Liam Neeson has revealed the surprising reason why he turned down James Bond.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Neeson explained his late wife Natasha Richardson was the reason he didn’t pursue the opportunity to play James Bond in the 1990s.

During the casting process, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli contacted Neeson multiple times to gauge his interest in the role. However, while shooting Nell in North Carolina, Neeson’s wife made it clear if he were to take the part, they would not get married.

“They looked at a bunch of actors. Schindler’s List had come out and Barbara had called me a couple of times to ask if I was interested, and I said, ‘Yes, I would be interested,'” Neeson recalled. “And then my lovely wife, god rest her soul, said to me while we were shooting Nell down in the Carolinas, ‘Liam, I want to tell you something: If you play James Bond, we’re not getting married.'”

He continued, “She gave me a James Bond ultimatum. And she meant it! Come on, there’s all those gorgeous girls in various countries getting into bed and getting out of bed (with Bond). I’m sure a lot of her decision-making was based on that!”

Neeson and Richardson married in 1994 and had two children. The Parent Trap star passed away in 2009 after suffering a severe head injury during a skiing accident.

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