The Schindler’s List star stepped in to replace Mel Gibson after the troubled actor’s casting sparked controversy and Neeson subsequently revealed he relished filming his a role as a tattoo artist.
He said, “I came to L.A. for a day and did it. I did a scene, which is supposed to be in a tattoo parlour in Thailand. I’m the tattoo artist, covered in tattoos, ‘Ireland forever’… Shamrocks and all that s**t.”
But Neeson’s appearance has been dropped from the final cut of the film because director Todd Phillips wanted to reshoot the scenes and the actor wasn’t available for filming – so the moviemaker hired Nick Cassavetes to take his place.
Phillips tells Variety.com, “We were in a complete time crunch so I called up Nick and asked if he would do the part.
“He came in and crushed it and that is the scene that you will ultimately see in the film. (I’m excited for everyone) to see the film. It turned out great.”
The movie is scheduled for a May (11) release.
