'I'm not racist': Liam Neeson explains comment on wanting to kill black person after friend's rape

NEW YORK — Liam Neeson made an appearance on "Good Morning America" Tuesday to explain his comments about wanting to carry out revenge after a friend was attacked.

During an interview with the Independent for his upcoming film "Cold Pursuit," which he said is a dark comedy about revenge, he recounted a personal story about contemplating vengeance in the form of physical violence following a friend's rape.

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"She handled the situation of the rape in the most extraordinary way," Neeson told the publication  Monday. "But my immediate reaction was ... did she know who it was? No. What color were they? She said it was a black person."

When he learned the rapist’s race, he said, “I went up and down areas with a cosh (crowbar), hoping I’d be approached by somebody. 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.”

He received criticism online after his statement.

During his appearance on "Good Morning America," he reiterated that the incident occurred more than 40 years ago.

"I went out deliberately into black areas in the city, looking to be set upon so that I could unleash physical violence," he said in the interview with Robin Roberts. "I did it for -- I'd say maybe four or five times until I caught myself on. It shocked me and it hurt me ... I did seek help, I went to a priest. ... Luckily, no violence occurred."

“I’m not racist,” he said. “This was nearly 40 years ago.”

He also said his behavior shocked him and he he sought help from a priest who heard his confession.

When Neeson explained he grew up surrounded by violence in Northern Ireland, Roberts asked, "Would you have had the same reaction if your friend said it was a white male?"

“Oh definitely. If she had said an Irish, or a Scot, or a Brit or a Lithuanian, I know I would have felt the same effect,” said Neeson, who also said he asked about the alleged offender’s height, weight and other characteristics as well. “I was trying to show honor, to stand up for my dear friend in this terrible, medieval fashion.”

He said he feared that he would have lashed out had he come across a black man, and that he hopes his comments will encourage others to talk openly about racism and bigotry.

“We all pretend we’re all, kind of,  you know, politically correct. In this country -- same in my own country too -- you sometimes just scratch the surface and you discover this racism and bigotry and it’s there.”

The full interview can be watched at the "Good Morning America" website.

Cox Media Group