Liam Neeson has found himself in hot water with some Christians for his remarks in a recent interview. Neeson, who voices Aslan the lion in the popular Narnia movies — based on C.S. Lewis books with a widely recognized, "unapologetic Christian message" — said that "Aslan symbolises a Christ-like figure but he also symbolises for me Mohammed, Buddha, and all the great spiritual leaders and prophets over the centuries." With the third Narnia movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, hitting theaters today, Christian groups are taking issue. Did Neeson cross a line? (Watch Liam Neeson discuss making Narnia)
Yes, Neeson's statement was ill-advised: "I like Liam Neeson, so let me just say... damn," says John Nolte at Big Hollywood. The actor, "puffed up with his own importance," is attacking "the very heart of the series" — and turning away the Christian audience for the film. "I don't want to see some goofy, multi-cultural, politically correct fantasy movie... I want to see a Christian movie, a movie that honors and respects my beliefs and affirms them."
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