Liam Neeson is one of the most well-recognized actors in Hollywood. He has been part of massive projects like the Taken franchise, Memory, Schindler’s List, The Dark Knight, and Backlight. The actor is also well-known for his diversity as an actor as well as his reign over the action movie genre.
While the Academy Award Nominee has had a successful career in the film industry which has lasted much more than three decades, he has also managed to be in the spotlight for a handful of negative reasons, but not without those to defend him.
Liam Neeson Accused Of Being Racist After Admitting to Wanting To Kill A Black Man
In 2019, Liam Neeson was under fire after he admitted to wanting to kill a black man. The actor mentioned that this hatred came after someone close to him told him that she was r*ped by a person with dark skin. The actor admitted that when this person told him this, their first question was to ask about the race of the person. After learning the answer to this, the actor took some very extreme actions.
“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 [uses air quotes with 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.” He stated.
After this controversial interview, the actor went on to deny any speculations that he was racist, going on to say that he did not take these actions due to the race of the r*pist, stating that he would have done the same thing if the perpetrator was caucasian. He also added that he was trying to show honor to someone close to him and that was being misinterpreted but after those incidents, he did seek help to work out his anger.
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Michelle Rodriguez Defends Liam Neeson Against Racism Allegations
Michelle Rodriguez, who worked with Liam Neeson on their 2018 movie, Widows, came out of the woodwork to defend the star against these allegations. She stated that there was no chance that the actor was racist for the sole reason that he kissed actress Viola Davis in their movie together. She mentioned that the entire situation was stupid in her opinion.
“It’s all f—in’ bulls—. Liam Neeson is not a racist,” Rodriguez told Vanity Fair. “Dude, have you watched ‘Widows’? 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 bulls—. Ignore it. He’s not a racist. He’s a loving man. It’s all lies.”
She mentioned his kiss with Davis due to the passion that was present during the scene, adding that someone who is racist would not make out with a person of the race they hate. She also added that no amount of talent can help you fake chemistry that well so there has to be some truth to it. She ended the conversation by stating that Neeson is a loving, kind man and all claims against him are false.
Source: Variety
