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Buzz Feed
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Liam Neeson's 2019 Racism Controversy Explained
As you've probably noticed, Northern Irish actor Liam Neeson has been dominating the headlines over the last couple of weeks due to his reported romance with his The Naked Gun co-star Pamela Anderson. Pretty much all of the discourse surrounding this new celebrity relationship has been overwhelmingly positive, with many people sharing their joy at Liam and Pamela finding one another. But amid all of this, Liam's widely forgotten racism controversy from 2019 has resurfaced, with some social media users expressing their confusion over how this has been overlooked by the general public. Quote-tweeting a popular post about Liam and Pamela's romance that read: 'Can't think of two public people more deserving of private happiness given all they've both been through,' another X user wrote: 'I must be the only person that remembers Liam Neeson admitting he walked around for a week with a 'cosh' looking for a random black man to attack.''Remember when Liam Neeson said he just wanted to kill the first black person he saw because his friend was assaulted by one,' another tweeted in response to the somebody else wrote: 'Liam Neeson is propaganda I'm not falling for, I remember him saying he went outside looking for black people to kill 😭😭😭😭'So, here's a full recap of the controversy, which started in February 2019 when Liam sat down with the Independent in the middle of the promo tour for his movie Cold Pursuit. '[Liam] is about to recount a disturbing incident from his past, a confession that he's never made before,' the profile begins. 'It will involve how he learnt about the rape of someone close to him many years ago, how he roamed the streets for a week afterwards carrying with him a cosh and brutal, racist thoughts, and how this taught him that violence and revenge do not work.' And Liam was discussing his character in the movie when he made the decision to share a troubling anecdote from his real life. He told the publication: 'There's something primal — God forbid you've ever had a member of your family hurt under criminal conditions… I'll tell you a story. This is true.'He then recalled coming back from a trip overseas 'some time ago' and learning that one of his friends had been raped. Liam said: 'She handled the situation of the rape in the most extraordinary way. But my immediate reaction was… I asked, did she know who it was? No. What color were they? She said it was a Black person.' '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 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 went on. 'It took me a week, maybe a week and a half, to go through that,' Liam added at the time: 'She would say: 'Where are you going?' and I would say: 'I'm just going out for a walk.' You know? 'What's wrong?' 'No, no, nothing's wrong.'''It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that,' he concluded. 'And I've never admitted that, and I'm saying it to a journalist. God forbid… It's awful… But I did learn a lesson from it, when I eventually thought, 'What the fuck are you doing,' you know?' The following month, Liam issued an apology for what he described as an 'impulsive recounting' of an incident from decades ago. In a statement, he said: 'Over the last several weeks, I have reflected on and spoken to a variety of people who were hurt by my impulsive recounting of a brutal rape of a dear female friend nearly 40 years ago and my unacceptable thoughts and actions at that time in response to this crime.' 'The horror of what happened to my friend ignited irrational thoughts that do not represent the person I am,' the statement continued. 'In trying to explain those feelings today, I missed the point and hurt many people at a time when language is so often weaponized and an entire community of innocent people are targeted in acts of rage.''What I failed to realize is that this is not about justifying my anger all those years ago, it is also about the impact my words have today,' Liam added. 'I was wrong to do what I did. I recognize that, although the comments I made do not reflect, in any way, my true feelings nor me, they were hurtful and divisive. I profoundly apologize.' In May 2022, more than three years after the interview, Liam shocked people when he addressed the controversy during a cameo appearance in the Donald Glover TV series Atlanta. In the episode 'New Jazz,' Brian Tyree Henry's character 'Paper Boi' meets Liam, who is playing himself, at a bar called Cancel Club. In the scene, Liam says: "You may have heard about my transgression.' He then recounts what happened in 2019, before saying of his past actions: 'I acted out of anger. I look back now, and it honestly frightens me. I thought people knowing who I once was made clearer who I am, who I have become… But with all that being said, I am sorry. I apologize if I hurt people.'Paper Boi then says: 'It's good to know that you don't hate Black people now,' and Liam replies: 'No, no, no, I can't stand the lot of ya… I feel that way because you tried to ruin my career. Didn't succeed, mind you. However, I'm sure one day I will get over it, but until then, we are mortal enemies.' At this point, Paper Boi suggests that Liam hadn't learned his lesson, and Liam agrees: 'Aye. I also learned the best and worst part about being white is you don't have to learn anything if you don't want to.' In April 2023, Donald Glover admitted that Liam was originally reluctant to do the cameo, and turned the role down at to GQ, Donald said that Liam told him he was 'trying to get away' from the racism controversy. He explained: 'When I got in touch with him, Liam poured his heart out. He was like: 'I am embarrassed. I don't know about this. I'm trying to get away from that.'''I was like: 'Man, I'm telling you, this will be funny! And you'll actually get a lot of cream from it because it'll show you're sorry,'' Donald went on, but Liam still rejected the opportunity before eventually being talked round. Liam has not made any public statements about the controversy since the Atlanta episode.
