Liam Neeson reveals the action secrets of his new thriller The Ice Road

Netflix has posted an interview in which Liam Neeson gives some insight into the filming of The Ice Road, the new action thriller coming next week (June 25). It covers a range of topics, and they do give an insight.

What is The Ice Road?

Netflix describes it as:

…a thrilling race against the clock as seasoned truck drivers attempt to cross quickly thawing ice and battle violent pressure waves to deliver the equipment needed to rescue a group of miners who’ve become trapped in northern Canada.

Written and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh (Die Hard with a Vengeance), the film was inspired by the 1953 thriller The Wages of Fear [a French movie with an impressive 100% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as 95% from the audience]. Neeson portrays the grizzled and hard-working Mike McCann, an experienced long-haul driver who takes pride in his job and also acts as the caretaker for his younger brother, Gurty (Marcus Thomas), who has aphasia due to an injury sustained while serving in Iraq.

The film’s producers wanted the movie to feel realistic, so not only was it actually filmed on a frozen lake in Winnipeg, but they used very little green screen, employing daring practical effects for the high octane passages instead.

What does Neeson talk about?

Neeson talks about what drew him to the script, how certain scenes were filmed then has a lot to say on the topic of actors performing stunts. What he does do is film his own fight scenes and also his stunt double, Mark Vanselow, has worked with him on a massive 24 films!

Being set in the frozen wasters, there’s an inevitable scene where the actors have to immerse themselves in freezing water. You can read about that and more in the interview itself.