Liam Neeson is one of our most gifted thespians, an Oscar-nominated pro who's personified everything from a World War II hero to a Jedi knight to the world's toughest dad. But every so often, we get a look at exactly how motion-picture actors function. Suffice it to say, live TV is not always their friend, as in this NSFW-language (one bad word) clip from SportsCenter:
After this little flub, ESPN continued to throw a clearly unprepared Neeson to the wolves, and unlike in "The Grey," he couldn't punch any of said wolves.
He tried to hold forth on Tim Tebow vs. Mark Sanchez ("See, you're speaking ancient Arabic to me, buddy. I swear to you, I just don't understand the game yet. I'm so sorry"), a possible Pacquiao/Mayweather bout ("It would be one of the fights of the century if they could get it together, but I don't think it's going to happen") and Rory McIlroy vs. Tiger Woods ("McIlroy, of course.")
Neeson has a very specific set of skills, but rapid-fire sports commentary isn't one of them. And for his second-ever football game, he watched the Jets, which is not unlike hearing the London Symphony Orchestra play "Call Me Maybe" on kazoos and whoopie cushions.Plus, he actually admits he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about, which automatically disqualifies him from any kind of network TV gig.
Ah, well. Better luck with that fledgling movie career, Liam.