Tony Griffiths gets his “story for the grandkids” moment at the premiere of The Other Man:“Hey, cool t-shirt,” says Liam Neeson, spotting the mock-Japanese Star Wars motif plastered across my chest. In an ill-advised moment of star-induced fawning, all questions relating to tonight’s red carpet premier of The Other Man – a thriller in which Neeson plays a big-time CEO who becomes convinced his wife (Laura Linney) is cheating – momentarily fly out the window. In their place crashes an unfortunate mound of Star Wars trivia; previously stored in a box clearly labelled ‘avoid’.
Thankfully, Neeson’s portrayal of a Jedi Master in the first Star Wars prequel is something he doesn’t mind revisiting (big surprise: Episode 1’s his favourite of the new instalments). He has, after all, built his career on intense dramas – such as tonight’s film – and blockbusters, alike. “I enjoy both types of role,” he says. “There’s definitely room for them both. There are audiences for all kinds of cinema.”
The Other Man, which deals with the difficult subject of adultery, is clearly a more dramatic piece. “I would like the audience to be affected emotionally,” says director Richard Eyre, who has explored similar themes of love and betrayal in Notes on a Scandal. “I want them to ask questions, and think about their own lives.”
Both Eyre and Neeson proved instrumental in bringing co-star Laura Linney to the project. “It was Liam and Richard that attracted me,” she admits. “Liam and I have worked together before. This is our fourth film, and third marriage!”
Portraying a relationship that has spanned 20 years, as they do in The Other Man, can’t have been too much of a push then. Doomed or not, it seems this latest onscreen romance is unlikely to be their last.
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