This past summer, Liam Neeson made headlines when he stepped out looking especially thin — leaving many fans concerned about his sudden and drastic weight loss.

But, in a new interview, the 63-year-old actor explained he recently dropped a significant amount of weight for his latest film role, Silence.

“Martin [Scorsese] wanted us all to look a bit more gaunt, which [costars Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield] did as well,” Liam told [Entertainment Tonight](http://www.etonline.com/news/176189liamneesonexplainshisshockingweightloss/)_ of losing 20 pounds to play a priest in the upcoming flick.

liam neeson

Liam on July 25 (left) and in February 2014 (right).

“I know Adam went to the extreme. He’s an ex-Marine, and when he’s given an order, he follows it through. He was like something out of Auschwitz,” he added. Andrew also took the role very seriously and reportedly dropped nearly 40 pounds for the movie.

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Silence — which is set to hit theaters in 2016 — tells the story of two Jesuit Portuguese priests who face violent persecution when they travel to Japan to seek out their mentor and spread the teachings of Christianity.