Liam Neeson has credited fatherhood with making him a better actor, saying his approach to the craft shifted after he had his two sons with his late wife, Natasha Richardson.
The 74-year-old actor has two sons: Michael, 31, and Daniel, who turned 30 a few weeks ago. Speaking in a recent interview, Neeson said fatherhood had already brought about many changes in his life, including in his acting.
Neeson told PEOPLE magazine that he is a father with two sons, 30 and 31, almost the same age. He said he knew his acting, and he asked to be forgiven for saying so, had improved because he became a father. He said everything, even tying his shoelaces, changed from the day he became a father, and that although he could not explain why, and did things the same way as before, something had shifted.
He made the comments while discussing his new film, The Fix, in which he stars alongside Zachary Levi.
The Fix and its themes of fatherhood
In The Fix, 45-year-old Levi plays a CIA agent trying to manage a difficult relationship with his estranged wife and young son while operating in the world of espionage in the Middle East. Neeson plays the character's handler and mentor.
Neeson said he identified with the conflict around fatherhood portrayed in the film.
Advice from a longtime friend
Neeson said he understood almost immediately that his life had changed once he became a father, and he recalled advice given to him decades earlier by his friend, actor Gabriel Byrne.
He said he and Byrne had been friends for many years, and recalled watching Byrne's young son, Jack, running around a swimming pool at a time when Neeson was neither married nor a father. He said he asked Byrne what fatherhood was like, and Byrne told him he would understand his place in the world once his own child was born.
Neeson said Byrne had been completely right, and that something changed inside him in a wonderful and almost indefinable way once he became a father. He said he still thought about that conversation 30 years later, because your children are always your children, always.
His sons' careers
Neeson's elder son, Michael, has appeared in several films, including Cold Pursuit and Made in Italy, both of which also starred his father. More recently, Michael appeared in the 2026 film Trauma or, Monsters All, and has several other projects in development.
Neeson's younger son, Daniel, was involved in sport while growing up. He now runs his own tequila brand, called De Nada. In September 2025, Daniel got engaged to his college girlfriend, Natalie Ackerman.
Neeson and Richardson were married until her death. He has continued to work steadily in film, most recently promoting The Fix alongside Levi.
