While filming a lightsaber combat scene with co-star Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson recalled truly emitting lightsaber sounds. In his “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” interview, he described how then-Star Wars creator George Lucas reprimanded him for making lightsaber-like vocalizations while filming combat scenes. Before the actors’ strike, Neeson admitted in an episode of “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend”, “The first time we actually had to use the lightsaber to start a little fight … we both automatically [made the noises], George said, ‘Let’s cut there. Boys, we can add that in later.’”
The Jedi teacher Qui-Gon Jinn was portrayed by Neeson and Obi-Wan Kenobi, his youthful trainee (or padawan in “Star Wars” parlance), was portrayed by McGregor.Other effects that were supposed to be applied in post-production caused Neeson problems as well. The actor acknowledged that some of his CGI on-screen colleagues were difficult for him to visualize and communicate with.
“I was supposed to being doing this scene with [Watto], a little flying monster. I didn’t know what this thing was going to look like. It was a green tennis ball that was eventually going to be this flying monster,” Neeson stated. “I’m in the makeup chair, and the lady says, ‘I did see a mock-up of the monster, and you could be a monkey smoking a pipe and no one is going to be looking at you.’” Additionally, Neeson recalled that his makeup artist had informed him that her efforts would be insignificant given the abundance of CGI and other visual effects used in “The Phantom Menace,” many of which were ground-breaking at the time.
The “Taken” actor said later in the interview that he believed that the constant “Star Wars” content had devalued the series. He commented, “There’s so many movies and spin-offs, and … you’re diluting the whole thing, I think. That’s my personal thing.” He believes that ‘Star Wars’ Fanclub is a ‘cult’ for obsessing over ‘autographs.’ He remarked, “Occasionally, there’s kids after a ‘Star Wars’ autograph and I don’t want to give autographs at the airport, Oh, but it’s not the kid, it’s the grandfather, there he is, or the dad. They become 11-year-olds.”