Photo: Stephen Shugerman/Getty
Liam Neesonsays his late wife Natasha Richardson is the reason why he did not seriously consider portrayingJames Bondin the 1995 filmGoldenEye.
While speaking withRolling Stoneabout his new movieMarlowein an interview published Monday, Neeson, 70, clarified that he “was not offered James Bond,” but hadconsidered the possibility of taking on the iconic spy roleuntil Richardson, whom he married in 1994, stepped in.
“They looked at a bunch of actors.Schindler’s Listhad come out and Barbara [Broccoli] had called me a couple of times to ask if I was interested, and I said, ‘Yes, I would be interested,’ " Neeson told the outlet. “And then my lovely wife [Natasha Richardson], god rest her soul, said to me while we were shootingNelldown in the Carolinas, ‘Liam, I want to tell you something: If you play James Bond, we’re not getting married.’ "
Shawn Ehlers/WireImage
TheTakenstar went on to say that Richardson, who died in 2009 at 45 years old of blunt force trauma after falling while skiing at Quebec’s Mont Tremblant, delivered him “a James Bond ultimatum” regarding the part.
“And she meant it! Come on, there’s all those gorgeous girls in various countries getting into bed and getting out of bed,” Neeson toldRolling Stone, laughing. “I’m sure a lot of her decision-making was based on that!”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Neeson has referenced the “James Bond ultimatum” in the past, most notably in a 2014 interview in which he said he “had to take [Richardson’s ultimatum] on board because I did want to marry her,” perThe Independent.
Recalling his late wife’s death, Neeson said elsewhere in theRolling Stoneinterview that he did not “know how to answer” a question regarding how he stayed afloat in the aftermath of Richardson’s death.
“Life goes on. Natasha’s mother, Vanessa [Redgrave], and her sister [Joely Richardson] kind of moved in, and I had a wonderful assistant, Joanna,” he told the outlet. “People just came to help, you know? In a big way. And I’ll never, ever forget that.”
Neeson’s new movieMarloweis in theaters now.
source: people.com
