Chases are as much a part of action films as explosions and fight scenes. In films like 96 Hours, Liam Neeson often pursues his opponents on foot or in a car – but never on a motorcycle, and there’s a good reason for that.
Liam Neeson no longer rides motorcycles because of a 20-year-old accident
In an interview with Men’s Journal, the actor said that he generally refuses to take on any role that requires him to ride a motorcycle. The reason for this goes back more than two decades. At that time, he had an accident on a motorcycle in his private life.
When he was on a promotional tour for the third part of the Taken series, 96 Hours – Taken 3, a few years ago, he spoke to late-night host Jimmy Fallon about the accident:
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In 2000, Neeson was riding his Harley in New York State. Not far from home he collided with a deer and came off the roadLuckily, he was found quickly. The man who saw him immediately called for help, and Neeson was rescued without any lasting physical damage.
What remained, however, was the refusal to get back on a motorcycle. To date, Neeson has turned down all roles for this. Given the large number of action films he has made over the last 20 years, that must have been a lot of rejections.