Actor says February comments that he wanted to kill a black man after rape of friend, did ‘not reflect’ his true feelings

Irish actor Liam Neeson on Friday issued an apology for what he called an “impulsive recounting” last month of an incident 40 years ago when he wanted to kill a black man in response to the rape of a friend.

In a statement, Neeson apologised for his “unacceptable thoughts and actions” decades ago, adding that while trying to explain his feelings “I missed the point and hurt many people.”

“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,” he said.

The actor caused an outcry in February while promoting his vigilante justice movie Cold Pursuit when he recalled an incident in which a female friend told him she had been raped by a man who was black.

Neeson said in an interview he had walked near pubs with a heavy stick at the time “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.”

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At the time, Neeson denied he was a racist in an interview on US television, saying that he had grown up surrounded by bigotry during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The celebrity red carpet portion of the New York premiere for Cold Pursuit was subsequently canceled and the film performed poorly at the box office.

Neeson, 66, issued his statement on Friday saying he had spent several weeks reflecting on his words and speaking with people who were hurt by them.

“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 weaponised and an entire community of innocent people are targeted in acts of rage.”

Neeson said what he failed to realise “that this is not about justifying my anger all those years ago, it is also about the impact my words have today.”

“Although the comments I made do not reflect, in any way, my true feelings nor me, they were hurtful and divisive. I profoundly apologise.”