Washington, Apr 24 : Irish actor Liam Neeson has been hailed by director Atom Egoyan as `heroic' after he returned to the Canadian set of `Chloe' just days after his wife Natasha Richardson passed away.

Egoyan, 48, revealed that it had been a "harrowing experience" for all involved, and that the only way the 56-year-old actor could have done it was because of the support he got from his loved ones.

"He called me and said, `You know let''s do it right away.' It was really emotional," People magazine quoted Egoyan as telling ET Canada.