Lionsgate has scrubbed Tuesday night’s red carpet for the New York City premiere of Liam Neeson’s “Cold Pursuit” in the wake of the actor’s racially charged comments.
The studio had no comment but sources said that Lionsgate decided to pull the plug on the carpet due to his revelation in an interview earlier this week with the Independent that was hoping to kill some “black bastard” upon learning his close friend was brutally raped over 40 years ago.
Reps for Neeson were not immediately available to comment.
The actor apologized on Tuesday morning during an appearance on “Good Morning America” for the comments and contended that his comments were taken out of context. “I’m not racist,” he insisted.
“I never felt this before, which was a primal urge to lash out,” he explained to Robin Roberts. “I asked her, ‘Did you know the person? It was a man? His race?’ She said he was a black man. I thought, ‘Ok.’ After that, there were some nights I went out deliberately into black areas in this city, looking to be set upon so that I could unleash physical violence. I did it for maybe four or five times. It really shocked me, this primal urge I had. It shocked me and it hurt me. I did seek help. I went to a priest. I had two very good friends I talked to, and believe it or not — power walking — to get rid of this.”
Lionsgate is launching “Cold Pursuit” in about 2,500 North American locations on Friday. Neeson portrays a snowplower in Colorado who seeks revenge when his son is murdered under mysterious circumstances. The film is a remake of the 2014 Norwegian film “In Order of Disappearance.”
