Liam Neeson explains why and when he turned down the Bond role

The Irish star of Schindler's List (1993), Star Wars and Batman explained he was once offered the iconic tuxedo of 007.

The 61-year-old actor who has recently been on the publicity trail for his new action/thriller "Non-Stop" (2014) told The Mirror: "I was heavily courted, let’s put it that way, and I’m sure some other actors were too."

Neeson admits he was a contender when the Bond producers were looking for a replacement for Timothy Dalton. Bond producers Cubby Broccoli, Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli ultimately turned to Pierce Brosnan, the actor who had been lined up to become 007 back in 1986, before Timothy Dalton was cast. Admits Neeson: "It was about 18 or 19 years ago and my wife-to-be said, ‘If you play James Bond we’re not getting married’. And I had to take that on board because I did want to marry her."

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