Fast & The Furious Star Michelle Rodriguez Vociferously Defends Liam Neeson Against Accusations of Racism
John F. Trent
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Fast & The Furious star Michelle Rodriguez vociferously defended her Widows co-star Liam Neeson at the amfAR Gala New York on Wednesday night.
Rodriguez told Vanity Fair, “It’s all f****** bulls***. Liam Neeson is not a racist.”
She continued:
“Dude, have you watched [easyazon_link identifier=”B07HSK38SR” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Widows[/easyazon_link]? His tongue was so far down Viola Davis’s throat. You can’t call him a racist ever. Racists don’t make out with the race that they hate, especially in the way he does with his tongue—so deep down her throat. I don’t care how good of an actor you are. It’s all bullshit. Ignore it. He’s not a racist. He’s a loving man. It’s all lies.”
You can see the scene Rodriguez mentions below:
Neeson came under fire after admitting he drew inspiration from for his upcoming film Cold Pursuit from a moment in his history when he was filled with a primal emotion for revenge. After one of Neeson’s dear friends had told him she had been brutally raped by a black man, he revealed he went to predominantly black neighborhoods hoping he would be attacked in order to unleash his own violence on the would-be attackers.
Neeson would describe just how horrible he viewed his actions, “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.” He would add, “It’s awful. But I did learn a lesson from it, when I eventually thought, ‘What the f*** are you doing,’ you know?”
Lionsgate canceled the premiere to Neeson’s upcoming film Cold Pursuit. Neeson also canceled an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. A number of fans indicated they wanted to cancel the actor, and there have also been people wanting to digitally remove Neeson from the upcoming Men in Black film.
Rodriguez also addressed rumors that indicated she would no longer appear in the Fast & The Furious franchise, noting she wants to read the script for the movie before making a decision.
“I don’t know if I’m coming back. I have to read the script first. Once I read the script, I’ll know. When I read the script—and I hope that it’s inclusive—then I’ll agree to come back or not. My energy is completely directed toward the feminine right now and supporting women. I’ve spent most of my life shooting guns, and hanging out with the boys, and watching them scratch their balls, and smelling protein-mixed farts. And now I’m feeling the poetry and the beauty and the sensuality of women, and the power we bring together. So they need to show more love to the women. I don’t know which direction it’s going to go. But I know that I’m headed in that direction. We’ll see if that all matches.”
Rodriguez will appear in the much anticipated adaptation of of the Japanese manga Gunm or Battle Angel Alita. She will play Gelda in Alita: Battle Angel in director Robert Rodriguez and producer James Cameron’s film. Alita: Battle Angel hits theaters on February 14, 2019.
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