LIAM
NEESON.
HE'S ON THE SHOW TONIGHT!
THERE HE IS!
LIAM, SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.
YOU ARE LOOKING FANTASTIC, AS ALWAYS.
TALK ME THROUGH, WHAT IS LIAM NEESON'S CURRENT TRAINING
WORKOUT REGIME.
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
>> I'VE GOTTEN TO 30 OR 35 MINUTES A DAY, JAMES.
AND IT'S ESSENTIALLY A STATIONARY BIKE, ROWING MACHINE,
BASIC SITUPS, PUSHUPS AND SOME KETTLE BELLS AND A STRETCH.
IF I DON'T GET IT DONE WITHIN 30 OR 35 MINUTES, THERE'S SOMETHING
WRONG, BUT I KEEP IT AS SHORT AS THAT, YEP.
>> James: DO YOU FEEL PRESSURE WITH THE SORT OF MOVIES THAT
YOU'RE MAKING RIGHT NOW TO BE IN -- BECAUSE I GUESS YOU MUST NEED
SO MUCH STAMINA TO WHAT YOU'RE PLAYING RIGHT NOW.
>> IF YOU'RE PLAYING THE LEAD IN ANY FILM, YOU NEED STAMINA,
BECAUSE YOU'RE BASICALLY IN EVERY SCENE AND THE DAYS ARE
LONG.
IT BEHOOVES YOU TO KEEP REASONABLY FIT.
I DON'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO LOOK LIKE ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER WHEN
HE WAS 35 BUT I THINK YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELVES AND YOUR CREW AND
YOUR COMRADES TO KEEP REASONABLY FIT AND THAT'S WHAT I DO.
I'M REASONABLY FIT.
>> I'D SETTLE FOR LOOKING LIKE ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER NOW.
AND NOT EVEN 35.
THAT'S MY GOAL.
TO LOOK LIKE ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER.
WHAT IS HE?
70?
65?
WHAT DO YOU THINK HE IS?
>> HE'S GOT TO BE OVER 70.
>> James: YEAH.
HE'S GOT TO BE OVER 70.
LIAM, PEOPLE ARE CONSTANTLY TALKING ALL THE TIME, IT SEEMS,
ABOUT WHO WILL BE THE NEXT JAMES BOND.
WAS THERE EVER A TIME -- AND THERE MUST HAVE BEEN -- WHERE
YOUR NAME WAS IN THE RUNNING?
>> YEAH, THEY APPROACHED ME, I BELIEVE IT WAS A COUPLE OF CALLS
FROM BARBARA WHO IS NOW THE MAIN PRODUCER OF THE BONDS SHOWS.
THIS WAS AFTER I HAD DONE "SCHINDLER'S LIST" 26 YEARS AGO
BUT I WASN'T OFFERED IT.
I KNOW THEY WERE LOOKING AT VARIOUS ACTORS AND I APPARENTLY
WAS AMONG THEM, HOWEVER, MY DEAR DEPARTED WIFE DID SAY TO ME --
WE WERE DOING A MOVIE TOGETHER IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND SHE SAYS,
DARLING, IF YOU'RE OFFERED JAMES BOND AND YOU'RE GOING TO PLAY
IT, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO MARRY ME.
SO -- ANYTIME WE HAD ARGUMENTS AFTER THAT, I WOULD WALK UP TO
HER AND GO.
[SINGING BOND SONG] >> James: I THINK YOU WOULD
HAVE BEEN A GREAT BOND.
YOU REALLY WOULD.
YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN FANTASTIC.
YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY -- I DON'T THINK IT'S TOO LATE.
I STILL THINK WE COULD SEE LIAM NEESON AS BOND.
RIGHT?
WHY DON'T THEY DO THAT?
BECAUSE YOU CAN DRIVE NOW.
YOU ONLY STARTED DRIVING SORT OF -- WAS IT YOUR LATE 20'S?
EARLY 30'S?
