I used to love watching Steven Seagal movies. Movies such as Under Siege, Hard to Kill, Marked for Death, Above the Law and Executive Decision. But we’re talking a long time ago now and I think the last time I went to go see a Seagal movie in the theater was 1994’s On Deadly Ground.
The guy has now become something more of a curiosity than anything else, though he doesn’t seem to be done with movies just yet, but that doesn’t mean you should ever expect to see him in one of the Expendables movies. In an interview with The Big Issue he was asked why he hasn’t starred in one of the action star team-ups just yet and he didn’t hold back:
“I just didn’t like some of the people involved... Life is too short to work with funny people… There’s good and bad people everywhere and a lot of people in The Expendables I like too. So it’s okay.”
So, what is this? A beef with Sylvester Stallone? Based on a report back in December 2013 it sounds like producer Avi Lerner is the issue, not any of the actors. In fact, back then Seagal said, “Hopefully we’ve gone beyond that [the previous roadblocks]. Sly just called me the other day and said that they were still [interested]. And I said, ‘Hey buddy, you’re my friend, let me know.’ He said he was going to send me a script.”
I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.
Continuing on, Seagal also commented on the state of action films today and targeted Liam Neeson specifically saying:
“Times change. There are a lot of different methods of making movies now. They use a lot of special effects. People don’t have to be an action guy or a hero or a martial artist, they just get up there and let everybody spend the money and the time with special effects. Look at Liam Neeson. He can’t fight, he’s not an action guy at all and he’s getting action movies now, so that should tell you something. He’s a great dramatic actor, a great guy. Is he an action guy? No. Is he a great fighter, a great warrior? No. Let’s be honest.”
So, what Seagal is suggesting then, is that Neeson is an actor? Sounds about right.
