Liam Neeson’s son Micheál changed his last name from Neeson to Richardson to honor his late mother, Natasha Richardson, who died in 2009. She fell and got severely injured while she was skiing at Mont Tremblant, Quebec.
Her tragic death left Liam and his sons, Micheál and Daniel, devastated and heartbroken. In the prevailing years, Liam has given several interviews in which he has discussed the overwhelming feelings of loss and confusion that he and his sons have weathered.
In 2014, Liam told Anderson Cooper that Natasha’s death still didn’t feel real to him, even after five years.
“Her death was never real. It still kind of isn’t. I was told she was brain dead. I was looking at her X-ray, and it was like, ‘Wow.’ I just told her I loved her and said, ‘Sweetie, you’re not coming back from this. You banged your head. I am not sure if you can hear me, but this is what has gone down. We’re bringing you back to New York, and your family and friends will come.'”
She passed away on March 18, two days after the skiing accident that caused a traumatic brain injury.
Her sons deeply felt the loss of their mother. Micheál was only 13 years old when she died. Liam has finally opened up about what that loss has been like.
In an interview with Andy Cohen, he talked about his son Micheál changing his last name to Richardson.
“I think he did the right thing. I think it was a lovely homage, a nice gesture, and he’s not saddled with my last name, which, I have a certain celebrity status, I guess.”
Liam also said that Micheal’s gesture of changing his name meant a lot to his aunts, Natasha’s sisters.
“I would 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 deeply touched by it, as indeed I was too.”
Liam and Micheál also co-starred in the movie “Made in Italy.” It was about a father-son duo who were navigating the loss of their wife and mom, respectively, and were tasked with trying to sell the estate she left behind.
Liam said he and Micheal agreed to do the movie because it deeply resonated with them.
He responded when he was asked if the real-life parallels to their journey made the experience painful for the pair.
“It did, and it didn’t. When I first read it, I literally felt as if someone had just grabbed my gut and twisted it, and it was quite scary.”
“It really made my gut turn because it touched on something Micheál and I have both gone through, still going through 11 years after her death. And I thought it would be fantastic if I could do it with my son.”
He said that several other young actors were also auditioned for the role, but ultimately, Micheál got it, and Liam was the one who offered the script to his son.
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