Liam Neeson is back in the driver's seat for the taut new action-thriller, The Mongoose, where the Academy Award-nominated actor plays a decorated war hero who is forced to go on the run after being framed for a crime he didn't commit. As he desperately searches for a way out, his daring escape captures national sympathy—complicating matters for law enforcement as their prime suspect becomes an overnight hero.
In our exclusive chat, legendary movie star Liam Neeson walks us through the emotional ups and downs his character faces in the film, getting behind the wheel, and developing immediate chemistry with co-star Marisa Tomei. Then, director Mark Vanselow breaks down his directorial debut and shares behind-the-scenes details on bringing the film's practical stunts to life.
The cast features Liam Neeson (Schindler's List; Batman Begins), Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny; Spider-Man: No Way Home), Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction; Mission: Impossible), Marcus Thomas (The Ice Road; Drowning Crow), Maurice Marvel Meredith (The Mongoose; The Terminal List) and Michael Chiklis (The Shield; Fantastic Four).
Neeson's longtime stunt double Mark Vanselow helmed the feature, with a screenplay from Thompson Evans (Buried in Barstow; Hit List).
The Mongoose hits theaters on October 30!
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ROHAN: Liam, when playing a character like Ryan who carries heavy trauma while dealing with the stress of a high-stakes pursuit, how do you convey that emotional weight and grief while staying focused on the action?
LIAM: Look, it's acting, you know? For this one, there was a certain amount of research—reading quite a few books on these Special Forces, Delta Force soldiers that keep the country safe. The levels of stress that they go through, and many of them are still going through with post-traumatic stress disorder, you know? I did quite a bit of reading on that, which helps me to imaginatively try and enter that world. Of course, I've never been a soldier. But I have to convey something of that level of stress, and hopefully I succeeded with Mark's help.
ROHAN: Mark, having worked together for so many years and now directing him in your feature directorial debut, what side of Liam did you want to showcase that audiences haven't seen before?
MARK: I think the comfortability of working together allowed us to get the level of action that we were trying to address while still getting an amazing character inside of that and all the things that character is going through. Working with Liam, giving him the opportunity to work was the place. A lot of times that gets encumbered with the tech of everything—the tech of the action and the filmmaking process. We just tried to create an environment where that could take place.
ROHAN: Liam, how much actual driving did you do, and how comfortable were you behind the wheel?
LIAM: Look, I'm not into cars, to be honest. I'm so not into speed. And I totally trusted Mark Vanselow and his team, the stunt drivers and stuff. We had a couple of muscle cars, let's put it that way, where we had a driver on the roof. If the camera's in the back or in the passenger seat, it looks as if I'm driving at speed, going the wrong way down a highway with other stunt cars coming towards you. That was quite scary for me, I must admit.
ROHAN: Mark, how did you balance practical effects and CGI to make the car chases feel as authentic as possible?
MARK: I think it's the art of illusion. Every department is super important in filmmaking. Our special effects department and Lindsey were constantly advocating for us to get as much practical work as possible. That shows in the film. We worked with our second unit, Chris O'Hara and his team, to get all the practical action we could with the cars and physical action. If we had to do a little bit of support with CG, we did, but on this film, the goal was to get as much practical action as possible.
ROHAN: Liam, your character shares a complex history with his ex-wife in the film. How did you build that trust and establish that sense of shared history on set so swiftly with Marisa Tomei?
LIAM: We just do. Marisa is a wonderful actress. I'm my usual adequate self, as Clint Eastwood used to say. There was a lovely ease I had with Marisa, and I hope she had it with me too. We were conveying aspects of a complicated relationship, and I loved doing scenes with her. We had a limited time to show this backstory—a 35-day shoot, which is short for this type of film. Terrific actors; it was easy to enter that world with her because she is so good.
Accused of a crime he didn’t commit, and with nothing to lose, a war hero (Liam Neeson) leads law enforcement on a cross-country car chase with the help of his brothers in arms and a sympathetic public rooting for his getaway.