Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson, whose birth name was William John Neeson, was born in Ballymena, located in Northern Ireland. He gained recognition as an actor after being cast in the 1980 movie Excalibur. His portrayal of Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List (1993) garnered widespread critical acclaim, resulting in nominations for various awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Subsequently, he achieved international fame with roles in films like Rob Roy (1995) and Michael Collins (1996).

George Lucas initially envisioned the role of Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi Master, as being played by an American actor in his 60s when he was writing the prequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. However, Robin Gurland, the casting director, kept Neeson's name on the shortlist of possible actors, as she believed he could bring the necessary mythic and spiritual qualities to the character. Consequently, the filmmakers considered that Neeson, being slightly younger, would be more suitable for playing a Jedi warrior. When Lucas and Neeson met for an interview, they primarily discussed personal topics such as their children, completely avoiding Star Wars. Only at the end of the meeting did Neeson mention his interest in appearing in the film. Soon after, producer Rick McCallum contacted him and secured Neeson for the role. Lucas was delighted, considering him to be one of the few actors capable of matching the noble presence that Alec Guinness had brought to his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy films. Neeson saw the character as a "timeless sort of soul," a monk proficient in martial arts with a unique moral code. To prepare for the role, he rewatched the original trilogy and Seven Samurai, a 1954 film that had influenced the original trilogy. Neeson sought to understand characters who demonstrated great dignity and courage.

Before filming, Lucas presented Neeson with a gilded box, from which he selected his character's lightsaber.

The filming of The Phantom Menace began on June 26, 1997. Lucas remarked that the reality of returning to make a Star Wars film struck him when Neeson first appeared on set in his Jedi robes.

To save costs, many of the film's sets were only constructed up to the height of the cast, with the remaining portions filled in using bluescreen effects. Due to Neeson's height of 1.96 centimeters, the production incurred an additional cost of $150,000 for each scene he was in. Neeson acknowledged that the amount of visual effects on set could have been daunting for the actors, but Lucas's involvement in its development and subsequent mastery reassured the cast.

Neeson's first day of shooting was on July 2, alongside principal actors like Ewan McGregor, who played Jinn's young Padawan Kenobi. The scene involved the characters arriving on the planet Coruscant to meet Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum, portrayed by Terence Stamp. Both Neeson and McGregor were thrilled to be part of the Star Wars saga. On that same day, Neeson also filmed a scene where Jinn discusses Midi-chlorians with a young Anakin Skywalker, played by Jake Lloyd. He found Lucas's explanation of the science behind the Force "fascinating and believable."

Two weeks into the shooting schedule, a dinner scene was filmed in the Skywalker home. Neeson sensed a subtle romantic chemistry between his character and Anakin's mother, Shmi Skywalker, which he and actress Pernilla August were consciously aware of. Many scenes set on the desert planet Tatooine were filmed in Tunisia, Africa. Neeson remembered the filming being challenging due to the country's heat, but he noted that Lucas's seemingly unfazed attitude prevented the crew from complaining.

The film's climactic lightsaber duel was among the last sequences to be filmed, and preparation involved extensive training sessions led by stunt coordinator Nick Gillard with Neeson, McGregor, and Ray Park, who played Darth Maul. Gillard commended the two Jedi actors for their speed of movement. Neeson mentioned that he could only remember two or three movements in a sequence at a time, while McGregor could perform up to twelve or thirteen. Gavin Hale served as Neeson's stand-in. At the end of filming, Jinn's lightsaber was mounted and presented to Neeson as a gift, which he found exhilarating. McGregor has emphasized how much he enjoyed working with Neeson on the film.

You can hear Neeson's voice in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. He voiced Jinn in Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker.

Neeson had a conversation with Deborah Chow, the director, who informed him that McGregor would be reprising his role as Kenobi in a series. She explained that during Kenobi's journey, he would reach out for help, but Jinn would not be there. Kenobi would eventually see Jinn at the end of his journey. Neeson then expressed his definite interest in being involved with the series. He played Jinn as a Force ghost in the sixth episode. He enjoyed reuniting with McGregor and praised Chow as a wonderful director. Neeson also returned to voice Jinn in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, with his son Micheál Richardson providing the voice for a younger version of the character in the series as well. In 2024, Neeson stated in an interview with Screen Rant that he would not appear in live action as Jinn again, citing his age as the reason.

• Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace Scrapbook
• Star Wars: The Making of Episode I The Phantom Menace
• Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
• " A Jedi Trio " — Star Wars Insider 46
• Star Wars in 100 Scenes
• Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker
• Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection
• Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – The Official Collector's Edition
• SWCA 2022: 5 Things We Learned form the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)
• " Launchpad " — Star Wars Insider 212
• Obi-Wan Kenobi Part VI Episode Guide on StarWars.com (backup link)
• Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return
• " Launchpad " — Star Wars Insider 213
• Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — " The Sith Lord "
• 15 Highlights from Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi on StarWars.com (backup link)
• This Week! in Star Wars Dispatch: The Phantom Menace Returns! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
• Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Celebrates 25 Years with Return to Theaters on StarWars.com (backup link)
• Animating The Phantom Menace with ILM's Rob Coleman on StarWars.com (backup link)
• Ahmed Best | Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
• Phantom at 25 | Ahmed Best on the Creation and Legacy of Jar Jar Binks on StarWars.com (backup link)
• How The Acolyte Challenges How We See Some Members of the Jedi on StarWars.com (backup link)
• Phantom at 25 | Skywalker Sound's Matthew Wood Explains Why The Phantom Menace Was His Favorite Movie to Work On on StarWars.com (backup link)

• Liam Neeson on Wikipedia
• Liam Neeson at the Internet Movie Database