>> YEAH, YEAH, I WAS 28, I THINK, MAYBE 29.
>> James: AND YOU HAD QUITE A SPECIAL DRIVING INSTRUCTOR, IS
THAT RIGHT?
>> I DID.
I HAD A LADY BY THE NAME OF DAME HELEN M IRAM.
WE WERE DOING "EXCALIBUR" IN 1979, 1980 AND HELEN AND I
FORMED A LOVELY FRIENDSHIP, VERY PROUD TO SAY.
SHE TAUGHT ME HOW TO DRIVE ESSENTIALLY, YEAH.
YEAH.
>> James: WAS SHE A GOOD INSTRUCTOR?
>> SHE WAS VERY GOOD.
THEN I HAD TO GO TO A BRITISH DRIVING SCHOOL WHEN IN LONDON.
TOOK TWO TWO-HOUR SESSIONS.
I GOT THIS JOB IN PINEWOOD STUDIOS BUT THEY WOULDN'T SUPPLY
THE TANSPORT FOR ME.
I BOUGHT THIS LITTLE 2CD6, FRENCH CAR.
THEY DON'T MAKE IT ANY MORE.
IT'S A CONVERTED SEWING MACHINE.
>> James: WE HAVE A PICTURE OF THAT CAR RIGHT HERE.
IF YOU EVER WANT TO DISPEL THE IDEA THAT LIAM NEESON COULD HAVE
BEEN JAMES BOND, THE THOUGHT OF DIVING THIS WOULD REALLY PUT
THAT OUT -- DRIVING THIS WOULD REALLY PUT THAT OUT OF YOUR
MIND.
LOOK AT THAT AN ABSOLUTE BEAUTY OF A CAR.
IT REALLY IS.
LIAM, YOU'VE HAD SUCH AN INCREDIBLE CAREER.
IT'S SO VARIED.
IT'S AS GOOD A CAREER AS ANYBODY COULD EVER HOPE TO ACHIEVE AS AN
ACTOR REALLY BUT I'M INTERESTED WHEN YOU FOUND YOURSELF IN A
LIGHTSABER BATTLE WITH DARTH MAL IN STAR WARS THE PHANTOM MENACE,
DID YOU SAY "HOW'D I END UP HERE?
>> EWAN MCGREGOR WAS MY PADAWN.
WE STARTED DOING THE SIDE EFFECTS THE FIRST TIME WE USED
THE LIGHTSABERS.
GEORGE LUCAS SAYS, GUYS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT.
WE CAN ADD THAT IN.
BUT DARTH MAL, THE GUY YOU SHOWED THE PHOTOGRAPH, HE'S --
HE WAS PLAYED BY THIS WONDERFUL GUY CALLED RAY PARKS FROM LONDON
WHO IS REALLY, REALLY GOOD MIXED MARSHALL ARTS AND ALL THE REST
OF IT -- MARTIAL ARTS AND ALL THE REST OF IT.
BUT HE TALKS LIKE WITH A LISP.
HE TALKS LIKE THAT BUT THEN WHEN YOU SEE THE MOVIE, IT'S.
[IN A DEEP VOICE] "YES, MASTER."
THAT WAS QUITE FOUND SEE, YOU KNOW?
>> James: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE "ICE ROAD" WHICH IS AN
ADRENALINE RUSH OF A MOVIE.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
WHO DO YOU PLAY?
>> I'M MIKE MCCANN, AN ICE ROAD TRUCK DRIVER.
I HAVE TO PLUG THESE -- THIS AMAZING COMPANY, THESE KENWORTH
TRUCKS.
COMPANY JUST BENT OVER BACKWARDS TO ACCOMMODATE US WITH THREE OR
FOUR OF THEM.
THEY'RE 18-WHEELERS AND THEY'RE LIKE -- INSIDE THE CAB IT'S LIKE
BEING IN A SMALL NEW YORK APARTMENT.
THEY WERE AMAZING!
