Liam Neeson is a renowned Irish actor whose illustrious career has made a lasting impression on the  Hollywood movie industry. Neeson has a wide range of box office successes, and his amazing performances have captured viewers all around the globe.

Neeson’s range as an actor knows no bounds, from the violent and action-packed Taken trilogy to his tender role in Love Actually and his iconic performance in Star Wars and Batman Begins.

Liam Neeson
However, it was his iconic portrayal of Oskar Schindler in Schindler’s List that secured his position as one of Hollywood’s most talented actors and brought him the prestigious Academy Award. But even a great actor like him has his share of controversy. A few years ago, Neeson’s reaction to the r*pe of a close friend brought him into the public eye.

Liam Neeson recalled how he reacted to the r*pe of a close friend

Famous actor Liam Neeson recounted an upsetting event from his life in a controversial interview. Neeson talked about how he once reacted to the r*pe of a woman he knew well while promoting his movie Cold Pursuit, in which he played a vengeful father seeking justice for his son’s murder.

Neeson said that his initial response was one of rage and a desire for payback. As a mistaken form of revenge after the victim revealed that her attacker was black, Neeson confessed to spending days outside a bar in the hopes of confronting and harming a random “black b**tard”. Neeson expressed guilt and said it was an awful mistake that he profoundly regrets when he thought back on this troubling incident.

 

Liam Neeson
Even though he acknowledged regretting his actions from the past, his candid interview received a lot of backlash. Many individuals had voiced their concerns over his words, pointing out that he had extremely worrisome beliefs that support racial stereotypes and violence, and that his wish to kill someone purely because of their race is one of those attitudes. Even the $60 million rich director Spike Lee was prompted to criticize Neeson because of his remarks.

Spike Lee’s comments regarding the Liam Neeson controversy

The renowned director Spike Lee had commented on Liam Neeson’s controversial comments about desiring revenge on a black person after learning of his friend’s r*pe. Neeson’s actions puzzled Lee, who said he doesn’t get the motivation behind the actor’s comments.  Lee also disclosed that he had originally thought about hiring Liam Neeson for a movie but has since changed his mind saying “I don’t think I’ll be going back to him” citing the actor is getting older and the subsequent backlash as reasons.
Spike Lee
Spike Lee emphasized the confusing nature of the topic during an appearance on The Andrew Marr Show, describing the world that we live in as “crazy” and “bizarre.” Given that the actor was promoting a film about revenge, Lee questioned whether Neeson’s remarks could be interpreted as a type of confession since the actor is Catholic. Lee, who is renowned for his unique vision and culturally relevant movies, didn’t hold back when it came to expressing his opinions and highlighting how such words had an adverse effect on all parties concerned.