It may be surprising to learn, but 2025 will mark Liam Neeson's first year starring in a comedy movie. While the veteran actor is known for films like Taken and Schindler's List, he's never held a lead role in a comedic flick. Granted that Neeson has appeared briefly in feature-length movies, such as Ted and Anchorman: The Legend Continues, he's yet to star in one. That, however, is changing with the upcoming Naked Gun revival.
In The Naked Gun—the fourth chapter in the cop-themed franchise—Frank Drebin Jr. (Neeson) aims to make his predecessor proud by keeping Police Squad alive. The trailers showcase him in an equal number of hilarious exchanges, participating in culturally relevant parodies, and occasionally breaking the fourth wall by looking directly at the camera.
Recent moviegoers may recognize the latter technique from Fox's Deadpool movies, although characters have addressed the audience long before Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) did. A classic example is Ferris Bueller's Day Off where the movie's main protagonist frequently narrates to the audience.
As for Neeson, he's obviously embraced the humorous tone of The Naked Gun franchise. A scene of Neeson fully adorned in a Girl Scout uniform confirms he's committed to the bit. He could've easily asked that his character undergo a "magical" costume change during a reveal scene, except he didn't. He's completely on board with the skit, dressed in a skirt, female-style underpants, and a schoolgirl top to complement the ensemble.
Neeson deserves praise for the role either way. Given an impressive career like his, turning to comedy might seem like a gamble. Considering how established he is in the drama genre, diving into a role chocked full of slapstick and outrageous humor is risky. Then again, Neeson has nothing at stake. He's accomplished virtually everything there is for an actor to do, so it's fitting that he explore more fun roles.
The amusing thing is Neeson is a witty fellow in real life—not at all like the characters he portrays onscreen. He even seems to enjoy engaging in humorous back-and-forths. Here's a good example.
Various clips have popped up online of avid fans asking Neeson to recite his iconic Taken lines; he does so entirely in character, too. While most actors might be irritated to reenact particular scenes, Neeson seems to get a kick out of those interactions. He notably recreated one such scene on The Graham Norton Show.
On it, Norton reintroduced Neeson to his first fan. The woman recounts to the audience how she is actually Neeson's first fan from his early work. She cites sending a fan letter to him after seeing the actor in a mini-series. The audience member then holds up a preserved letter, showing the autographed piece of correspondence to everyone.
To do something special for her, Norton arranges for Neeson to record an answering machine message. Except, instead of offering a generic greeting, Neeson repeats his iconic Taken lines. He does so, wrapping things up perfectly with a "please leave a message." Norton verifies that the process worked, and the fan's new voicemail is Neeson asking for his fictitious daughter back.
Furthermore, The Naked Gun is inadvertently setting out to prove Neeson has the acting chops to hang in a comedy-centric universe. No one's ever questioned such a fact, but the action star might participate in more now that he's on this path.
The Naked Gun premieres in theaters on August 1, 2025.