Steven Spielberg Chose Liam Neeson Over Warren Beatty for ‘Schindler’s List’
Steven Spielberg thought carefully about who he wanted to star in his Oscar-winning film Schindler’s List. Although actor Liam Neeson originally scored the role, Warren Beatty tried to snag the role before then.
Why Steven Spielberg picked Liam Neeson to star in ‘Schindler’s List’
Spielberg knew who he wanted as the titular character Oskar Schindler in one of his most acclaimed features. For the director, there was no better actor suited for the role more than Neeson. Although he might not have looked too much like Schindler himself, Neeson had all the other qualities Spielberg was looking for.
“He had the charisma, just existing there without doing very much. And he also had the humanity that would always be there, you know. It could be latent, but it would always come out when he summoned it. And so I felt that he was the best choice I could make for Schindler,” Spielberg once told Inside Film.
Still, Spielberg did what he could to make Neeson resemble the real Schindler physically as much as possible.
“In terms of age and height, he wasn’t as big as Schindler – Schindler was a big, portly man with huge shoulders out to here. I had to actually pad Liam’s costumes a lot to get his shoulders to even be two inches broader than they actually are. But I felt that he could carry it as sort of a figurehead of great deeds,” the director added.
Why Steven Spielberg chose Liam Neeson over Warren Beatty for ‘Schindler’s List’
Neeson may be one of Hollywood’s most prominent actors now. But when he was cast in Schindler’s List, his star-power wasn’t nearly what it is today. Ironically, this is what further sold him to Spielberg, who didn’t want a major star leading his film. And according to the Oscar-winner himself, he turned down many big names for the feature.
“I also didn’t want to put a movie star in the part because I didn’t want the distraction of a whole bunch of other movies to cloud this one. It would have been easy, I had the movie stars coming to me for this part. I just didn’t want to go that way,” he said.
Iconic actor Warren Beatty also lobbied for the starring role. He’d even gone so far as to test for it. But Spielberg ultimately didn’t think Beatty would be a good choice.
“I think Warren would have played it like Oskar Schindler through Warren Beatty, but I don’t think Warren would have taken on the accent perhaps. Liam, as you know, is Irish but he took on the accent completely,” Spielberg said.
Liam Neeson didn’t feel ‘Schindler’s List’ was one of his best performances
Although Schindler’s List was his breakthrough role and garnered Neeson much praise, the actor had issues with his own performance. In an interview with The Late Late Show, Neeson confided that he didn’t entirely enjoy the way he portrayed Oskar Schindler in hindsight.
“For me, it is not one of my best performances. I think that is a wonderful movie, really extraordinary. But I am not happy with my interpretation,” he said.
To further clarify himself, Neeson felt his Schindler performance had more to do with Spielberg than with himself.
“I don’t see any of me in it,” he added.
To Neeson, Spielberg had too much control over his acting. And in the process he made Neeson feel like more of a puppet than an actor.
“When I see it, I’m aware of Steven directing me. And exactly how to hold the cigarette. When to breathe. When to look here, when to look there. So I’m not happy with my performance even though I think the film is masterful,” Neeson explained.
