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Liam Neeson reveals reason for drastic weight loss

Liam Neeson in October this year. Photo: Getty

Liam Neeson in October this year. Photo: Getty

Liam Neeson in October this year. Photo: Getty

A thin-looking Liam Neeson in October this year. Photo: Getty

Liam Neeson has finally explained the reason behind his dramatic weight loss which shocked and concerned fans earlier this year.

The 63-year-old made headlines when he was photographed in New York in July this year looking gaunt and dishevelled.

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Now, the Taken star has explained the transformation – which involved a nine-kilogram weight loss – is all for a movie role.

In Silence, due to hit cinemas next year, Neeson stars alongside Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield as a 17th Century Jesuit priest.

In a press conference for the film, Neeson said the film’s director, Martin Scorsese, wanted the cast to appear “gaunt”.

“Martin wanted us all to look a bit more gaunt,” Neeson said.

“I know Adam [Driver] went to the extreme. He’s an ex marine and when he’s given an order, he follows it through. He was like something out of Auschwitz. Martin requires this level of [dedication] and I think it pays off.”

Neeson joins a growing list of actors who have dropped the kilos for movie roles.

Most famously, Matthew McConaughey lost 21 kilograms to play HIV-positive Texan man Ron Woodroof in 2014’s Dallas Buyers Club.

To see other actors’ extreme weight loss makeovers, click here

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