Here, Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, the stars of The Naked Gun – a reboot of the 80s classic starring Leslie Nielson and Priscilla Presley – chat to Woman’s Day about working with each other on the comedy hit and why their chemistry – both off and on camera – has everyone talking!
LIAM NEESON
Did you enjoy working with [rumoured new real-life love] Pamela?
Pamela plays the femme fatale, I guess is the best way to describe her character, who is very beautiful, sexy and funny. And Pamela is all that and more. Any scene with Pamela Anderson was terrific and I always looked forward to working with her. She’s terrific to work with. No big
ego, no airs and graces. And we had a few laughs on set.
Be honest, did she steal a few scenes from you?
Always [laughs]. No, I think we have a lovely, unique chemistry. And we didn’t analyse it or put it under a microscope. We just thought, “OK this is working. Trust it.”
Why did you want to be a part of the reboot?
Well, Seth MacFarlane, who is an old pal, called me up a couple of years ago, dangled the idea of me doing this reboot of this character. And I said I was interested. It’s as simple as that. Akiva [Schaffer, director] was terrific to work with. He’s from the world of Saturday Night Live, which is a very funny show. He’s very smart. He’s a comedy nerd,
I would say. I mean that in the best possible way. Very good writer. And this genre is kind of new for me. Certainly feature film, comedy genre. So, I relied on him a lot. He was terrific to work with.
Tell us about your character..
I play detective Frank Drebin. Frank Drebin. He’s a very committed police inspector, but he’s bumbling. He’s not stupid, but he has a naivety to him. Finds himself in situations and kind of does the wrong thing, but with the right attitude. And it lands him in lots of precarious situations that he has to, hopefully in a funny way, get out of, find a way out of, you know?
How similar is this film to the originals?
Our film has, I would say, the same tone as the originals. Hopefully a lot of giggles for the audience. Some funny stuff, situations that the characters find themselves in. Yeah, a lot of giggles.
Do you prefer watching films in the cinema or at home?
I think it’s important we as human beings, as groups, sit together and see movies in theatres. It’s a thrilling experience, especially when it’s a comedy, to sit together with a bunch of strangers and laugh at the same stuff, giggle at the same stuff. I think it’s very important for our souls.
PAMELA ANDERSON
Were you a fan of the original movies?
I love the Naked Guns. I thought that they were really funny. And they’re just such crazy, silly comedies. And the world needs that right now. Everyone needs a good giggle, and this movie definitely has some of those in them.
Tell us about working with Liam Neeson…
Liam’s fantastic. Everyone is going to fall in love. He’s had such an incredible career, starting in theatre and being acting royalty, from Schindler’s List and all the other films he’s done. So it was intimidating. I was afraid to meet him. I was literally shaking the first day I came to rehearse our first scene. But once we got going, he’s such a gentleman, he’s such a sweetheart, and he’s so giving and generous and was so complimentary and supportive that you can’t help but fall in love with Liam.
The chemistry between you two is fantastic…
We have a chemistry!
What’s something fans might be surprised to learn about Liam?
He’s silly. Definitely has that little boy sense of humour [laughs].
What attracted you to the idea of doing a comedy?
I just restarted my career, so I did Broadway and then I did The Last Showgirl. And I thought it would be a nice juxtaposition to do a high comedy after doing a drama. And plus, I really respond to comedy. The fact that they even thought of me for this was so exciting.
Fans have really embraced your second act in Hollywood – are you enjoying it too?
It’s a happy surprise that I get to do this again. I’ve gone home and thought, “OK, well, you know, I’ll make pickles and bake bread and I’ll make my life beautiful no matter what.” But I had this craving to do more in this industry, so I’m really grateful.
Have your sons seen The Naked Gun yet?
Brandon [29] and Dylan [27] actually saw an early cut of the film before I did. And so I got the call that, “Mom, it’s funny. It’s really funny. You and Liam are great.” And they were so excited about it. And they don’t pull any punches. They’re my harshest critics,
as sons can be. But that gave me a little bit of confidence because they wouldn’t say that if they didn’t love it. So I think it’s nice because there is that new generation of kids that don’t know these movies and are kind of craving some real slapstick belly laughs.
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