![Why Liam Neeson Lost Weight](https://develop.hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/liam-neeson-gaunt-drops-56-lbs-ftr.jpg?resize=384%2C216)
We can all relax now because Liam isn’t sick! He certainly had us worried, because from July to Oct. he was looking scarily skinny. Ever since he first stepped out in New York City with his clothes hanging loosely over his uncharacteristically thin frame, fans have been asking what’s wrong with the Taken actor. All we got was a brief statement from his rep to Daily Mail saying “he has never been healthier.” But now, we finally have a solid explanation as to why he’s so frail.
Shocker – it’s for a new movie role. Liam admitted to Collider that he lost twenty pounds, at the Los Cabos Film Festival in Mexico. “Martin wanted us all to look a bit more gaunt,” said Liam, speaking of director Martin Scorsese, “which [Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield] did as well. Martin requires this level of [dedication] and I think it pays off.” So what role could require that kind of commitment? Liam will be playing a Jesuit Portuguese priest on a mission to Japan in the upcoming film Silence.
Well, thank goodness! Liam’s appearance was truly concerning, even as recently as Oct., though he has begun regaining his usual figure. Believe it or not, Liam may not have even looked the scariest of the bunch. While talking about the experience, Liam admitted that it was actually Adam that took the weight loss regimen the furthest. “I know Adam went to the extreme,” said Liam. “He’s an ex-marine and when he’s given an order, he follows it through. He was like something out of Auschwitz.” Daaaaamn.
But why did Liam let fans worry about him instead of just explaining that the weight loss was for a role? Perhaps it’s because the film, which is set to be released in 2016, is already being talked about as an Oscar favorite. Perhaps they didn’t want the buzz about the film to come too soon and risk the public forgetting about it before is actually came out. Either way, we’re definitely interested to see how all that commitment pays off in Silence, but we’re just going to have to wait until 2016!
What do you think, HollywoodLifers? Should Liam have just told us why he was dropping the weight from the beginning? Sound off below!
— Emy LaCroix