Liam Neeson and late actress Natasha Richardson's oldest son, Micheál Richardson, is following in his parents footsteps. The 25-year-old actor sat down with Vanity Fair to talk about his upcoming roles, as well as how he struggles to comprehend his mother's tragic passing after a skiing accident in 2009. He was just 13-years-old when the Parent Trap actress died.
"I think the pain was a little too overwhelming," he recalled to Vanity Fair. "I think the mind is very powerful, and subconsciously, or unconsciously, it can protect you. That’s what it did when she passed. I just pushed it aside and didn’t want to deal with it."
"I don’t, even still, think that I’ve fully comprehended it, and that seems to be a similar journey to a lot of people I’ve spoken to," he continued. "Fifty-year-olds who lost their parents when they were 12, 13... One day they’re out gardening, and something comes over them and they just break down."
Micheál also shared how grateful he is for his mother's storied film career, which keeps her memory alive for him. He cited The Parent Trap as his favorite of her films."Just based off of who she is and how I remember her, it has to be The Parent Trap," he said. "That’s more or less what she was like. She was this sweet, amazing mother figure, my best friend. She had these amazing, big welcomes when we’d come home or she would come home. I’m so lucky because I have her captured on film."
In 2018, Micheál changed his surname from Neeson to Richardson to honor his mother's memory. "I think as I get older, keeping my mom more in mind and doing things to honor her allows me to remember her and to go through the grief, and properly heal," he said.
Photo: Getty