In an interview published Monday, Neeson said that after being told the attacker was black, he "went up and down areas with a cosh (stick or truncheon)" hoping a black person "would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him."
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"It took me a week, maybe a week and a half, to go through that," Neeson said.
Many social media users expressed shock at his admission, accusing Neeson of racism.
The Northern Ireland-born actor recounted the story in an interview with The Independent while promoting his new thriller "Cold Pursuit," about a father who seeks violent revenge for his son's death.
He said the incident happened some time ago.
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Neeson, 66, called his reaction "horrible," saying it taught him a lesson about the "primal need" for revenge.
Neeson, 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 didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.