Movies August 04, 2020
Liam Neeson & Son Micheál on Playing a Family Dealing with Grief After Their Own Tragic Loss
Liam Neeson and his son Micheál experienced unimaginable loss when Natasha Richardson died in a tragic skiing accident in 2009. Liam lost his wife and Micheál lost his mom. In their new project “Made in Italy,” they play characters in a very similar situation. Liam and Micheál opened up about it to “Extra's" Terri Seymour.
In the film, Liam and Micheál portray an estranged father and son who travel to Tuscany to sell their family home, and in the process deal with their grief.
Micheál told Terri the takeaway is, “Nobody really knows how to grieve, everyone has their own way.”
Liam said he knew he had to take the role, explaining, “I thought I may have to convince James D'Arcy, our lovely director… to get him to consider Micheál because Micheál just said, 'I don't have much experience,' and he was 22 years of age… He met Micheál… they worked and sat and talked together… James called me and said, 'I think Micheál can do this,' so I was thrilled. I thought, 'This is going to be a special experience.'"
It was special, with Micheál sharing, “There was a tender scene and a little butterfly flew between us. Who knows… but I think the love… that love where I really felt Mom was in the team and the people around us and that support… It's not just a story of grief, it's funny and loving. It's about connection, but for me, I think it shines a nice light on that process and how to sort of get over that and remember our loved ones.”
"Made in Italy” opens in theaters and debuts On Demand August 7.