ABC(NEW YORK) — The New York City premiere of Liam Neeson’s new film, Cold Pursuit, went off as scheduled Tuesday evening, despite earlier reports to the contrary.
However, the red carpet portion of the evening prior to the movie was cancelled, ABC News has confirmed.
The cancellation came amid Neeson’s comments during an interview with the British paper The Independent that he wanted to “unleash physical violence” against black men after a close friend revealed she had been brutally raped by one decades ago.
Neeson clarified his remarks to Good Morning America‘s Robin Roberts on Tuesday, insisting that he’s “not a racist,” adding that if his friend has said her attacker had been white, or Scottish, or any other ethnicity, he would have searched for someone who fit that description.
He also told Roberts that the lesson he wants people to take away from the controversial statements is that he learned, “Violence begets violence. Bigotry begets bigotry.”
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