Liam Neeson, who is known for his memorable roles in ‘Schindler’s’ List‘, ‘Taken‘ and ‘Cold Pursuit‘, made a revelation in one of his interviews which shocked the world and especially his fans who’re people of color. Many blazoned their opinions on his racist comments all over social media.
Neeson said in a 2019 interview that once he wanted to kill a Black man to avenge a friend who was raped. It became one of the most dreadful stories a person of color could hear from a popular actor with many accolades. Although there were mixed reactions from people regarding this issue, it is to be noted that one must not generalize and get aggressive on the basis of race.
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Liam Neeson Wanted To Kill A “Black Bastard”
The actor faced a massive backlash after telling The Independent that he once roamed the streets with a cosh, wanting to kill a “black bastard” after someone close to him was raped years ago. He also went on to share the same story on ‘Good Morning America‘ hosted by Robin Roberts. He also expressed voluntarily that he started seeking help for his rash thoughts. He said that when he thought about it again, he felt that it was “horrible”.
“There were some nights I went out deliberately into black areas in the city looking to be set upon so that I could unleash physical violence,” said Neeson. “[My response] shocked me and it hurt me. I did seek help. I went to a priest, I aired my confession, I was reared a Catholic. I had two very, very good friends that I talked to. And believe it or not, power-walking helped me. Two hours every day, to get rid of this. I’m not racist. This was nearly 40 years ago.”
Amid the uproar about Neeson’s racism, many wondered if his career would end because of his explosive comments. The actor did appear in some projects post the controversy like ‘Honest Thief‘, ‘The Marksman‘, ‘The Ice Road‘ and ‘Blacklight‘. As of now, there are no updates on what projects Neeson is working on, although, he did admit in one interview that ‘Memory’ would not be his last action film. So, let us be patient for his next big project.
Trevor Noah Explains Why It Racist
Trevor Noah, in one of his favorite break time rituals on his show, was asked what he thought of Liam Neeson’s racist comment. Noah explained, “‘I hope he and people who hear the story understand the gravity of what he’s saying and that is: if you’re not careful, you can have inside of a you a hatred that is encouraged or grown by the society that you live in and you don’t even realize how disgusting that idea is.”
“I think it was cool that he said he looked for help afterwards. I think it was cool that no one bust him and he volunteered that information,” he exclaimed. He also added that Neeson should not have said that he was not racist. He was racist and he should be ashamed of his racist thoughts. Trevor added, “You cannot blame an entire race because a black man has committed a crime.”