Speaking to Yahoo, the Ballymena man said: “I’m not a big horror fan, I’ll have to say, simply because they scare me!”
The 70-year-old also said he isn’t particularly fond of massive superhero movies.
“And I’m not a fan of the superhero stuff, I know they’re everywhere and I admire them, with all their Hollywood bells and whistles and stuff, but it’s just not my genre.”
Mr Neeson made the statements while promoting his film Marlowe, a noir crime thriller in which he plays Raymond Chandler’s fictional private detective Phillip Marlowe.
While the film is already released in the UK, it is set to hit cinema screens in Australia on May 18.
The actor added that he instead prefers to choose films based on the strength of their writing.
“Our drama depends on the spoken word. The spoken word depends on writers,” he said.
“So whatever that script is, if I get a sense that the writing is very good, then I’m interested in it, you know?”
He also talked about how he determines whether or not a script is good.
“I always call it my ‘cup of tea test’, if my agent sends me a script, and I get to page five and I think [distractedly] ‘Oh, I must make some tea.’ That’s not a good sign.”
He said that if he could get through the script and only think about making a cup of tea at the end, that was a “good sign.”
He also contrasted the experience of filming the action blockbuster Taken series with filming Marlowe.
“There’s only two physical altercations in this film, unlike the Taken films, so it’s funny, when we actually did a physical altercation with two heavies, I had a brain switch,” he said.
“I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve done this stuff before.”
After the fight scene, Mr Neeson improvised his own line – which ended up being kept in the film.
He said: “I thought well, I have to say something. It is such a long distance to not say anything to myself. So I put my hat on and I said, ‘I’m getting too old for this.’ And I meant it!”
News
Liam Neeson’s 25 most memorable roles
Liam Neeson has almost had two different careers. For a long time, he was a serious dramatic film star, the kind who earned Oscar nominations. Then, one day, he became a middle-aged action star, and somehow it worked. For years, we’ve…
Liam Neeson: What you need to know about the controversial Taken star amid ongoing race row
The Oscar-nominated actor, who reinvented himself as an action hero in the Noughties, has made several problematic remarks this decade. Alexandra Pollard looks back over his career and wonders whether his fearless pensioner shtick will continue to be received so warmly After…
Liam Neeson: Almost 70 years old still playing the role of fighting, surprised that the director always said this sentence?
With 3 months left to be 70 years old, actor Liam Neeson continues to play the role of a “fighting hero” that fans are very much looking forward to. Since the huge success of “Taken” in 2008, actor Liam Neeson…
10 of Liam Neeson’s Highest-Paying Film Roles
An American acting icon of Irish descent, there are few entertainers who have achieved the level of notoriety as that of Liam Neeson. You know him for his laundry list of action-packed films, but have you ever stopped to wonder how…
Liam Neeson’s Best Action Roles
Where can you watch Liam Neeson at his biggest and baddest? Liam Neeson has spent years cultivating a reputation as one of the top rugged action heroes in Hollywood. Sure, he’s known for his dramatic roles too, but sometimes we…
Liam Neeson on Playing Characters Who Lash Out
The actor, who plays a tough snowplow driver in ‘Cold Pursuit,’ sparked an online controversy with remarks about seeking revenge after a friend was raped Liam Neeson has had one of Hollywood’s most varied and prolific careers. The Irish actor…
End of content
No more pages to load