Liam Neeson, 72, plans to retire from action movies since ‘you can't fool audiences'

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Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines October 23

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Liam Neeson plans to retire from action movies after decades of success.

"I’m 72 – it has to stop at some stage," Neeson told People magazine. 

The "Taken" star still performs his own fight scenes, but uses his stunt double – Mark Vanselow – for more extreme moments.

"You can’t fool audiences," he explained. "I don’t want Mark to be fighting my fight scenes for me."

LIAM NEESON WISHES STUNT WORK WAS RECOGNIZED BY BIG AWARDS SHOWS

Liam Neeson says he plans to retire from action movies "maybe the end of next year." (Getty Images)

Neeson plans to retire from the action scene sometime in 2025.

"Maybe the end of next year. I think that's it," he told the outlet.

After starring in the hit 2008 action thriller "Taken," Neeson reinvented himself as an unlikely action hero at the age of 56.

Prior to launching his acting career, Neeson worked as a forklift operator for Guinness Brewery and as a truck driver. He made his debut in theater before landing his first film role as Jesus Christ in the 1978 religious film "Pilgrim's Progress."

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Liam Neeson has moved into comedy with a role in "Naked Gun." (Kate Green/Getty Images)

Neeson moved from London to Los Angeles in 1986 after landing a guest role in the mega-hit series "Miami Vice." Though he went on to star in Woody Allen's 1988 movie "Husbands and Wives" and 1992's "Leap of Faith" and "Shining Through," Neeson became discouraged after the films fizzled at the box office and was considering leaving Hollywood behind. 

However, Neeson's star-making role came in 1994 when he was cast as Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-winning historical drama "Schindler's List." Spielberg cast Neeson after seeing him in the Broadway play "Agatha Christie," which also starred the actor's future wife Natasha Richardson.

Neeson earned an Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe Award nominations for his performance and cemented his status as a Hollywood A-Lister.

Liam Neeson gained fame for his role in "Schindler's List." (Getty Images)

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Now, fans could see Neeson make his way into a new side of film – comedy.

The actor recently wrapped filming of "The Naked Gun," a reboot of the Leslie Nielsen cop comedy.

"Whether I can carry it or not, I honestly don’t know," Neeson told People magazine of his role as cop Frank Drebin Jr.

Liam Neeson began his career in theater. (Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images for ZFF)

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Fox News Digital's Ashley Hume contributed to this report.