More than 30 years after the original franchise, The Naked Gun is back, this time helmed by Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson.
The film stars Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., son of Leslie Nielsen’s Detective Sergeant Frank Drebin, as he follows in his bumbling father’s footsteps and must solve a murder case to prevent the police department from shutting down.
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Both Neeson and Anderson brought their sons to the New York premiere on Monday — as the Internet buzzes about if their onscreen connection has transferred offscreen — and Neeson joked to The Hollywood Reporter on the carpet that working together “was really hard to do.”
“It was so much fun, it was such a great project and what a great way to get to know somebody and laugh every day, just know that you’re contributing to something funny,” Anderson gushed of their collaboration.
And as for if they ever questioned what they got themselves into in the out-of-the-box comedy, Neeson admitted, “There was a few of those, yeah. But it was all still joyful.” Anderson added, “It was fun to be part of something that was just schoolboy humor, schoolgirl humor and just have a few laughs. Everyone likes to have those belly laughs and be silly. I think laughter is medicine and I think it’s much needed.”
The movie is written and directed by The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, with Seth MacFarlane serving as a producer. MacFarlane said he considers Schaffer a defining comedy writer who has rewritten how people use the medium, noting, “He approaches comedy from a selfless point of view. He’s out to get laughs, he’s out to make his audience happy; he’s not going in to win Oscars, he’s just here to do the job that comedy’s supposed to do.”
The Naked Gun hits theaters on Friday.
Neha Joy contributed to this report.
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