Actor Liam Neeson once wanted to kill a 'black bastard'
What's the story
Liam Neeson is a Hollywood veteran who is famous for revenge movies like Taken. Suffices it to say that the actor boasts of a 'set of skills' that makes him perfect for these parts. However, our gruff-voiced star from Ireland revealed a story of his own desire for revenge driven by racism, during an interview, which is pretty shocking. Read what he said, here.
Interview
In an interview while promoting film, Neeson revealed shocking story
Neeson, who is on a tour promoting his recent film Cold Pursuit, said this while interviewing with The Independent. The 66-year-old Schindler's List actor revealed his 'awful' story of how he had once taken to the streets in the hope of killing a man who had sexually assaulted one of his friends. Notably, Neeson mentioned wanting to kill a black man.
Motivation
Neeson's desire for revenge was motivated by racism
Neeson further said that once his friend described the assailant's color as black, he "went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I'd be approached by somebody". His hope wasn't so much as to find the assailant but to be approached by any black person, so he could kill him. Neeson added that he was ashamed of the way he behaved that time.
Quote
Neeson, ashamed, admits that his behavior was bloodthirsty
Neeson continued, saying, "I'm ashamed to say that - and I did it for maybe a week, 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".
Opinion
Neeson realized he was wrong and admitted to the mistake
Thankfully, the actor realized the errors of his ways and was ashamed of the 'awful' way he was thinking. He further stated that revenge "just leads to more revenge, to more killing and more killing". Although harboring racist thoughts while seeking revenge is certainly problematic, it is noteworthy that Neeson has grown out of it and seems genuinely apologetic about his past flaw.