Actor Liam Neeson has stepped back into the spotlight for the first time since the death of his wife, British actress Natasha Richardson.

Neeson, 57, appeared on the red carpet in New York for a screening of his latest film, Five Minutes of Heaven.

Publicists had previously told members of the press that all personal questions were strictly off-limits.

Richardson died in March after falling during a skiing lesson and suffering a head injury. She was 45.

Paramilitary group

She and Neeson, who was nominated for a best actor Oscar in 1994 for his role in Schindler’s List, have two children.

When asked by a journalist what his version of heaven would be, Neeson said it was being with his boys, adding that he was “kind of living it at the moment”.

In Five Minutes of Heaven, Neeson plays a former member of an outlawed Northern Ireland paramilitary group who is haunted by memories of murder.

The film, which had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, also stars fellow Northern Irish actor James Nesbitt.

It was shown on BBC Two in April, and opens in selected US cinemas later this month.