Liam Neeson has issued a new apology for his "hurtful and divisive" comments about the time he once set out to murder a random black man. Per Deadline, it reads:
Over the last several weeks, I have reflected on and spoken to a variety of people who were hurt by my impulsive recounting of a brutal rape of a dear female friend nearly 40 years ago and my unacceptable thoughts and actions at that time in response to this crime. The horror of what happened to my friend ignited irrational thoughts that do not represent the person I am. In trying to explain those feelings today, I missed the point and hurt many people at a time when language is so often weaponized and an entire community of innocent people are targeted in acts of rage. What I failed to realize is that this is not about justifying my anger all those years ago, it is also about the impact my words have today. I was wrong to do what I did. I recognize that, although the comments I made do not reflect, in any way, my true feelings nor me, they were hurtful and divisive. I profoundly apologize.
In an interview published by the Independent last month, Neeson recalled a time when he was so consumed with rage that he plotted to take an innocent life. The 66-year-old actor, who was promoting his Cold Pursuit film at the time, told the outlet he wanted to murder some "black bastard" after learning about the brutal rape of his close friend.
"She handled the situation of the rape in the most extraordinary way," Neeson said at the time. "But my immediate reaction was...I asked, did she know who it was? 'No.' What color were they? She said, 'It was a black person.'"
Neeson said that after hearing about his friend's assault, he began to loiter outside of pubs for about a week, waiting to exact revenge on a random black man.
"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 [Neeson gestures air quotes with his fingers] '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 went on to say that he eventually came to his senses before anyone was hurt, and that he quickly learned his lesson.
Shortly after his admission sparked outrage, the actor appeared on Good Morning America to address the controversy, insisting he was "not racist."
