Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson's son, Micheál, was only 13 years old in 2009 when the actress died in a skiing accident. In 2018, Micheál found a way to honor his mother, but it involved shedding his dad's famous last name.
Suddenly Micheál Neeson became Micheál Richardson.
"I think he did the right thing," Liam told Andy Cohen when asked about his son's name change. "I think it was a lovely homage, a nice gesture and he's, you know, he's not saddled with my last name which, I have a certain celebrity status I guess."
Liam added, "I'd hate for him to be constantly asked, 'Oh, are you Liam Neeson's son?' So it was a lovely gesture. Natasha's family, mother and sisters were very touched by it, as indeed I was too."
The father and son recently co-starred in "Made In Italy," which portrays a father and son dealing with the loss of the family matriarch.
"I'm not gonna blow smoke up him, up his anus around him, but he does have a presence. Micheál, he really does," Liam said. "And the subject matter is, was, is very close to home. Losing my wife, Micheál losing his mother, that is part of the story of 'Made In Italy.' It was quite cathartic in many ways for both of us."
Andy asked if the film opened up any unhealed wounds, especially considering the plot.
"It did and it didn't. When I first read it, I literally got as if someone had just grabbed my gut and just twisted it and it was quite scary," Liam said. "It really made my gut turn because it was so, as you say, it touched on something Micheál and I have both gone through, still going through 11 years after Natasha has died. And I thought, gosh, this would be fantastic if I could do it with Micheál."
Although several actors were considered for Micheál's role, Liam had a hunch that his son would be perfect for the part.
"He sort of looked at me after he read it. I looked at him and I said, 'Look, what do you think, do you want to, should we try and go through this together and see what happens?' And he agreed," Liam said. "It touches on very, very delicate stuff. Sometimes in art you can explore stuff and it's kind of safe, especially with a film. It was great. It was cathartic in lots of ways. It really was."