Natasha Richardson's son convinced late actress drew him to Made in Italy

Micheal Richardson is sure his late mother Natasha Richardson 'had a hand' in his casting for new drama Made in Italy.

The 25-year-old stars alongside his real-life dad and Natasha's widower, Liam Neeson, as a father and son struggling with the loss of the family matriarch. Micheal revealed he was drawn to the project because Natasha died in 2009 after a tragic skiing accident.

Neeson brought the script to his son's attention, indicating it would be the perfect project for the pair to tackle together onscreen: "He had this look in his eye," Micheal recalled to Vanity Fair, "He was like, 'I want you to read this.' He didn't say anything else."

Once he finished reading the screenplay, the young actor knew he wanted to jump on board.

"The parallels were so apparent, that it felt like my mum, in a spiritual sense, had a hand in it (bringing the film to them)," he shared.

Micheal, who was just 13 when he lost his mum, also felt Natasha's presence on set, particularly during a pivotal scene with Neeson, when a butterfly flew back and forth between them.

He recently admitted working on the movie with his dad opened them up to really discuss the pain they still harboured over Natasha's passing, but Micheal doubted he would ever fully come to terms with her death.

"I don't, even still, think that I've fully comprehended it, and that seems to be a similar journey to a lot of people I've spoken to," Micheal concluded.