Advertisement

Liam Neeson denies charges of racism after controversial interview

Click to play video: 'Liam Neeson under fire for comments saying he wanted revenge on a black man after his friend was raped'
Liam Neeson under fire for comments saying he wanted revenge on a black man after his friend was raped
WATCH: Liam Neeson is under fire for comments saying he wanted revenge on a black man after his friend was raped. – Feb 4, 2019

NOTE: This article contains graphic language that readers might consider offensive. Please read at your own discretion.

UPDATE: Speaking on Good Morning America on Tuesday, Liam Neeson denied any charges of racism after his jaw-dropping interview with British publication The Independent (full details are below, in the original story).

“I’m not racist,” said a straight-faced Neeson to host Robin Roberts.

“If she had said an Irish or a Scot or a Brit or a Lithuanian I would — I know I would — have had the same effect,” he said. “I was trying to show honour, to stand up for my dear friend in this terribly medieval fashion.”

“It shocked me and it hurt me,” he continued. “I did seek help.”

He also added that he went power walking to work through his anger, as well as attending confession.

Story continues below advertisement

ORIGINAL STORY:

Beloved actor Liam Neeson is taking heat from fans and the internet at large after a bizarre interview with U.K. publication The Independent.

In the interview, Neeson talked about his upcoming movie Cold Pursuit, and how he understood the motivation of his leading character, who is avenging the murder of his son. (Neeson has also famously starred in the movie franchise Taken, where he’s on the hunt for his kidnapped daughter, and many other revenge thrillers.)

READ MORE: Kristoff St. John dead: ‘Young & the Restless’ star dies at 52

Neeson, 66, tapped into his character’s desire for payback by recalling old emotions he has apparently had since a friend of his was allegedly raped by a “black person” many years ago.

Story continues below advertisement

“God forbid you’ve ever had a member of your family hurt under criminal conditions,” he said, before retelling the story of when he discovered a female friend had been raped.

“She handled the situation of the rape in the most extraordinary way, but my immediate reaction was … I asked, did she know who it was? No. What colour were they? She said it was a black person,” he described. “I went up and down areas with a cosh [a stick or bar used for bludgeoning], hoping I’d be approached by somebody — I’m ashamed to say that — and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some black bastard would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could … kill him.”

READ MORE: ‘Toy Story 4’ trailer — Buzz Lightyear and Woody are back for another adventure

Looking back, Neeson claims, he’s ashamed that he ever thought along those lines, and said he’s learned a “lesson.”

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that,” he said. “And I’ve never admitted that, and I’m saying it to a journalist. God forbid.”

“It’s awful,” he continued, his voice reportedly “trembling.”

“But I did learn a lesson from it, when I eventually thought, ‘What the f**k are you doing?'”

Story continues below advertisement

Neeson never revealed the name of the alleged rape victim. Independent interviewer Clémence Michallon requested a follow-up interview with Neeson to elaborate further on the story, but the Oscar-nominated actor declined.

READ MORE: ‘Avengers: Endgame’ trailer — The remaining superheroes assemble

“As Neeson said, the story has now been told for the first time,” she wrote at the end of her article. “Perhaps that’s enough.”

The publication posted a companion op-ed piece concurrently to help provide context to Neeson’s story and analyze what it means to society at large.

Fans took to Twitter to chide the actor, and some made jokes about the end of Neeson’s career.

https://twitter.com/NeferKira/status/1092424355290771456

Story continues below advertisement

Story continues below advertisement

https://twitter.com/deathactually_/status/1092465354448822272

Story continues below advertisement

As of this writing, Neeson hasn’t spoken publicly about the interview or his comments.

Sponsored content

AdChoices