Friend of Liam Neeson's late wife Natasha weighs in on Pamela Anderson romance
Naked Gun is set to hit the screens this week as fans anticipate the undeniable chemistry between lead actors Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson, but the rumours of their romance have now hit even closer to home.
The Hollywood duo made an appearance at SiriusXM Studios in Manhattan on Wednesday, where late-night TV host Andy Cohen chimed in to share his thoughts on the potential pairing. It just so happens that the presenter was "dear friends" with Neeson's late wife of 15 years, Natasha Richardson.
In 2009, the actress tragically lost her life in a skiing accident, leaving behind two sons that she shared with the Naked Gun star. Since then, Neeson has only ever been romantically linked to one person, Freya St. Johnston, in what appeared to be a fleeting relationship.
The TV host told SiriusXM: "I, and all of the friends in this circle, are very much stanning whatever this is. As I was telling him at the premiere party, I go, "Liam, Pamela is an independent woman, just like Tash was. She loves to cook.
"She has her own thing going on. She has two boys. I mean, this just works, and you know? She is a formidable human being, Pamela Anderson. She really is. Like what she's been through and how she kind of reclaimed herself and redefined herself."
At 58 years old, the ex-Baywatch star has been through quite the transformation in terms of her career in recent years, and playing a part in that was her major movie role just last year. Anderson starred in Gia Coppola's The Last Showgirl, which landed her a Golden Globe nomination, years since she last appeared on screen.
While talking to Cohen alongside his new co-star, Neeson quietly held hands with her and even impersonated a kiss on the Today show. The Oscar-nominated actor has been single since the ending of his two-year relationship in 2012, and it seems Cohen would agree it's time for Neeson to find love again.
On NBC he gushed about their budding romance, saying: "I had never met Pamela before. We met on set. And we discovered we had a lovely budding chemistry as two actors.
"It was like, "Ooh, this is nice; let's not mould this. Let's just let it breathe." And that's what we did."
Adding to the rumours, Anderson opened up to Entertainment Weekly about their connection. She said: "I think I have a friend forever in Liam. We definitely have a connection that is very sincere and very loving. He's a good guy."
In the comedy movie, the ex-Playboy cover girl plays the role of a nightclub singer named Beth, alongside Neeson, who stars as Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr. The film, launching this Friday, sees Anderson's second major leading role since her career resurgence of the 2020s, and fans are more than here for it.
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Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Everyone in the Celebrity SAS 2025 Cast as hit-show returns tonight
Fourteen famous faces from the world of music, entertainment and sport are being called upon to take part in the latest series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, premiering tonight. The elite team of ex-Special Forces soldiers – Chief Instructor Billy Billingham and his team of Directing Staff (DS) – Foxy (Jason Fox), Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver – will be taking the celebrities to Wales, the home of the first phase of SAS Selection. There, they will be stripped of their home comforts, families, agents and social media. Together, the DS will push the celebrity recruits even further and teach them the key skills to survive. There will be no room for mistakes as these celebrity recruits face the hardest course yet, in the most gruelling stages of SAS selection. So, without further ado, let's take a look at who will be made to suffer in Channel 4's hit series ahead of the series' highly anticipated return tonight. 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Conor Benn is renown for his brutal punches in the ring, how will he fare in the SAS challenge? The sportsman said: 'Although boxing is hard, I feel like this is going to be a completely different challenge and I always want to challenge myself. 'I just want to see and experience the toughness and the grittiness you need to pass this course.' Louie Spence is an icon of reality television, but how will this translate to the intensity of SAS: Who Dares Wins? Asked ahead of the series, he revealed: 'This course I hope can walk away feeling I've actually really achieved something here, that I've really pushed myself to the edge of my boundaries and put myself in a position which is beyond something I could have even imagined a year ago. 'This is a course that is really going to challenge me. This is different to anything I've ever been part of before. There's no fluff, there's no glitter, there's no getting myself out of a situation with a quick bit of wit. 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Maybe I'll find out I am a bit of a mess or I might find out that I'm stronger than I think I am…it's finding out things about yourself that you would never, ever find out. 'We live in this world where it's so easy to live in our comfort zone, so this is an opportunity to get outside of that and…for me anyway, growth and expansion is one of the most important things, and that is something that hopefully I can pass on to my kids.' Former glamour model and media personality Rebecca Loos sees SAS as a once in a lifetime opportunity. She claimed: 'I honestly don't know whether I am mentally strong enough but one of the reasons I want to do this course is because I want to find out whether I'm able to stick it through mentally. 'I think it's going to be really, really tough. This is by far the toughest thing I've ever done. But I want to do this course because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to do an SAS training course. It's going to be really interesting to see how far I can go and how strong I'm able to keep myself.' Drag Queen Bimini Bon-Boulash has been a staunch advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Talking about how this translates to SAS, she explained: 'I want to do this just to prove to myself that I'm capable of anything I put my mind to. I want to prove to myself that I can do it. No glam, no red carpets, no magazine covers. This is literally just going to be me to my core and I am excited about it but I don't think the course is ready for Bimini. 