Actor Liam Neeson says new movie ‘Silence’ required him to lose weight, look ‘gaunt’

Irish actor Liam Neeson has revealed the reason for his sudden change in look and drastic weight loss. The actor has reportedly lost 20 pounds and was photographed looking frail for several months now.

Speaking at the 4th Annual Los Cabos International Film Festival last week, Neeson explained that his director Martin Scorsese requested him and the rest of the cast of “Silence” to change their looks.

“Martin wanted us all to look a bit more gaunt, which [stars Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield] did as well,” he said as quoted by Entertainment Tonight (ET).

The actor said Scorsese required a certain level of dedication from the cast and crew, which helps them eventually with their roles. He also noted that his co-actor Driver took the task of losing weight a bit too seriously. “He’s an ex-Marine, and when he’s given an order, he follows it through. He was like something out of Auschwitz,” Neeson added

According to ET, Neeson also experienced a 6.1 earthquake magnitude in Taiwan during the production of the film. The actor called the experience as his “most terrifying moment” in life.

The actor also talked about his experience of working with legendary director like Scorsese. Neeson said Scorsese required “absolute” silence on set and instructed everybody to stop working when he was giving directions.

“I mean everybody -- the guy that’s painting 400 yards away has to stop. If he [Scorsese] hears one tiny sound it’s shattered for him so he commands that respect. He commands that silence, and especially for this film, it was necessary,” he said.

Despite the numerous demands of the director, Neeson said he would like to work with Scorsese again. Neeson plays the role of Fr. Cristovao Ferreira alongside Benicio del Toro, Tadanobu Asano, Garfield and Driver.

“Silence” in an upcoming drama film about Jesuit priests, who traveled to Japan to locate their mentor and spread the holy gospel and eventually face persecution. The film is based on the 1966 novel by Shusaku Endo. Jay Cocks wrote the script.

“Silence” is scheduled to release in 2016.

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