'You tend to get a bit more spiritual': Liam Neeson reflects on his state of mind after losing 17Ibs to play a gaunt Catholic priest in Silence

By Jason Chester for MailOnline

Published: 06:24 EST, 22 December 2016 | Updated: 08:44 EST, 22 December 2016

His increasingly gaunt appearance prompted health fears as he prepared for a demanding new role as a Catholic priest in Martin Scorsese’s forthcoming film, Silence.

But Liam Neeson, 64, admits the need to lose weight – a requirement for every principal cast-member involved in Scorsese’s 17th century epic – was taken to extremes as they prepared to shoot scenes on location in Taiwan.

‘I dropped a bit, but (co-star) Adam Driver, he’s about my size – he‘s about six foot three. He dropped like 51 pounds. He got dangerously thin,' he said during an appearance on breakfast show Lorraine. 

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Neccessary: Liam Neeson admits the need to lose weight – a requirement for every principal cast-member involved in Scorsese’s 17th century epic Silence – was taken to extremes as they prepared to shoot scenes on location in Taiwan

'I dropped about 16 or 17. Martin wanted us all to look a bit more gaunt, a bit more haggard.' 

Silence, the second screen adaptation of Shūsaku Endō's 1966 novel, sees Neeson play nomadic Father Cristóvão Ferreira, a Catholic priest who has renounced his religion after being brutally tortured. 

And the method approach adopted by the Irish actor as he prepared for the role had a lasting and unexpectedly positive effect on his state of mind. 

Worrying: His increasingly gaunt appearance prompted health fears as he prepared for a demanding new role as a Catholic priest in Martin Scorsese’s forthcoming film

Spiritual: the method approach adopted by the Irish actor as he prepared for the role had a lasting and unexpectedly positive effect on his state of mind

Powerful: Silence, the second screen adaptation of Shūsaku Endō's 1966 novel, sees Neeson play nomadic Father Cristóvão Ferreira, a Catholic priest who has renounced his religion after being brutally tortured

'This deprivation, they didn’t eat much,' he explained. 'When you go on a diet it focuses the mind and you tend to get a bit more spiritual.' 

Neeson also reflected on his reunion with Scorcese after first collaborating with the legendary director on another sprawling historical drama. 

'We’ve worked together before on Gangs Of New York so we kind of knew each other,' he said, adding that Silence, a project first mooted by the director in 1990, 'became a real passion project for him.' 

'This deprivation, they didn’t eat much,' he explained. 'When you go on a diet it focuses the mind and you tend to get a bit more spiritual'

Plenty to talk about: Neeson was speaking about his new film during an appearance on Thursday morning's edition of breakfast show Lorraine 

Friends: The actor also reflected on his reunion with Scorcese after first collaborating with the legendary director on another sprawling historical drama

His latest role comes shortly after he loaned his voice to 'The Monster' on recent fantasy drama A Monster Calls, which tells the story of a boy, played by Lewis MacDougall, who seeks the help of a tree monster to cope with his single mom's terminal illness.  

'This young actor Lewis puts Shakespeare’s Hamlet to shame,' he raved. 'He goes through a range of emotions and it’s never acted, you know what I mean?' 

Silence is released across the United Kingdom from January 1 2017 and the United States from January 6 2017.  

High spirits: The Irish actor was upbeat as he posed for photos following his appearance on the show

 

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