Liam Neeson sparked outrage with comments he made in a new interview about walking the streets armed with a club in hopes of killing a “black bastard” after a close friend said she was raped by a black man.
The actor made the stunning confession to The Independent, while promoting his new action film Cold Pursuit.
“I went up and down areas with a cosh (a club), 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,” Neeson told the British paper in an article published Monday.
The Taken star didn’t reveal who was raped, as he recalled asking her to describe the attacker.
“My immediate reaction was,” he said before pausing. “I asked, did she know who it was? No. What colour were they? She said it was a black person.”
Neeson went on to say he became so angry that he wanted revenge.
“There’s something primal — God forbid you’ve ever had a member of your family hurt under criminal conditions,” he stated.
Liam Neeson: ‘I walked the streets with a cosh, hoping I’d be approached by a “black b******” so that I could kill him’ – Listen to his full comments in our exclusive interview https://t.co/jdWzfip1rI pic.twitter.com/Ma14TG8pNj
— The Independent (@Independent) February 4, 2019
The 66-year-old star said he later became ashamed of his behavior.
“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.”
The interviewer said Neeson’s co-star, Tom Bateman, was sitting next to him and replied, “Holy shit.”
“It’s awful,” Neeson admitted. “But I did learn a lesson from it, when I eventually thought, ‘What the f–k are you doing,’ you know?”
Read More: Terry Crews Rips D.L. Hughley for Joking About His Alleged Sexual Assault
The actor, who was born in Northern Ireland, is now facing backlash on social media for his comments, with some fans calling him a “racist,” and others comparing him to a rogue cop.
“Well that’s my love affair with Liam Neeson over with,” one fan tweeted.
Another person wrote, “Yup so Liam Neeson is definitely cancelled.”
Meanwhile, actor and comedian D.L. Hughley tweeted, “Usually when white dudes feel like that they just join the Police Dept!”
You can read more reactions below.
Yup so Liam Neeson is definitely cancelled.
— Faaji Master ?? (@Unkle_K) February 4, 2019
if you recall liam neeson referred to the Me Too movement as a witch hunt so i guess he’s only compelled by stories of sexual assault if he’s able to use them as a front for his violent racist fantasies
— Mary Ellen (@alissacaliente) February 4, 2019
When you see why Liam Neeson is trending pic.twitter.com/CLhTRqzvV3
— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) February 4, 2019
Liam Neeson’s publicist today pic.twitter.com/OZt1bd6jyE
— Gene Park (@GenePark) February 4, 2019
How Black Twitter looking at Liam Neeson right now pic.twitter.com/954ysnx3ck
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) February 4, 2019
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