Liam Neeson and Stella Stocker gave photographers at the Toronto International Film Festival plenty to notice when they arrived together for the September 12 premiere of Courteney Cox’s Evil Genius.
The actors walked the red carpet at Roy Thomson Hall holding hands, with Stocker also photographed holding Neeson’s arm before the pair stopped to pose together. Entertainment Weekly and PEOPLE both documented the affectionate appearance.
The outing quickly prompted speculation about whether their connection extends beyond friendship, but neither Neeson nor Stocker has publicly described their relationship as romantic. Representatives for both actors did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment after the TIFF appearance.
They already have a substantial professional connection. Neeson and Stocker have worked together on Memory and Marlowe, and they will soon appear together for a third time in the action thriller The Mongoose.
Neeson and Stocker Arrived at TIFF Hand in Hand
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Neeson, 74, and Stocker coordinated in dark looks for the Evil Genius premiere. He wore a black shirt, leather jacket and jeans, while Stocker chose a sleeveless black cowl neck dress.
The photographs drew attention because the pair did more than simply pose beside one another as costars. They held hands while walking the carpet, and Stocker was also seen with her arm linked through Neeson’s before they joined the larger group of festival guests.
Neeson later posed with Cox and David Harbour, who stars in Evil Genius. The film marks Cox’s feature directing debut and dramatizes the bizarre 2003 Pennsylvania case commonly known as the pizza bomber case.
PEOPLE contacted representatives for both Neeson and Stocker about their appearance but received no comment. Neither actor has otherwise announced a romance, leaving the TIFF photographs as the source of the speculation rather than confirmation from either of them.
Neeson’s Last Confirmed Romance Was With Pamela Anderson
The interest in Neeson’s personal life comes less than a year after Pamela Anderson confirmed that she and her Naked Gun costar had briefly become romantically involved after making the comedy together.
Anderson told PEOPLE that the relationship began only after filming ended and included an “intimate week” at Neeson’s home in upstate New York. She said they spent time gardening, went to dinner and were joined at various points by assistants and family members.
The relationship did not continue once their work schedules took them in different directions. Anderson later described Neeson as a close friend and said she expected them to remain part of each other’s lives, making clear that the romance had ended on good terms.
There has been no reporting connecting Stocker to the end of that relationship. Her history with Neeson instead stretches back through several film projects, years before their TIFF appearance attracted attention.
Neeson and Stocker Are Heading Into Their Third Film Together
Neeson and Stocker first shared the screen in Martin Campbell’s thriller Memory, with Neeson playing assassin Alex Lewis and Stocker appearing as Maya. They later reunited in Neil Jordan’s Marlowe, in which Neeson played private detective Philip Marlowe and Stocker appeared as Hilda.
Their newest collaboration puts Neeson back at the center of an action story. In The Mongoose, he plays Ryan “Fang” Flanagan, a decorated war veteran who is accused of a crime he says he did not commit and flees across the country while his pursuit becomes a televised spectacle.
Stocker plays Helene, while Marisa Tomei, Ving Rhames and Michael Chiklis are also part of the cast. The film was directed by longtime Neeson stunt collaborator Mark Vanselow.
Whatever Neeson and Stocker’s relationship away from the cameras, their professional connection will soon put them back on screen together. Samuel Goldwyn Films has scheduled The Mongoose for a U.S. theatrical release on October 30.