Neeson appeared on Good Morning America to challenge the notion that all publicity is good publicity and sought to clarify comments to he’d made in a previous interview:
“I was trying to show honor, to stand up for my dear friend in this terrible, medieval fashion,” Neeson told Robin Roberts. “I am a fairly intelligent guy and that’s why it kind of shocked me when I came down to Earth after having these horrible feelings.”
This would be all well and good, but the Taken star goes on to say:
“I went out deliberately into black areas in the city, looking to be set upon so I could unleash physical violence. I did it maybe four or five times,” the actor told Roberts. “It shocked me and it hurt me … I did seek help, I went to a priest.”
Well, thank goodness he went to a priest and power walked, right? One big thing that he did clarify that actually helps is that the incident happened 40 years ago. This incident is both better and worse than it initially seemed. Neeson hopes this will be a teachable moment. You can watch the clip below:
ORIGINAL STORY:
While making the press rounds promoting Cold Pursuit, Liam Neeson sat down for an interview with The Independent. During the course of the 17-minute interview, Neeson begins to talk about what makes a person turn to anger, initially describing his character in the movie, but he makes a shocking admission. When a friend of his confessed that she’d been sexually assaulted, Neeson took to the streets with a “cosh” (a thick, heavy stick or bar used as a weapon) seeking revenge.
What’s particularly striking about this admission is the fact that Neeson’s desire for revenge wasn’t localized to the alleged perpetrator, because the alleged victim didn’t know who they were. According to Neeson, the next question he asked was their race.
Armed with a cosh and the supposed knowledge that the attacker was a black male, Neeson walked up and down the streets hoping that a 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.”
Let’s not mince words here: this was more than an impulse or a thought crime. Neeson took substantial steps towards the completion of a hate crime, one that typically involves violence, that is motivated by prejudice on the basis of race. He simply lacked a victim. By his own admission, it took over a week for him to calm down.
Where I get frustrated is in two places. The first is how this explanation came about. “There’s something primal – God forbid you’ve ever had a member of your family hurt under criminal conditions.” Equating violence against a loved one to violence against anyone that looks like the person that supposedly committed the violence is a stretch.
The second source of my irritation is from his defenders, many of whom are accusing those upset at his actions of essentially acting as Pre-crime. Dismissing his racial bias and desire to commit violence based on race out of hand is problematic for obvious reasons. Neeson went out of his way to find out the color of the individual, asking it immediately after he found out the identity was unknown. Afterward, looking for a “black bastard” to exact revenge on.
Lastly, we don’t know if this event was 3 months or 30 years ago. People wanting to commend him for admitting his mistake and move on are discounting that it’s entirely possible that the focus of his racial bias is still there.
The Independent reached out to Lasana Harris, an associate professor of experimental psychology at University College London. Professor Harris describes this incident as potentially having something to do with a pre-existing bias. The Independent is quick to point out that they were speaking in generalities because Neeson’s identity was never revealed, but Harris’ assessment, given Neeson’s line of questioning towards the alleged victim and the language he used, is not far fetched.
Fortunately for Neeson, no murder took place. It is not explained what salved his anger, save time. “It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that.” Indeed, it was. Anger is a natural emotion, particularly under the described circumstances. Zeroing in on an entire population because of that anger isn’t normal.
When describing this story, Neeson gave no names, dates or locations.
What do you think? Do Neeson’s comments shock you at all? Let us know your thoughts down below!
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SOURCE: The Independent
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