Liam Neeson isn't afraid to talk about his past—or joke about it either.
In the May 5 episode of Atlanta, titled "New Jazz," the 69-year-old made a guest appearance as himself to address his racism controversy, or as he calls it in the episode, his "transgression." The Taken actor sat down at a bar and had a heart-to-heart with Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry). The name of the bar? Cancel Club. Oh, the irony.
Back in 2019, Neeson told the Independent about how, as a young man, he found out a friend of his had been raped by a Black person, and that he wanted to kill a random Black person as vengeance.
He said he "went up and down areas" carrying a clublike weapon "hoping I'd be approached by somebody–I'm ashamed to say that–and I did it for maybe a week," he said at the time. "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."
At the time, the N.A.A.C.P slammed Neeson's remarks. "It's unfortunate and sick that Liam Neeson would in response to a tragedy simply seek out any black person to murder," Malik Russell, a spokesman for the N.A.A.C.P., told The New York Times. "Pain suffered is not an excuse for racism."
In response to the public outcry, Neeson told Good Morning America, "I'm not a racist."
Rehashing the incident in the Donald Glover-created series, Neeson tells Paper Boi, "You might have read about my transgression. You know, what I said about what I wanted to do to a Black guy, any Black guy, when I was a younger man. A friend of mine had been raped, and I acted out of anger."
"It honestly frightens me," Neeson continues. "I thought people knowing who I once was would make clear who I am, who I've become. But, with all that being said, I am sorry. I apologize if I hurt people."
Paper Boi chimes in saying "I still f––k with Taken" and "it's good to know that you don't hate Black people now." But then things take a turn in a different direction.
Neeson replies: "What? No, no, no, no, I can't stand the lot of you. Now I feel that way because you tried to ruin my career. Didn't succeed, mind you. However, I'm sure it one day I'll get over it. But until then, we are mortal enemies."
Finally, Neeson wraps up by saying he's learned that "the best and worst part about being white is you don't have to learn anything if you don't want to."
Well, on that note: tune into Atlanta every Tuesday on FX.