'People in the UK love to debate gender like it's a concept, not a lived experience. It gets reduced to headlines and toilet talk. I'm doing this to remind them that behind every opinion is a human being. 'The course, the SAS and the Army have got a very masculine stereotype and I've got both elements of masculine and feminine and that's my superpower. Vulnerable, raw, and stronger than ever.' Adam Collard is one of three Love Islanders taking part in Celebrity SAS. Ahead of the series, he said: 'Hopefully during the course, the DS will peel back a few layers because I'm stubborn as hell. And maybe I need to be broken down to then go and sort some stuff out. 'I'm doing it for the little boy who hated himself and couldn't do anything and was the last to get picked in everything. And from an emotional point of view, I'm hoping that this spits out a better person. 'I love a challenge. And I really think this course is exactly what I want to really tap into my fitness, the mental strength, the resilience, and see if I've got the grit to finish and go all the way.' Michaella became famous for being a drug mule, but now as an author she has a further point to prove about herself. Speaking ahead of the show, she said: 'The level of resilience I learned from being in prison in Peru and knowing how important that mindset is, will definitely help get me through the course, so I'm going to need to use my mental strength to help me along the way. 'In Peru, I was completely stripped back to the rawest version of myself…and I know in this course, it will have a similar effect. I will get to see the real me again and I want to challenge myself to see how capable I am. I don't know if I'm physically fit enough to complete the course but I have good mental strength.' Lucy Spraggan is used to rocking on stage, but how will she fare on the course? 'I hope I have the mental grit to get to the end of the course,' she said. 'I have been through quite a lot in my life, and I've done a lot of work to navigate what that left behind, and I really hope that I can apply it to the course, and make it all the way to the end. 'I've always wanted to do this course, and what I love about this course is the sheer pressure it puts on a human being, that you will just not get anywhere else in life. And I've had pressure, I've had so many forms of pressure, nothing like this, so I really just genuinely want to see how far my brain can go.' However, she's also detailed how X Factor creator Simon Cowell, who walked her down the aisle during her wedding last year, was left fuming while playing a role on the show. Despite Simon not being a recruit, he appears in the show when he calls Lucy to try and help motivate her. 'The DS [directing staff] hung up on him and he was like, 'I've never been so angry',' she shared when speaking to The Sun. In the interview Lucy also said the 65-year-old considered appearing on the show himself, but she was worried he'd 'die'. 'He thought it was a great idea, me doing the show. He knows I love being outdoors. We do a lot of shooting air rifles and stuff together, so he knows this is my thing, testing my mental resilience,' she said. British rapper Lady Leshurr is another celebrity who is looking forward to how the course is going to change her. Speaking to Channel 4, she told: 'I think this course is not only going to make me become the best version of myself, but it's going to make me the strongest I've ever been. It's going to make me realise so much about myself that I've kept in. 'It's going to push, motivate and inspire me. It's really going to make or break me. But regardless, it's going to teach me a lesson about myself that I can definitely work on.' As the third former Love Island star to take on the course, could Chloe Burrows reign supreme in Wales? More Trending Commenting on the challenge ahead of her, she said: 'On SAS: Who Dares Wins, everything is completely stripped back. You have absolutely nothing. And I want the course to kind of remind me of that, because I've got a bit lost in myself and the industry. I want to feel a little bit grounded. I want to get a sense of it. I want to push myself, and I want to get a sense of achievement. I want to feel proud of myself for whatever I put into it. 'I think the course is going to give me a bit of confidence. If I even achieve half of the course, then I can walk out and be like, yeah, guess what? I did that on my own. No makeup, no hot shower. I'm very capable…I would love to come out and just feel really pleased with myself and really confident in myself.' Airing across eight one-hour episodes, the seventh series of Celebrity SAS can be streamed or watched live every Sunday and Monday on Channel 4, starting on August 3. A version of this article was first published on July 22, 2025. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: 'One of the smartest shows on television': Your favourite TV spy thrillers MORE: Channel 4 comedy branded 'a gift' to be greatest comeback of 2025 MORE: Rebecca Loos' unexpected reaction to 'harsh' David Beckham interrogation on Celeb SAS
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Love Island in new fix row as viewers convinced they have worked out who Islanders will save
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Original Naked Gun creator gives brutal verdict on reboot as he criticizes Liam Neeson casting and takes aim at Seth MacFarlane
