Liam Neeson has admitted he wanted to kill "some 'black bastard'" after a friend of his was raped, saying the thoughts now fill him with horror.

He said the incident happened some time ago.

In the interview, Neeson said that after being told the rapist was black, he "went up and down areas with a cosh (a makeshift weapon) — I'm ashamed to say that— 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 added.

"She would say 'where are you going?', and I would say, I'm just going out for a walk, nothing's wrong."

"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."

Neeson, 66, said the episode taught him a lesson about the "primal need" for revenge.

The actor, who grew up in Northern Ireland during the decades of violence known as the Troubles, said: "I understand that need for revenge, but it just leads to more revenge, to more killing and more killing, and Northern Ireland's proof of that."

Neeson's publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment, The Independent said.

Many social media users expressed their shock at his admission.

I'm a bit confused on the story. Was he looking for THE black man that raped his friend, or just any ol' black man.

“I'll tell you a story, this is true.

“I'm not going to use any names, but I was away, and I came back. And she told me she had been raped.

“But 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 colour were they? She said it was a black person.

“I've gone 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, y'know?

“So that I could... kill him.

“It took me a week, maybe a week and a half, to go through that.

Red carpet cancelled for the Cold Pursuit premiere. I don’t think that’s a wise move at all because it makes it look like Beeson is hiding from the press, but I’m often mystified by how celebrities handle these scandals. He’d be better off tackling it head on.

Neeson: We were doing a press junket and the topic of the film is revenge, it's a dark comedy too, but its base is revenge. And the lady journalist was asking me "How do you tap into that?" and I remembered an incident, nearly 40 years ago, where a very dear friend of mine was brutally raped and I was out of the country, and when I came back she told me about this.

She handled the situation incredibly bravely, but I had never felt this feeling before, which was a primal urge to lash out.

I asked her "Did you know the person?", it was a man... no. "His race?" She said he was a black man. I thought "Okay..." And 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. I did it four, maybe four or five, times until I caught myself and it really shocked me, this primal urge. It shocked me and it hurt me.

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/liam-neeson-racism-interview-good-morning-america-robin-roberts-a8764286.html