Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson really had us going, didn’t they? While promoting their film The Naked Gun, the two stars convinced the world that their showmance was a real romance. The pair suggested as much in press appearances; famous friends also seemed to confirm that the two actors were seeing each other, as when Andy Cohen congratulated Anderson on her new relationship during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live.
But it wouldn’t last. Shortly after The Naked Gun hit theaters, TMZ reported that Anderson and Neeson’s alleged romance was nothing more than a PR stunt. At the time, Anderson rejected that notion. “I do not and will never feed into PR stunts,” she said while accepting a lifetime achievement award at the Deauville American Film Festival. “That would be a death sentence. I’m authentically driven. I’m superstitious when it comes to love. And I’m not comfortable sharing any shred of my romantic life.”
In a new interview for the cover of People magazine, though, Anderson opened up further about her relationship with the Irish actor. “If you must know, Liam and I were romantically involved for a short while but only after we finished filming,” she said. The 58-year old actor said that she and Neeson spent an “intimate week” together at Neeson’s home in upstate New York. “I had my own room,” she clarified. “Our assistants both came; even family stopped by.”
Anderson added that the 73-year old actor took her out to dinner at a tiny French restaurant where he introduced her as the “future Mrs. Neeson.” The pair also spent time gardening. “I tended to a rose bush overgrown with mint,” she said. “I was happy to help, and he appreciated.”
During their “lost week,” Anderson claims Neeson chased off a bear from the breakfast window in his bathrobe. Then they parted: “We went our separate ways to work on other films.” They reconnected during promotion for The Naked Gun. “We were having fun,” she said, adding that their connection was “a little bit like a Nancy Meyers film”: “I always was laughing when people thought, ‘Oh, that’s a publicity stunt.’ I’m like, ‘A publicity stunt? This is real. We have real feelings.’”
While the feelings may have been real, Anderson maintains that today, she and Neeson are only “best friends, in all honesty.” “I’m sure we’ll always be a part of each other’s lives,” she said.
Original story appeared in VF France.
