Liam Neeson remembers his young son arriving on the set of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and immediately running over to R2-D2 and wrapping the metallic droid in a hug. Neeson's role as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn introduced him to the world of Star Wars, but since his role as an ex-CIA agent on a mission to save his daughter with 2008's action film, Taken, he's become more well known for his roles as a gruff action heroes. Fans of Neeson's work have created several jokes around the fact that, inevitably, everything will rest on the shoulders of Neeson's character, and he'll have to single-handedly take down the terrorists, gangsters, or whoever dares to stand in his path. However, Neeson recently clarified that as he's gotten older, his time starring as the hero in thrilling action flicks is likely to come to a close, seeing as he's approaching his 70s. But that still hasn't stopped the actor from starring in two action films this year, Blacklight, which came out in February, and Memory, which hits theaters on April 29.
Star Wars fans have always celebrated Neeson's role as Qui-Gon Jinn in Phantom Menace and highlight his witty back-and-forth banter with his Jedi apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), as a saving grace of a film marred by negative reviews. After the death of his character at the end of the film, Neeson returned briefly to the role via voice cameos in two other Star Wars films. It was speculated that he would return to play Qui-Gon in the new live action Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+, but Neeson shot the Kenobi rumors down, saying that he hadn't been approached to return in the show. From a timeline perspective, it would make sense for Qui-Gon to reappear as a force-ghost since Obi-Wan was told by Yoda that he could learn how to communicate with his former Jedi Master via the force after the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Neeson brought up a sweet memory about his son finding a friend on the set of Phantom Menace when asked if McGregor's return to the Star Wars universe brought up any memories for Neeson about that time in his life. He immediately recalled a funny story from set about holding his two-year-old son Michael in his arms and Michael reaching out toward R2-D2 until Neeson relented and put him down. Next thing he knew, his son was waddling over and hugging R2-D2, which Neeson thought was "just so cute." Afterwards, he told director George Lucas the heartwarming story, who responded that "R2-D2 has that effect on kids." Read his full comment below:
Yes. Oh, it does. And I know Ewan's doing the series. Yeah, I cannot believe it was 24 years ago that we shot the film in London. My gosh. I remember my son. I'll tell you a funny story. My son, Michael, was two. His nanny brought him out to visit me on set and it was lunchtime. I held him in my arms and took him around the set and there was R2-D2, just sitting parked. My son looked at this strange piece of metal, in my arms, and just went, "[stretches arms out]" So I had to let him down and he waddled over and started hugging R2-D2. I thought it was very interesting. He was two. He knows nothing about Star Wars, saw any of the movies. It was just so cute. I remember telling George Lucas after lunch, I said, "I brought my son on. He had to go down and hug R2-D2 and it was really touching." And George said, "Yeah. R2-D2 has that effect on kids." And I just thought it was very, very sweet, so it reminded me of that.
Even at the incredibly young age of two, Neeson's son was so drawn to the shiny blue and silver hull of R2-D2's body that he just had to run over and give him a hug. Michael wasn't aware of any Star Wars lore, he just wanted to befriend the droid, and in turn, highlighted the inherent charm that the character design gives off to children. Some say that children are the best judge of character, and seeing as R2-D2 has been a heroic companion in all nine Star Wars films, Michael's intuition was no exception. The story Neeson told alongside Lucas' reaction is very touching, and it's apparent why it would be the first thing to come to Neeson's mind when thinking about his time on the set of The Phantom Menace.
The fact that 24 years after filming, Neeson still has fond memories from the set of Phantom Menace speaks to how impactful a film can be for an actor, regardless of the film's reception by audiences. Neeson has never said that he doesn't want to return to the Star Wars universe, and it's still possible that he found himself with a role in the new Kenobi series and is just sworn to secrecy. It wouldn't be the first time that an actor has had to keep their part under wraps to create a bigger reveal, as Mark Hamill did with his Mandalorian cameo. Only time will tell what roles Liam Neeson finds himself in next as he steps away from the physical demand of action films, but memories like those with his son on the set of Phantom Menace will likely last a lifetime.