After Liam Neeson Recounts a Shocking Revenge Plan After A Friend Was Sexually Assaulted, Calls to Cancel Liam Neeson Begin

Jorge Arenas |

Feb 4, 2019

Liam Neeson, best known for his work in [easyazon_link identifier=”B07JJ5WH61″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Schindler’s List[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link identifier=”B0026145WK” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Taken[/easyazon_link] as well as playing [easyazon_link identifier=”B01LZYXSQR” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Qui-Gon Jinn[/easyazon_link] in the Star Wars prequels recounted a shocking time when he looked for a “black bastard” to kill after a friend was raped.

The Irish actor recounted the story in an interview with Britain’s The Independent while promoting his upcoming revenge film Cold Pursuit.

Neeson begins by describing his latest character and the “primal” feelings he has, “There’s something primal – God forbid you’ve ever had a member of your family hurt under criminal conditions. I’ll tell you a story. This is true.”

He goes on to recount how he found out about the rape after just returning to Great Britain from a trip overseas. “She handled the situation of the rape in the most extraordinary way.” He continued, “But my immediate reaction was… I asked, did she know who it was? No. ‘What colour were they?’ She said it was a black person.”

Neeson then recalls what he did after discovering the race of the man,

“I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I’d be approached by somebody – I’m ashamed to say that – and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some [Neeson gestures air quotes with his fingers] ‘black bastard’ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could… kill him.”

Liam Neeson then reveals that he even kept his behavior from the woman.

“It took me a week, maybe a week and a half, to go through that. She would say, ‘Where are you going?’ and I would say, ‘I’m just going out for a walk.’ You know? ‘What’s wrong?’ ‘No no, nothing’s wrong.'”

After reflecting on his actions Neeson admits his actions were “horrible.” “It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that. And I’ve never admitted that, and I’m saying it to a journalist. God forbid.”

Neeson continues, “It’s awful. But I did learn a lesson from it, when I eventually thought, ‘What the f*** are you doing,’ you know?”

He would then reflect on his younger days growing up in Norther Ireland in the Troubles. The Troubles was a decade’s long internal conflict between pro-independence Catholics and Protestants who wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom.

“I come from a society – I grew up in Northern Ireland in the Troubles – and, you know, I knew a couple of guys that died on hunger strike, and I had acquaintances who were very caught up in the Troubles, and I understand that need for revenge, but it just leads to more revenge, to more killing and more killing, and Northern Ireland’s proof of that. All this stuff that’s happening in the world, the violence, is proof of that, you know. But that primal need, I understand.”

Neeson would shift the focus of the interview back to Cold Pursuit and the violence portrayed on screen.

“I think audience members live to see [that violence on screen]. They can kind of live vicariously through it. People say, ‘Yeah but violence in films makes people want to go out and kill people.’ I don’t believe that at all. I think the average moviegoer thinks, ‘Yeah, punch him. Punch him.’ And they get a satisfaction out of seeing somebody else enact it, and they leave the theatre and they feel satiated in some way.”

Following The Independent’s story, the Twitter-verse exploded. Many condemned Neeson’s confession of his feelings and his actions. Political reporter for BuzzFeed UK, Hannah Al-Othman was one of the first to chime in:

“But my immediate reaction was I asked, did she know who it was? No. What colour were they? She said it was a black person.”

Not how old were they? How tall were they? You just asked what colour were they? I don’t care how sorry you are, Liam Neeson, that is disgusting. https://t.co/sCDVTBCBIx

— Hannah Al-Othman (@HannahAlOthman) February 4, 2019

Lead game designer for ArenaNet, Jeffifer Scheurle commented that this was what “toxic masculinity” looked like:

This is what white, toxic masculinity looks like.

I am extremely wary of men who are more outraged about the pain of a rape survivor than the victim themselves, especially when reverting to violence.
I’m glad Neeson sees his mistake at least. https://t.co/fj3A5tjEsO

— Jennifer Scheurle (@Gaohmee) February 4, 2019

Others weighed in with their own thoughts on Neeson’s story with people advocating to “cancel Liam Neeson.”

This isn’t about cancel culture. I’m talking about how the pain, violence and anger of white men is channelled towards those racialised as inherently monstrous, and the work put in by interlocutors to explain and contextualise this in such a way as to preserve their humanity.

— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) February 4, 2019

Never thought I’d have to cancel Liam Neeson but… here goes. How he ever thought he could say this without consequence is mind-boggling https://t.co/9YahdMBILq

— Alicia Adejobi (@aliciaadejobi) February 4, 2019

liam neeson has now called the me too movement a “witch hunt,” and completely proven himself to be VIOLENTLY anti-black. cancel him. mute him. whatever you need to do, don’t give him any money or roles.

— ry*n (@drewrgarfield) February 4, 2019

It’s no telling if he did it or not. The scary thing is he dosen’t think it’s racist because it’s justified under some act of nobility. This is the worst trash. Cancel Him https://t.co/3UdL6NtmK6

— Super Power (@PeacefulDiety) February 4, 2019

It is possible to be grateful for someone’s candor and cancel them anyway. Thanks for admitting your tendencies toward racist murder, Liam. And goodbye. https://t.co/MCry6wT2Ik

— Ja’han Jones (@_Jahan) February 4, 2019

Never thought I’d have to cancel Liam Neeson but… here goes. How he ever thought he could say this without consequence is mind-boggling https://t.co/9YahdMBILq

— Alicia Adejobi (@aliciaadejobi) February 4, 2019

Others were willing to recognize that Neeson admitted his behavior was wrong and pushed for forgiveness.

Wait before y’all go on ahead & cancel Liam Neeson, please read the article first.. He legit admitted that his thinking was ignorant & wrong so he corrected it. Is that not what we want people to do? Learn from wrong behavior? Or y’all just wanna ride the cancel train? 🙄 pic.twitter.com/ZnA1nTolKe

— WellTheTruthIs (@truth_well) February 4, 2019

Did you people who want to “cancel” Liam Neeson actually READ that article he put out? No reason to cancel him at all.

— – (@ThatsSoRene) February 4, 2019

If you’re trying to cancel Liam Neeson for a prejudice that he ALREADY acknowledged was wrong years ago, then you’re no different than the people who tried to cancel Kevin Hart for the homophobic comments that he ALREADY acknowledged were wrong years ago.

Sheep mentality 🐑

— MELVILLOUS (@Melvillous) February 4, 2019

As mentioned, the actor has declined to speak about the incident any further. However, that hasn’t stopped people from already painting the actor in a terrible light for his actions and feelings he had decades ago. Actions and feelings he admits were “horrible.”

What do you think? A young man, flashed with anger, is that out of character? Did Liam Nesson do the right thing about discussing his actions he admitted were “awful?”