“The horror of what happened to my friend ignited irrational thoughts that do not represent the person I am,” Neeson continued. “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.”
Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty
Finished Neeson: “I profoundly apologize.”
In an interview withThe Independent at the beginning of February, Neeson recalled how he had sought “revenge” after a female friend of his was raped.
The actor claimed he was walking the streets with a weapon wanting to murder a black man, as that was the race of her attacker. He admitted he wasn’t searching for the attacker specifically, however.
“It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that,” Neeson told theIndependent.
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The topic from Neeson’s past came up during the interview with the British publication while the actor was discussing vengeance, the subject of many of his recent films includingCold Pursuit —his newest movie in which he plays a character seeking retribution for the death of his son.
While recalling the rape of his close friend in the interview, Neeson explained how it drove his feelings of rage.
“God forbid you’ve ever had a member of your family hurt under criminal conditions,” he said. “She handled the situation of the rape in the most extraordinary way. 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.”
The Oscar winner also shared that he behaved this way for “a week, maybe a week and a half … [My friend] would say, ‘Where are you going?’ and I would say, ‘I’m just going out for a walk.’ ‘What’s wrong?’ ‘No, no, nothing’s wrong.’ ”
“I’m not a racist,” Neeson said, explaining that the incident in question happened “nearly 40 years ago” and claiming that he “definitely” would have searched for a white man with the same anger if his friend said her attacker had fit that description.
He told Roberts, “If she’d have said an Irish, or a Scott, or a Brit, or a Lithuanian I know [it] would’ve had the same effect.”
“I was trying to show honor, to stand up for my dear friend in this terrible medieval fashion,” Neeson said. “I am a fairly intelligent guy. That’s why it kind of shocked me when I came down to earth after having these terrible feelings. Luckily no violence occurred. I did want to lash out because my friend was brutally raped and I was defending her honor. It was a learning curve.”
Liam Neeson onGMA.Good Morning America/ABC News
Neeson toldGMAthat he addressed his feelings back then in order to understand and change them. “I did seek help. I went to a priest,” he explained.
“Luckily no violence occurred,” Neeson said. “[But] it really shocked me, this primal urge that I had. It shocked me. It hurt me.”
source: people.com