AND WE WERE DRIVING THESE TRUCKS ON REAL FROZEN LAKE WINNIPEG I
THINK IT WAS.
THIS ICE ROAD.
ANY WAY, THE STORY IS WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO A DIAMOND MINE
IN THE NORTH OF CANADA WHERE 20 MINERS ARE TRAPPED UNDERGROUND
AND WE HAVE TO DELIVER THIS SPECIAL PIECE OF EQUIPMENT.
LAURENCE FISHBURNE AND MYSELF AND LOVELY ACTRESS MIC THUNDER,
YOUNG NATIVE AMERICAN ICE ROUTE TRUCKER AND WE'VE 30 HOURS TO
GET THERE, JUST BEFORE 30 HOURS SO THERE'S FROZEN SPELLS ALONG
THE WAY, TRUCKS BREAKING DOWN, HYPOTHERMIA, TRUCK GOING INTO
THE ICE, DIVING IN UNDER THE ICE TO SAVE SOMEBODY.
IT WAS A LOT OF STUFF, BUT IT IS THRILLING.
>> James: WHEN YOU'RE DOING THESE MOVIES THAT YOU'RE MAKING
RIGHT NOW, ARE YOU EVER -- YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE THERE ABOUT TO
DIVE UNDER THE ICE OF A TRUCK, ARE YOU NEVER THINKING LIKE, I
SHOULD DO A ROMCOM IN HAWAII?
WHAT IS IT IN YOU THAT JUST KEEPS CHALLENGING YOURSELF IN
THIS WAY?
>> I DON'T KNOW, IT'S -- IT -- I LIKE THE CHALLENGE OF IT, YOU
KNOW?
GETTING BACK TO BEING REASONABLY FIT AND THERE'S A GUY I FOLLOW
CALLED WIM HOFF.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE AWARE OF THIS GUY.
>> James: LIAM, YOU'VE WALKED INTO -- YOU DON'T EVEN
UNDERSTAND THE -- OH, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PAIN YOU'VE
BOUGHT ON OUR TEAM BY BRINGING THAT UP BECAUSE LOUIE WHO SAT
RIGHT HERE WILL NOT STOP TALKING ABOUT THE WIM HOFF METHOD IN THE
SHOWER.
WE CHANGED HIS NAME TO LOUIE WIMHOFF.
DO YOU TWO WANT TO BORE US FOR 10 MINUTES TALKING ABOUT THIS?
TAKE IT AWAY, FELLAS.
GET IN THERE.
YOU TELL US LIKE WE HAVEN'T HEARD IT 50 TIMES.
>> I'M NOT GOING TO -- IT'S -- I -- I LEARNED IT FROM MY SON
DANIEL WHO HAS BEEN FOLLOWING MR. WIMHOFF FOR A COUPLE OF
YEARS.
IT'S ESSENTIALLY SUBJECTING YOURSELF TO ICE COLD WATER,
BREATHING IN A CERTAIN WAY, USUALLY 40 DEEP BREATHS, AND IT
DOES WONDERS FOR YOUR CONSTITUTION.
I LIKE DOING IT.
I FIND SINCE I'VE DONE IT I'VE NEVER HAD A COLD.
I'VE NEVER HAD A FLU.
I'VE -- IT'S EXHILARATING.
YOU SHOULD START UP, JAMES.
SERIOUSLY.
START -- HAVE A SHOWER, STAND UNDER A COLD SHOWER.
TRY TO GET TO 30 SECONDS.
IT JUST INVIGORATES YOU AND HELPS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM.
>> James: HAVE YOU FOUND IT MADE YOU LESS FUNNY?
BECAUSE THAT'S HOW -- [LAUGHTER]
-- THAT'S BEEN A BIG TAKE-AWAY.
ALL RIGHT, WE'LL TRY IT.
I DIDN'T TRUST HIM, BUT I DO TRUST YOU WHICH IS ODD BECAUSE
I'VE KNOWN HIM ABOUT 15 YEARS AND YET I TRUST YOU MORE.