The New York celebrity red carpet event on Tuesday for Liam Neeson's new film "Cold Pursuit" has been cancelled in the wake of an interview in which the actor said he wanted to kill a black man in response to the rape of a friend who said her attacker was black.

Movie studio Lionsgate declined to comment but a source familiar with the matter said that a red carpet, where movie stars pose for photos and speak with reporters, would be inappropriate.

The US premiere for the movie, in which Neeson plays a man seeking revenge for his son's killers, still went ahead on Tuesday.

Responding to the backlash his comments had drawn, the 66-year-old Irish star told the U.S. television network ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday that "I'm not a racist."

Neeson said he had learned that society needed to have a larger discussion to end racism and bigotry.