Liam Neeson's Reaction to Meryl Streep Playing Aslan Is Pure Class

Liam Neeson spent three Narnia films voicing Aslan, so you’d think he’d be the first to know about casting news for the franchise. Turns out, not so much. When a reporter told him Meryl Streep is voicing the lion in Greta Gerwig’s“The Magician’s Nephew,”Neeson’s response was genuinely surprised:“Meryl is playing Jesus Christ?”For anyone rusty on their C.S. Lewis, Aslan is the story’s Christ figure, which makes the casting a bigger deal than your average voice role.

What happened next is why the clip is everywhere. Neeson smiled and said,“Well, if you’re gonna make Christ a lady, nobody better than Meryl.”No shade, no drama, just a veteran actor acknowledging that Streep is, well, Streep. Not everyone shares the chill: some Christian groups have called a female Aslan profane and an attack on the faith. Gerwig, for her part, has cited David Bowie as inspiration and used Led Zeppelin’s“Stairway to Heaven”in the trailer, so she’s clearly swinging big.

“The Magician’s Nephew”arrives in February 2027, which gives us all plenty of time to debate. Does a lion’s voice need to be male for the story to work? Or is the best actor for the job simply the best actor? Tell us where you land in the comments.