Liam Neeson interview: Piers Morgan compares ‘racist’ remarks to ‘Ku Klux Klan stuff’

Piers Morgan has compared Liam Neeson's “racist” comments to the Ku Klux Klan after the actor revealed he once wanted to kill a “black b******” to exact revenge after someone close to him was raped.

Neeson, 66, admitted to carrying a “cosh” for a week in the hope that “some black b****** would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him.”

The Taken actor made the shock admission during an interview with the Independent while promoting his latest film Cold Pursuit, in which he plays a father who turns to anger after the death of his son.

Morgan discussed the “staggeringly racist” comment on Good Morning Britain, and slated Neeson for making the first question he asked his friend about what “colour” the rapist was.

“There’s no self-awareness,” he said. “It’s the indiscriminate nature of this revenge he talks about. He’s talking about any black person who he can find an excuse to kill. It’s like Ku Klux Klan stuff.”

Discussing the reaction on Twitter he said the comments could be career ending for the actor. “I would be very surprised if Liam Neeson’s career is not now in very serious trouble,” he said. “I don’t know how he’ll talk his way out of this. I think he’s got a real problem now.

“You don’t want it to be [career ending] for someone of his stature, but when you actually hear him say this stuff I think there will be fully justified outrage.”

He added: “If I was a black person right now reading this I would not want to see this guy’s movies. Does anybody? It’s so indiscriminate and so racist.”

Morgan interviewed the journalist who conducted the chat with Neeson. She said she didn’t realise the severity of his comments “in the moment” as “it all went very fast”. She said: “You do not go into a movie press junket expecting to hear that story. What I felt immediately was a strong sense of responsibility and duty to tell the story sensitively.”

Neeson said he was “ashamed” of his comments, telling the interviewer: “It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that. 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.”

Several stars condemned Neeson, including author Marian Keyes who said she had been left “mortified”.

Standard Online has contacted Neeson for comment.