Liam Neeson has just shared some interesting information about Martin Scorsese's film, the adaptation of the Shusuaku Endo novel, Silence.
Last weekend at the Los Cabos Film Festival in Mexico, the actor revealed that he shed 20 pounds in order to get in shape for his role as a Jesuit missionary writes Variety. "Martin requires a lot of commitment," said Neeson at a press conference. Scorsese "gives 200%. All he requires is that you give 100%," He added. "He's intimidating. He requires absolute silence on the set - if he hears one tiny sound, it shatters it for him."
According to Neeson, his co-star Adam Driver also had to undergo a rigorous weight loss regimen, describing him as "a piece of wire."
This certainly isn't the first time Scorsese has demanded a serious physical transformation from his leading men. In the 80's, Robert De Niro whipped himself into tip-top shape to play boxing legend Jake Lamotta in Raging Bull. He would later regain all the weight and then some, packing on 60 pounds in order to portray the boxer in his retirement years.
De Niro bagged an Oscar for that groundbreaking performance, but time will tell whether any of Silence's leading men will be similarly recognized.
The film, which is set in the 17th century, tells the story of two Jesuit Missionaries (Driver and Andrew Garfield) who face violent persecution when they travel to Japan in search of their mentor (Neeson).
The film has been in development since 2009, with Daniel Day-Lewis, Benicio Del Toro, and Gael Garcia Bernal rumored to star. Complications with the production caused Scorsese to sideline the project while he worked on Hugo, Shutter Island, and The Wolf of Wall Street.
The film has finally come together though, and can be expected sometime in 2016.
