Liam Neeson Denies He’s Racist, After Stating In Interview He Wanted To Kill A Black Man

Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson Denies He’s Racist, After Stating In Interview He Wanted To Kill A Black Man

Actor Liam Neeson is finding his press tour for his upcoming film Cold Pursuit, turning into something he certainly didn’t intend it to. Instead of promoting the film, he’s found himself in the middle of a storm of controversy surrounding comments he made about killing a black man after finding out a close friend was raped by one. To clear things up, Neeson went on Good Morning America and clarified his remarks.

As Cold Pursuit is set to hit theaters on February 8^th, Liam Neeson took a good portion of his time on Good Morning America to address his recent controversy instead of giving the film a final push before its release.

Neeson wanted things clear from the start, saying “I am not a racist,” something that many critics accused him of when the news broke regarding him wanting to kill a black man. He also described the “primal urge” he felt to kill the man that raped his friend.

He continued, describing how he felt at the time:

“I went out deliberately into black areas in the city, looking to be set upon. It shocked me and it hurt me … I did seek help, I went to a priest.”

He further said that “luckily no violence occurred” because he would have probably attacked or killed any black man if he was confronted.

Neeson also explained that had his friend’s rapist been white, he would have searched for a white man with the same anger and intensity:

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

Although the rape of his friend happened 40 years ago, Neeson said his feelings were from very long ago, and that the recent controversy caused him to think about racism.

The Irish actor said that there needs to be a much larger conversation in order to end racism and bigotry:

“We all pretend we’re kind of politically correct. I mean, in this country, it’s the same in my own country too, you sometimes just scratch the surface and you discover this racism and bigotry, and it’s there.”

He also said, “Violence breeds violence. Bigotry breeds bigotry.”

You can check out his interview BELOW:

How do you feel about Liam Neeson’s response? Do you think he’s racist or was he just angry?