The creator of the Naked Gun franchise has no plans to watch the reboot starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson… and not just because he was unimpressed by the film's trailer. Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, David Zucker – who also directed the original 1980s police comedy – revealed that he did not decline to participate in the reboot, but was excluded from the project altogether after Paramount Pictures rejected his script in favor of working with producer Seth MacFarlane. 'I wrote a whole script for Naked Gun 4 on spec for Paramount,' Zucker told the Daily Mail. 'I understand the studio's thinking to go with Seth MacFarlane. He's a proven commodity and Liam Neeson is a big star, but it's not a fresh idea.' When it first hit theaters in 1988, The Naked Gun – starring Leslie Nielson, Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalban and O.J. Simpson – was a box office success. The spoof-comedy was followed by two sequels in the 1990s. Zucker, along with his brother Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams (otherwise known as comedy trio ZAZ), was also the creative force behind the 1980 cult classic Airplane!, and he went on to direct films in the Scary Movie franchise. David Zucker revealed that he did not decline to participate in the reboot, but was excluded from the project altogether after Paramount Pictures rejected his script in favor of working with producer Seth MacFarlane Liam Neeson, 73, and Pamela Anderson, 58, star in The Naked Gun reboot which is set for release on August 1 In the early stages of the reboot's development, Zucker said he was approached by MacFarlane – best known as the creator of the long-running animated series Family Guy – who praised his work and told Zucker he 'idolized' the original Naked Gun films. 'I had a conversation with Seth and he spent 10 minutes just telling me how he idolized Naked Gun, Airplane, Top Secret,' he said. 'How can you be mad at anybody who tells you how great you are? But it's not enough to be a fan…The guy at my dry cleaners is a big fan, but it doesn't mean he can do Naked Gun.' The original Naked Gun movie, based on the short-lived ABC series Police Squad!, starred Nielsen as police detective Frank Drebin, as his character directly spoofed the widely popular crime dramas of the era. Following its release in December 1988, the film raked in $152.4 million on a budget of $12 million. In 1991, the sequel The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear was released followed by Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult in 1994. In the reboot released this Friday, Neeson portrays bumbling cop Frank Drebin Jr. – who has followed his father's footsteps into law enforcement – while Anderson stars as femme fatale Beth Davenport. Former Saturday Night Live writer and The Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer directed the remake, and also served as co-writer alongside Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. The Naked Gun hit theaters in December 1988. Cast members of the original film included Leslie Nielson (seen), Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalban and O.J. Simpson The original Naked Gun was a box office success and was followed by two sequels in the 1990s Zucker criticized the 2025 version for sticking to the same old formula, with similar gags as the first instalment. He highlighted one particular joke in the film, when Anderson's Beth is instructed to 'take a chair' when she arrives in Drebin's office, to which she replies: 'No thank you, I have plenty of chairs at home.' 'We gave up doing those jokes 40 years ago in Police Squad,' Zucker quipped before questioning Neeson's casting. 'OJ… he didn't need to be funny,' he said. 'And even Leslie Nielsen doesn't need to be funny. He just had to be a B movie actor. That's what we did... We didn't pretend to cast Lawrence Olivier or even Al Pacino, but Liam Neeson, for example, he's like Oscar quality. I think he may have won for Schindler's List. So I mean, what's he making fun of?' Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Zucker has been tossed aside by Paramount Pictures in the early stages of the company developing one of his films for a reboot; he also had no involvement in the 1982 sequel Airplane II, which was written and directed by Ken Finkleman. The sequel was critically panned and earned only $27.2 million in the United States and Canada, compared to the original's $83 million box office total. Much like how Zucker never watched Airplane II, he intends to do the same for the Naked Gun reboot. 'I don't plan on seeing it because, why would I?' he said. Zucker said MacFarlane (pictured) 'thought he knew best' Zucker criticized the 2025 version for sticking to the same old formula, with similar gags as the first instalment (Neeson pictured in a scene) He also questioned casting a big name like Neeson for a spoof comedy, asking: 'So I mean, what's he making fun of?' (pictured Neeson and costar Pamela Anderson) Zucker then recalled his late creative partner Abrahams's response to critics who questioned why he never watched the Airplane sequel. Abrahams died in November last year following a long battle with leukemia. 'People ask Jim, "Why didn't you go to see Airplane II?" And Jim said, "Well, if your daughter became a prostitute, would you go watch her work?" That was his way.' Of course, that's not to say that he doesn't wish well for MacFarlane, Schaffer, and the creative team behind the new Naked Gun film. In fact, the reboot has been released to early rave reviews. The Daily Mail's Brian Viner gave the movie four out of five stars, dubbing it 'hilarious' and praising Neeson as 'perfection.' 'I hope people go to see it, as miffed as I am at the whole thing,' Zucker admitted. 'Seth thought he knew best and it may actually do well, which is crazy in itself.' These days, Zucker is focused on his own original projects, such as a script for a 'Naked Gun take on the Mission Impossible and Bond film series' called Counter Intelijence, and film noir parody, The Star of Malta. Pictured, from top to bottom: Comedy trio David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker on set 'Top Secret' in 1984. Abrahams died in November 2024 following a long battle with leukemia Neeson and Anderson, pictured on July 22 at the UK premiere of The Naked Gun, have also garnered attention with their rumored off-screen romance Zucker is also launching a spoof comedy course on August 4, called MasterCrash: A Crash Course in Spoof Comedy, which will break down the 15 essential rules he uses to write, direct, and edit effective comedy. MasterCrash is a nine-hour course delivered through 18 separate videos, giving students hands-on opportunities to learn ZAZ's method of spoof writing, collaborate with other students, learn from surprise guest lecturers, and work closely with Zucker himself. 'As f***ing old as I am, I have the fresh ideas, not these young guys,' he said. 'I want to do something new.'
