THE CAST of The Parent Trap paid tribute to Liam Neeson’s late wife, Natasha Richardson, during an online cast reunion.
Richardson starred in the popular modern-day remake of the 1961 Disney classic alongside Dennis Quaid and a young Lindsay Lohan.
This past Monday, July 21, the cast reunited for the first time in 22 years and paid tribute to the tragically absent Richardson.
The actress passed away in 2009 after suffering a traumatic brain injury while skiing.
Speaking during the reunion hosted TV journalist Katie Couric, the cast fondly recalled working with Richardson and how she would often talk fondly of Neeson on set.
Lohan paid tribute to her on-screen mother recalling: “Natasha had such an elegance and grace and she was so maternal to me.”
An emotional Quaid, meanwhile, described Richardson in glowing terms as “just somebody so giving and so glad to be there and transmitted that joy. It made everything that much better”.
Perhaps the most emotive account came from Elaine Hendrix, who played the villainous Meredith Blake, and remembered how Richardson would “swoon” on set while discussing her husband and their sons Michael and Daniel.
Hendrix said: “She would come into the hair and makeup trailer and she would literally swoon over talking about Liam and her kids. She would call him ‘my Liam’.
“And she really seemed to have it all, which to me made what happened even more heartbreaking.”
Richardson and Neeson met in 1993 during work together on a Broadway production Anna Christie. They married a year later and had two sons together.
Recalling the tragedy of losing his wife, Neeson said: “They say the hardest thing in the world is losing someone you love. My wife died unexpectedly. She brought me so much joy.
“We have to stop and be thankful for our spouses. Because, one day, when you look up from your phone, they won’t be there anymore. What I truly learned most of all is, live and love every day like it’s your last. Because, one day, it will be.”
Neeson suffered fresh heartbreak earlier this year, following the death of his mother, Katherine, while much of the world was still in lockdown.
The restrictions meant he was reportedly unable to return home to Ballymena to attend her funeral.
