Liam Neeson Says Horse from Buster Scruggs Remembered Him from Another Film

You know what a horse girl is, dont you? Shes obsessed with horses, and makes sure everyone knows it. She rides them, and adorns her life with the accoutrements of horse care. Being a horse girl is an equine-obsessed state of mind: anyone can do it, really, so long as they put forth the proper effort. And based on the evidence before us, it would appear that Hollywoods most notable horse girl is . . . Liam Neeson.

In a recent interview with Page Six, Neeson revealed that a horse he worked with on one of his latest films, the Coen brothers Western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, remembered him from their work together on a different movie. “You wont believe it,” Neeson said. “Im saying this horse knew me. He actually remembered me from another Western we made a while back.”

How does a horse express that it remembers you? “He whinnied when he saw me. And pawed the ground,” Neeson said. Apparently, the actor was especially good to this horse on the set of their last film. “When we worked together before, I took special care of him. I fed him treats. Gave him apples.”

This isnt the first time Neeson has proven his horse-girl bona fides. Back in 2014, the actor, who lives in New York, rallied against Mayor Bill de Blasio for vowing to ban horse carriages from Central Park. The practice has increasingly been viewed as a form of animal cruelty, and activists have urged the city to replace the carriages with antique-style electric cars.

Now, this is where things get a little tricky. Wouldnt a horse lover like Neeson want to bring an end to the carriage practice? Isnt it less cruel for the horses to live in a stable or on a farm, away from the endless dirt and whir of New York?

If youre Neesons form of horse girl, the answer is a resounding no. The actor maintained his stance against de Blasio, even bringing the debate to Jon Stewart in an episode of The Daily Show. He also wrote an op-ed for The New York Times explaining his stance and outlining his horse-girl origin story: “As a horse lover, I grew up riding and caring for two horses every summer on my aunts small farm in County Armagh, Northern Ireland,” he wrote. “I have continued to enjoy working with horses in a professional context over the years, appearing in a couple of Westerns and what I call cowboys in armor movies. I can appreciate a happy and well-cared-for horse when I see one.”

He detailed the ways in which the Central Park horses are cared for and how their daily schedule is actually good for them, as well as for the carriage drivers who make a living in the profession. He also narrated a video campaign aimed at keeping the carriage tradition alive! Four years later, and horses are still stuck in the city. Neesons work here is done, for now—so he can go ahead and keep building an army of loyal horses, one film set at a time.

Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:Eight Times Christian Bale Totally Transformed for a Movie Role

Velvet Goldmine

Bale morphed into a svelte glam-rock fan, playing a journalist recounting the life and times of Brian Slade (a David Bowie-inspired character played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers).Photo: From Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock.

American Psycho

This was the part that took Bale from promising young star to leading man with range. He bulked up (making his first of many hard-core ripped transformations) to play murderous banker Patrick Bateman, showing off his hard work in the films indelible morning-routine scene.Photo: From ©Lions Gate/Everett Collection.

The Machinist

Perhaps the most famous of all Bale transformations is his role as a sleepless industrial worker in the 2004 film The Machinist. In order to whittle himself down to a startling 120 pounds, he came up with the “absolutely brilliant method of just smoking cigarettes and drinking whiskey to lose weight.” Please dont try this at home.Photo: From © Paramount Classics/Everett Collection.

Batman Begins

Naturally, Bale followed The Machinist by playing bulky billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolans Batman Begins. After whittling his body down, he began working out like crazy, piling on muscle so he could get into real superhero shape.Photo: By Ron Phillips/©Warner Bros./Everett Collection.

The Fighter

In this David O. Russell drama, Bale took on the role of welterweight fighter-turned-lanky crack-cocaine addict Dicky Eklund. He took a different approach from his Machinist days by losing weight without focusing too much on the scale, and letting the makeup team work their magic for the rest. It was this wiry transformation that finally earned Bale his first acting Oscar.Photo: By JoJo Whilden/©Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection.

American Hustle

In order to play con artist Irving Rosenfeld in David O. Russells 1970s-set drama, Bale cut off his hair, grew out his facial hair, and gained about 43 pounds, using the tried-and-true method of eating whatever he wanted. “I ate lots of doughnuts, a whole lot of cheeseburgers, and whatever I could get my hands on,” he once said. His reward? A best-actor Oscar nomination.Photo: By Francois Duhamel/©Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection.

Vice

Heres his latest chilling transformation. In Adam McKays upcoming drama, Bale plays former vice president Dick Cheney. How on Earth did he make this unlikely metamorphosis, to play Cheney at two very different ages? By shaving his head, bleaching his brows, and gaining 40 pounds—and focusing on special exercises that would thicken his neck. Watch the trailer, and shudder in fear.Photo: By Greig Fraser/Annapurna Pictures.PreviousNext

Yohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.