The fallout for Liam Neeson continues after the actor went public with his decades-old thoughts about killing a black person as a form of revenge.
On Tuesday, the red carpet at the New York premiere for "Cold Pursuit," Neeson's latest film, was scrapped just hours before it was set to take place.
The premiere will still happen, but without red carpet interviews with the stars, the Associated Press reports.
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Neeson's appearance on "Good Morning America" earlier in the day did little to quell the firestorm surrounding his controversial remarks. The Oscar nominee-turned-action star revealed in a recent interview with Britain's The Independent that decades ago, when he returned home from an overseas trip and learned a loved one had been raped, allegedly by a black man, he went looking for revenge.
'I'm not racist': Liam Neeson talks plan to kill black person on 'Good Morning America'
On Tuesday, Neeson described to "GMA" what he called a "primal urge" to lash out at the time.
"After that there were some nights I went out deliberately into black areas in the city looking to be set upon so that I could unleash physical violence," he told interviewer Robin Roberts. "And I did it for, I'd say, maybe four or five times until I caught myself on, and it really shocked me, this primal urge I had. It shocked me, and it hurt me. I did seek help."
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Neeson, now 66, said he was ashamed of his actions and at the time, turned to a priest, two good friends and power walking to work through his issues. "I'm not racist," he said. "This was nearly 40 years ago." He added that discussion about these things is needed because bigotry and racism exist.
"I'm a fairly intelligent guy, that's why it kind of shocked me when I came down to Earth after having these horrible feelings," he added. "Luckily no violence occurred – ever. Thanks be to God."
Roberts responded by saying she gave Neeson credit for coming forward with the story, but emphasized innocent black men could have been killed by his actions.
"I know that you're getting crucified in many ways for saying what you did," she said. "And you're not shying away, you're admitting that it was wrong, you've learned from that, but you have to also understand the pain of a black person hearing what you said."
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