Liam Neeson under fire for saying he tried to hunt down a 'black bastard' in revenge after someone close to him was raped

Actor Liam Neeson is receiving heavy fire on social media for remarks he made in a recent interview.

In the interview, Neeson discussed his reaction to the news that a black man had sexually assaulted someone close to the actor.

What did he say?

In an interview published Monday, Neeson told The Independent that he walked around in a cloud of rage after discovering a woman close to him had been raped.

During a recent media junket for his latest film, "Cold Pursuit," the award-winning actor said that in the days following the woman's admission about the rape, Neeson carried around a club, hoping that a "black bastard" would attack him so that he could bludgeon them.

Neeson made the remarks about the incident after discussing his character's desire for revenge after his son is killed. He did not reveal who the woman in question was.

"She handled the situation of the rape in the most extraordinary way," Neeson explained. "But my immediate reaction was, 'Did she know who it was?' No. 'What colour were they?' She said it was a black person."

"I went up and down the areas with a cosh, hoping I'd be approached by somebody," he admitted. "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, you know? So that I could kill him."

What else?

Neeson said that he was later disgusted with himself for his reaction and behavior.

"It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that," the actor added. "And I've never admitted that, and I'm saying it to a journalist. God forbid."

He added, "It's awful. But I did learn a lesson from it, when I eventually thought, 'What the f*** are you doing,' you know?"

Neeson went on to explain that a "need for revenge" is understandable, but unnecessary.

"It just leads to more revenge, to more killing and more killing," he said.

"Cold Pursuit" is set to release on Friday in United Kingdom theaters.

(H/T: Daily Mail)