Irish Daily Star
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Star
Liam Neeson says people ‘live vicariously' through his violent movies and love it
Liam Neeson is one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood, so it can be easy to associate him with violence. The 72-year-old actor who grew up in Northern Ireland has played the 'tough guy' role in countless films like Taken and The Commuter. He also starred in the 2019 movie Cold Pursuit where he played Nels Coxman, a quiet snow plow driver who becomes enraged and vengeful when his son is murdered. In the movie, Neeson's character transforms from an upstanding citizen to a coldblooded vigilante. While doing promo for the movie, Neeson discussed his own relationship to violence, both on and off the big screen. Read More Related Articles Melania Trump signals her 'anger' at Trump in humiliating and very public way Read More Related Articles Fears Trump 'rapidly deteriorating' as he falls walking up Air Force One steps The actor discussed how seeing a lot of violence on screen can impact audiences, and responded to accusations that the kind of films he typically stars in, can radicalize people and make them violent. 'I think audience members live to see [that violence on screen],' Neeson told the Independent. 'They can kind of live vicariously through it. People say, 'Yeah but violence in films makes people want to go out and kill people.' I don't believe that at all.' Liam Neeson's best known role is probably in the Taken franchise (Image: film still) 'I think the average moviegoer thinks, 'Yeah, punch him. Punch him,'' Neeson continued. 'And they get a satisfaction out of seeing somebody else enact it, and they leave the theatre and they feel satiated in some way.' Neeson previously admitted that he drew on the experiences he had, growing up 'surrounded by violence' in the north. He was one of four children in a Catholic family in Ballymena, Co Antrim . Though he rarely speaks about it, he has shared snippets of his turbulent teenage years, where he admitted that his friends were caught up in the sectarian violence, some even dying in the 1981 Hunger Strike. Neeson isn't done with violent films anytime soon, though he admitted that he knows his days as an action man are numbered. 'Audiences are innately intelligent and they'll know when you're past your prime in regards to throwing punches and firing guns, but I'm not there yet,' he told the Hollywood Reporter. When the time does come, Neeson doesn't need to worry about what film genre he'll delve into next. Fans hail his historical dramas as some of his best work, including his depiction of Irish revolutionary Michael Collins, and 1993 war film, Schindler's List. For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .
Tom's Guide
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
One of Liam Neeson's most overlooked action-thriller movies is about to leave Prime Video — but you still have time to watch it
Sometimes the simplest ideas on paper are the most successful in practice. Take 2019's 'Cold Pursuit' as an example. This elevator pitch for this action-thriller movie is relatively straightforward: Liam Neeson on a revenge quest in snowy Colorado. And it's just as enjoyable as that premise makes it sound. Liam Neeson's credentials as an action movie star have been well established. Even since featuring in 2008's 'Taken,' the Northern Irishman has gone on to star in more thrillers than I can possibly list here. While some of these have been duds ('The Ice Road,' 'Blacklight'), when Neeson gets behind the wheel of a well-oiled project, the results are usually pretty darn compelling. 'Cold Pursuit' is one such example, and it's currently streaming on Prime Video. However, it won't be sticking around much longer as the movie is set to be removed from the streaming service's library next week, on May 31. That gives you just over a week to watch, and if you've enjoyed Neeson's action output in the past, this is one flick you should make the time to stream. Nels Coxman (Liam Neeson) is a hardworking snowplow driver and valued community member in the ski resort village of Kehoe, Colorado. He lives an honest life with his wife (Laura Dern), but his simple existence is shattered when his beloved son dies, and the circumstances are suspicious. Learning that his son was tangled up with a ruthless drug cartel, led by a psychotic criminal named Viking (Tom Bateman), he sets out on a revenge-fueled mission to put those responsible for this son's death under the ground (or under the ice in this case). As Nels becomes completely consumed by his bloodthirsty mission, he swaps his life of law-abiding for uncompromising vengeance, and finds himself caught in the middle of a deadly turf war between rival gangs. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. 'Cold Pursuit' is actually a remake of a Norwegian movie, 'In Order of Disappearance,' but in a rare move, the original director, Hans Petter Moland, returned to helm this English-language adaptation of his own original work. This gives 'Cold Pursuit' a greater sense of authenticity than some of the more cynical Hollywood reworks of international films. The material doesn't really challenge Neeson. He's done vengeful parent plenty of times in his career, and the whole good-guy-goes-bad shtick falls comfortably in his established wheelhouse. But the thing is, Neeson is such a magnetic presence on screen, and is so well suited to these types of roles, I just never tire of watching him methodically murder very bad men in brutal ways. Viewers who like their action-thrillers to be violent will also get a real kick out of 'Cold Pursuit,' because things get seriously bloody. Some of the kills are wince-inducing, and it most definitely earns its R-rating. A few of Neeson's other action efforts can be accused of being a little sanitized (likely for a more audience-friendly PG-13), but 'Cold Pursuit' is certainly not one of them. 'Cold Pursuit' is also surprisingly playful. This is a movie where you'll see people decapitated and quite literally fed to the fishes, but it has a real humorous streak. Naturally, it's very dark humor on offer here, but it's a mixture of tones that works surprisingly well. The movie's final death is a great example. I won't spoil it here, but it's violent, silly and sort of genius. However, I do wish the movie had made better use of its female cast members. Laura Dern has a supporting role as Nels' wife, and really feels like barely a bit part player. When you have somebody as supremely talented as Laura Dern in your cast, it's a real crime to give her so little to work with. Overall, the biggest appeal of 'Cold Pursuit' is watching Neeson switch from upstanding citizen to ruthless killer, and that's a role that few can do as well as the genre veteran. It's a simple idea, but it's well executed and the movie gives viewers exactly what it promises. As a reminder, 'Cold Pursuit' is set to leave Prime Video on May 31, so if the above has convinced you to add it to your watchlist, but sure to have it very top as you only have a limited time left to enjoy this compelling thriller on the Amazon-owned platform. Meanwhile, if you want some more Prime Video recommendations, here's a guide to the highest-rated movies added to the streaming service this month. If you want an alternative pick also featuring Mr. Neeson, be sure to check out 'In the Land of Saints and Sinners,' which might just be his finest work in the action-thriller genre to date. Watch "Cold Pursuit" on Prime Video until May 31, 2025
