NEW YORK - Liam Neeson says violence breeds violence and bigotry breeds bigotry.

The 66-year-old actor appeared Tuesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” one day after he told an interviewer that he had violent thoughts about killing a black person after learning nearly 40 years ago that someone close to him had been raped.

Neeson says he had asked about the race of the attacker, along with other descriptive characteristics.

He says he had a “primal urge to lash out” before he was shocked by his reaction and sought help from a priest and friends.

Neeson says he’s not a racist.

The actor says we need to talk about these things because bigotry and racism exist.

Neeson was promoting his new thriller, “Cold Pursuit.”