Liam Neeson says Bryan Mills status as a 'normal' hero is the reason behind success of the Taken franchise

Oscar-winning actor Liam Neeson has reprised his role as retired CIA operative Bryan Mills in Taken 3. The 62-year-old star talks tough shooting, fight sequences and why Mills as a "normal" hero is one of the reasons behind the success of the franchise.

How did you feel when you first read the script?

I wasn’t sure after the second Taken how the writers Robert Mark Kamen and Luc Besson could’ve developed it any more. But they came up with a really, really good storyline - a very believable storyline - and they were able to introduce a couple more characters. There was a nice twist to it, instead of Bryan Mills hunting, he’s become the hunted.

Why do you think people respond so well to Bryan?

I think people respond to him because at heart he’s a normal guy. He’s a normal father trying to make ends meet, trying to do what’s right for his family, and I think we all can empathise with that. And yet he’s got a button, and when that button is pressed because of danger to his family, he goes into a different category of human being. And audiences seem to like that. It gives them a cathartic release.

What was the toughest element of the shoot for you?

It’s always time. On Taken 3 there is a lot of big action sequences and they take time. So a lot of scenes with guns and physical combat that we were hoping to get three weeks to shoot, we actually got nine days. But Olivier Megaton, our director, is superb - he pulls this stuff off. He makes it look easy, but he does an amazing amount of homework - he’s very, very prepared.

How has your working relationship developed with him following on from Taken 2?

I trust him completely. I really trust his artistic side, his artistic taste. We rarely argue. We usually always see eye to eye and he spends as much time on the action sequences as he does on the drama sequences which I really like and respect him for.

And what was the most fun element of the shoot for you?

It’s always fun to do the fight sequences and then to complete them, because some of them are quite complicated - with guns and so on - and there’s always things that can go wrong, but luckily we were fine and there were no serious accidents at all. It’s fun to shoot those things because we rehearse them very strenuously. It’s fun to shoot them, and fun to know they’re finished, that they’re in the can so to speak.

Taken 3 is out on Digital HD now and on Blu-ray and DVD on June 15 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment