The Poster Memorabilia blog

When Liam Neeson Left Me Speechless

Four foot five meets six foot four, and a best friend saves the day.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

Have you ever met a celebrity who intimidated you so much you almost cried? Someone who left you so speechless you probably seemed mute to him. And by speechless, I mean literally not saying a single word, and your friend had to ask him to sign your poster for you.

If all that sounds embarrassing, imagine how humiliated I felt when that happened to me when I saw Liam Neeson in person. I only wanted him to sign my Taken movie poster when I went to the LA premiere of his 2012 film, The Grey, but I didn't expect him to catch me off guard.

I am a 4'5" woman who's not a big fan of freakishly tall people. I consider anyone above 6'2" freakishly tall, which is why I'll never travel to places like the Netherlands and be surrounded by those giants. I blame my tall uncle for this irrational fear since he threw me up in the air as a toddler, and I hit and broke the ceiling light at my grandmother's place.

“I didn't know he was a walking skyscraper!”

Not that I think Liam Neeson will ever pick me up and throw me in the air, but did you know the guy is 6'4"? I know he always looked tall on screen, but damn! I didn't know he was a walking skyscraper! And I found out the worst way possible: I saw him stand and look over me as I tried to get his autograph.

As afraid as I was of the guy, I still loved him in Taken. But I think I was already a little bit afraid of him in that movie. Like, I know he's the good guy, and it's cool to see him take down the bad guys, but you can't tell me that you watched the film and didn't get a chill down your spine when he gave that phone-call monologue.

I know he wasn't saying it to me, but I couldn't help feeling like he'd have me tracked down within 96 hours if I so much as looked at him funny. That, paired with his absurd height, had me as quiet as a churchmouse when I met him in real life.

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Maybe that's why he's so good in these films. There's something coiled and serious about him that translates perfectly to a man with a very particular set of skills, and it's why nobody else could have made that character work the way he did.

Fortunately, none of that menace was anywhere to be found when my friend and I met him in person. As I mentioned earlier, his imposing height left me speechless, so my friend swooped in and asked for his autograph instead. He was the first Taken cast member I got to sign my poster, and his signature prompted me to seek out the others later on.

When I asked my friend how Liam Neeson looked when he saw me, she said he seemed puzzled, then relieved when she stepped in. I guess that encounter was awkward for all of us.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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