'Silence', Martin Scorsese's live-action adaptation of the novel by Shusaku Endo, wrapped up filming in Taiwan however actor Liam Neeson has been spotted recently looking surprisingly thin. He has reportedly shed excessive weight for his role as Fr. Cristóvão Ferreira. Insiders attempted to explain his startling appearance.
According to the Daily Mail, Neeson's seemingly emaciated physique prompted several fans to question the actor's state of health. A number of photographs of the actor were taken as he was spotted in New York City just this month. The 63-year old A-lister dressed in baggy clothes and stooped slightly on his way to what was reported to be a lunch meeting.
Neeson had his breakout role on Steven Spielberg's 'Schindler's List' as the main character Oskar Schindler for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He soon starred in various mainstream successes including 'Taken', 'Les Miserables', 'Clash of the Titans', 'The Chronicles of Narnia', 'Kinsey' and 'Love Actually'.
It was reported by Radar Online that although Neeson shed a lot of pounds for his new role as a Portuguese Jesuit priest, his spokesman insisted that he was in good health. The source said, "[Neeson] is as healthy as ever and as hungry for work as ever... [Neeson] blames the weight loss on his changing diet, which was meant to just shave a bit off his beer gut for his movie 'Silence' but went a little too far." Part of the actor's diet regimen is cutting off calories and consuming black coffee.
Nutritionist and health expert Lisa De Fazio spoke with Hollywood Life regarding concerns over the Oscar-nominee's excessive weight loss. She estimated that Neeson most likely weighs in at 165 pounds now - a total 60 pounds dropped. She continued to highlight the dangers of losing too much weight over a short period of time saying that it could lead to muscle wasting, anemia, cardiovascular stress as well as a weakened immune system.
'Silence' is an upcoming epic drama film based on the critically-acclaimed novel by Japanese author Shusaku Endo. It tells the story of Catholic persecution and religious discrimination in 17th century Japan. The big-screen adaptation stars Neeson, Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Tadanobu Asano and Shinya Tsukamoto.
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