Liam Neeson apologises for 'impulsive recounting' of racist revenge story

The 'Cold Pursuit' actor says he 'missed the point'

FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 file photo, actor Liam Neeson poses for photographers upon his arrival at the premiere of the film 'Hunt For The Wilderpeople' in London. Liam Neeson says he had violent thoughts some time ago about killing a black person after learning that someone close to him had been raped. The Northern Ireland-born actor says that after being told the attacker was black he “went up and down areas with a" stick or truncheon hoping a black person "would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him.” (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, file)
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Actor Liam Neeson on Friday issued an apology for what he called an "impulsive recounting" last month of an incident 40 years ago when he wanted to kill a black man in response to the rape of a friend.

In a statement, Neeson apologised for his "unacceptable thoughts and actions" decades ago, adding that while trying to explain his feelings "I missed the point and hurt many people".

An outcry

The Irish actor caused an outcry in February while promoting his vigilante justice movie Cold Pursuit when he recalled an incident in which a female friend told him she had been raped by a man who was black.

Neeson said in an interview he had walked near pubs with a heavy stick at the time "hoping some 'black [expletive]' would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could ... kill him."

The celebrity red-carpet portion of the New York premiere for Cold Pursuit was subsequently cancelled and the film performed poorly at the box office.

'The impact my words have today'

Neeson, 66, issued his statement on Friday saying he had spent several weeks reflecting on his words and speaking with people who were hurt by them.

"What I failed to realise is that this is not about justifying my anger all those years ago, it is also about the impact my words have today," he said.

"Although the comments I made do not reflect, in any way, my true feelings nor me, they were hurtful and divisive. I profoundly apologise."