Liam Neeson recently reflected on his memorable role as Master Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, and how he didn’t love what happened to his character.
What did Liam Neeson say about Qui-Gon Jinn’s death in The Phantom Menace?
In a recent video appearance for GQ breaking down some of his most iconic characters, Neeson brought up his role as Qui-Gon Jinn. In The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) are battling Darth Maul, when Qui-Gon is killed. Neeson joked that a Master Jedi wouldn’t have fallen for what happened to him.
“I thought my death was a bit namby-pamby,” said Neeson. “I’m supposed to be a Master Jedi. My character fell for that, ‘Oh I’m going for your face. No, I’m not, I’m going for your stomach! Oh, you got me!’ It’s like, oh please, hardly a Master Jedi. But still, it was great.”
After appearing in The Phantom Menace, Neeson would go on to reprise his role as Qui-Gon Jinn in a physical capacity in 2022’s Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, where he appeared in a cameo in the show’s series finale. Neeson also lent his voice as Qui-Gon Jinn to several movies and shows, including Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, and the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series.