At age 58, sexy Liam Neeson isn't going to allow the ladies to dish all the beauty tips.
He's a man who knows how to leave those younger turks in his dust…. and he's happy to share how he does it.
In a conspiratorial way, Neeson leans in. He's ready to reveal his real secret to looking young and sexy.
He's ready to…shock you.
"OK, it's lots of sex. That's the real secret," he says and you can hear the air molecules rushing by both of us.
Neeson gives me a moment. To turn bright red.
"Isn't this a great way to start an interview?" he poses with a merry laugh.
HE HAS ME AT HELLO
Move over, kids! Neeson isn't just a no-holds barred interview. This Mid-lifer is also an action hero who is giving far younger actors a run for their box office. His film "Taken" was a huge hit and so was the recent "Unknown" where he does your typical mid-life things such as drive a cab off a bridge in Berlin, plummet into freezing water and then…
"I swim out, save a girl, and drop kick a bad guy," he muses in that thick Irish accent. "It's just another day's work."
Neeson is certainly up for the job. He still looks sinewy strong in a brown velvet jacket, beige T-shirt and matching pants. All female eyes are glued to him as we sip tea at the posh Peninsula Hotel in Los Angeles.
Neeson can't contain the twinkle in his eye. "Now you want my other secret to looking younger?" he poses.
Can we print it?
"Of course, I try to keep fit as much as I can because it's my job. So I do workout — at 5 a.m. if I'm busy because there is no choice," he says.
A MIDLIFER ACTION HERO
In "Unknown," soon out on DVD, he's a man on the run through the streets of Berlin. He's a doc at a medical convention that winds up in a coma for a few days after an accident. He regains his memory only to find that no one else in his life remembers him including his babe-a-licious, younger wife (January Jones).
Neeson is running, jumping, crashing cars, and swimming for his life. He's also punching, kicking, and dodging bombs.
What is his motivation? "The ladies in this movie were very easy on the eyes first thing in the morning," Neeson says. "It's motivating."
He's a born athlete. "I was an amateur boxer from the age of eight until about 17. I was never a professional. But it helped to teach me discipline when I was young. It's not easy getting out of bed, going to the gym, hitting a heavy bag, doing your road work. But it prepared me for work on a movie set — getting out of bed at 5 a.m., working until 7 at night, getting your workout in, having a healthy dinner and getting to bed," he says.
"If you live a healthy lifestyle then age doesn't matter," he says.
Neeson has defied conventional Hollywood logic to become an action star with a sequel to "Taken" in the works. "I seem to have a new lease of life with these action films at the age of 58. Wait, I'm sorry did I say 58. I meant to say 37," he says.
A FEW PERSONAL MATTERS
Some 30 years into an amazing career and Neeson is still a great guy who is known for his Oscar nominated work in "Schindler's List"and an iconic turn in "Star Wars" as Qui-Gon Jinn.
Ask him how to picks movies and the born storyteller smiles. "I always like to think of something Burt Lancaster says. He said, 'I act with my hair. When I'm doing a studio movie, I wear a wig. When I do an art house movie, I show my bald patch,'" he says. "I like movies where you do both."
"I do have my hair, but I'm ready to be a little bald in movies," he jokes
It's wonderful to see Neeson laughing again after a tragedy that struck his family when his wife Natasha Richardson died in 2009 after a skiing accident. He prefers not to talk about it, but will say, "It's not what happens over the years, but what can happen in a moment that changes your life."
Now, he's raising his teen sons, Michael, 15, and Daniel, 14. The "guys" can often be seen hanging out at Lakers games for some father-son bonding. Otherwise, Neeson is a homebody who prefers a quiet night instead of a Hollywood premiere.
Clean living is his middle name.
"I do have a toothpick addiction," he says, pulling an offending pick out of his pocket. "I gave up cigarettes 16 years ago. One of the guys had to go. I gave up the cigarettes, but kept the toothpicks. Just please don't tell my dentist. It's my worst habit."
As for aging, he only has one concern.
He runs his hand through a full head of dark hair and two waitresses in the corner sigh because clearly they wish they could become his barber. Neeson doesn't notice and still poses this question, "Is my hair getting thinner?"
"No, Liam, you could do a hair commercial," I say. "It's great hair."
"Well, that's a relief," he says with an eye twinkle.
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