone had grabbed my gut and twisted it. It was quite scary. I read it and it really made my gut turn because it touched on something Micheál and I have both gone through, are still going through 11 years on after Natasha died.
“I thought, gosh, this would be fantastic if I could do it with Micheál. A couple of other younger actors were suggested but I handed it to Micheál and said ‘Micheál, just read this’. I didn’t tell him what it was about or anything and he responded to it. He sort of looked at me after he read it, I looked at him and said ‘What do you think, should we try and go through this together and see what happens?’ He agreed.
“Of course it touches on very, very delicate stuff but that’s the wonderful thing: sometimes in art, you can explore stuff and it’s safe, especially with a film. We were all kind of in this together. It was great. It was cathartic in lots of ways, it really was.”
