Liam Neeson has always been an outspoken character, something which gets the best of us into trouble from time to time.
However, as 2019 heats up he’s found himself right in the thick of it, going on the defensive after admitting that he once fantasised about killing a black person after his close friend was raped.
It’s awkward timing for the star, who this year is having his work in the cinema behemoth Schindler’s List celebrated for its 25th anniversary– a film that deals with the treatment of marginalised people.
Neeson’s admission, which came during an interview with The Independent, said that after hearing of the event he felt that he wanted to kill a “black bastard”…..but such thoughts also filled him with “horror.”
“I went up and down areas with a cosh, 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.”
“It was horrible…and I’ve never admitted that, and I’m saying that to a journalist, God forbid.”
Neeson, who was promoting his new film Cold Pursuit in which revenge is the core theme, went on to say that he thought to himself “what the fuck are you doing?”
“I understand that need for revenge….but it just leads to more killing.”
Check out the trailer for Cold Pursuit below
Despite the good intentions behind the remarks, social media has not taken kindly to Neeson’s comments.
Well, I've seen it all now. Liam Neeson admitted to going around trying to find a black person to kill because someone he was close to got raped by a black person, and the journalist spoke to a psychologist to help contextualise his racism and included it in the article? WILD.
— Elizabeth Pears (@BizPears) February 4, 2019
Liam Neeson being ready to take any Black life over what one person allegedly did just shows how meaningless and inconsequential black lives are to some.
Even him telling the story demonstrates a level of privilege and understating that there may not be repercussions.
— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) February 4, 2019
In the wake of the storm, which included a red carpet event for Cold Pursuit being cancelled, Neeson took to Good Morning America this morning to clarify the comments and also hit out at the “politically correct” side of society that celebrities find themselves accountable to now.
“I’d never felt this…primal urge to lash out,” said Neeson in his interview on TV.
“I did seek help…I went to a priest” said Neeson, going on to emphasise that “I’m not racist…this was nearly 40 years ago…I was brought up in Northern Ireland in The Troubles (characterised by bombings by the IRA)….one Catholic pub would be bombed and then a Protestant pub would be bombed…I grew up surrounded by that.”
Watch Neeson’s interview below
“We all pretend we’re politically correct,” he said when asked about what he wanted people to learn from the event.
“I remember shooting Schindler’s list in Poland…hearing remarks from drivers taking us to the set…thinking “this guy’s an anti-Jew!”
Despite Neeson’s no-doubt well-intentioned discourse, as many are finding out every day if the mob comes at you, there’s nothing you can really do.
Enjoy Neeson threatening a fan by request in a potentially staged skit
