Liam Neeson found healing after wife's death in film Made In Italy

Liam Neeson (above) suggested his son, Micheal, be cast in Made In Italy with him.
Liam Neeson suggested his son, Micheal, be cast in Made In Italy with him. PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON • Eleven years after the sudden death of actress Natasha Richardson, her husband Liam Neeson and their son Micheal Richardson have found renewed healing in their first film together, Made In Italy.

"Reading the script was like, what? This is so weird," said Micheal, 25. "Like, surely Mum has a hand at, like, why this is happening right now."

The film, out on demand on various broadcast platforms today, centres around a father and his estranged son who attempt to renovate a Tuscan home inherited from his late wife.

Natasha Richardson, the star of movies like The Parent Trap (1998) and Waking Up In Reno (2002), died at age 45 after suffering a severe brain injury in a skiing accident in Canada in 2009.

Actor James D'Arcy wrote the script before she died and it was with a lot of trepidation when he sent it to Neeson, who is famous for starring in the action film series Taken (2008 to 2014).

"I thought we could get a pretty insulting note back saying, 'how dare you send him a script like that?'" said D'Arcy, who is making his directorial debut. "And actually, it was completely the opposite. He really responded to it personally."

Neeson, 68, suggested his real-life son be cast in the film, but wanted to make sure Micheal was protected.

"He's a pretty young man and he had a terrible trauma 10 years ago," Neeson said. "And I did not want him to be re-traumatised in the making of the film."

The movie is filled with romance, comedy and a message of hope - which Neeson hopes helps people during the stressful time of the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's important to say that we have each other. We have to help each other," he said.

REUTERS

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 07, 2020, with the headline Liam Neeson found healing after wife's death in film Made In Italy. Subscribe