×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Tuesday
23
Dec 2025
weather symbol
Athens 16°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Controversial interviews that nearly killed careers

Famous and not-so-famous "Oh, boy" moments in world cinema

Newsroom February 7 10:08

Liam Neeson’s disturbing revelation that he once stalked the streets of Northern Ireland looking for a black person to kill in revenge for his friend’s rape has led to much conversation on social media this week.

Most agree that the admission was – at best – bizarre, with some calling for the confession to be the end of Neeson’s career.

Neeson has since addressed the remarks, saying on Good Morning America: “I’m not racist.”

“I never felt this before, which was a primal urge to lash out,” he explained to host Robin Roberts. “I asked her, ‘Did you know the person? It was a man? His race?’ She said he was a black man. I thought, ‘Ok.’ After that, there were some nights I went out deliberately into black areas in this city, looking to be set upon so that I could unleash physical violence.”

“I did it for maybe four or five times. It really shocked me, this primal urge I had. It shocked me and it hurt me. I did seek help. I went to a priest. I had two very good friends I talked to, and believe it or not – power walking – to get rid of this.”

But Liam Neeson isn’t the first celebrity to say something in an interview that would cause controversy – with several iconic stars making statements they should almost certainly regret.

Sean Connery on slapping women

In 1965, Sean Connery conducted an interview with Playboy magazine, and was asked the following question: ‘How do you feel about roughing up a woman, as Bond sometimes has to do?’

“I don’t think there is anything particularly wrong about hitting a woman – although I don’t recommend doing it in the same way that you’d hit a man. An open-handed slap is justified–if all other alternatives fail and there has been plenty of warning. If a woman is a bitch, or hysterical, or bloody-minded continually, then I’d do it. I think a man has to be slightly advanced, ahead of the woman. I really do–by virtue of the way a man is built, if nothing else.”

“But I wouldn’t call myself sadistic. I think one of the appeals that Bond has for women, however, is that he is decisive, cruel even. By their nature women aren’t decisive–“Shall I wear this? Shall I wear that?”– and along comes a man who is absolutely sure of everything and he’s a godsend. And, of course, Bond is never in love with a girl and that helps. He always does what he wants, and women like that. It explains why so many women are crazy about men who don’t give a crap for them.”

Wow. Clearly, 1965 was a different time – Connery’s career barely experienced a bump, and he went on to make several more Bond movies.

Now, imagine if Daniel Craig said the same thing in 2019, we’re pretty sure that would be the last interview he did as 007. Or as a working actor.

Luckily, Craig is actually a better advocate for women than he is for Bond, saying in 2015 that: “Let’s not forget that he’s actually a misogynist,” Craig said. “A lot of women are drawn to him chiefly because he embodies a certain kind of danger and never sticks around for too long.”

Jeremy Renner and Chris Evans’ on Black Widow

Woah boy. During the press tour for Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner decided to spice up their day of interviews with a couple of edgy jokes. Big mistake.

>Related articles

In Damascus, Fidan and Kalin: Turkey-Syria relations on the table one year after the fall of Assad

Paramount insists on Warner Bros. takeover: $40.4 billion personal guarantee from Larry Ellison

Politico: Despite the war, France will build nuclear fuel in Germany with the help of a Russian company

Asked about the fact that fans want Black Widow to have a romantic subplot with their characters, as she seems to have chemistry with both Captain America and Hawkeye, Renner replied, “She’s a slut.”

Evans laughed and agreed, saying, “I was going to say something along that line … a complete whore.” Renner then joked that “she has a prosthetic leg anyway,” implying that was a reason she should be rejected.

Read more HERE

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#actors#careers#cinema#controversial#film#interviews#Liam Neeson#movies#Sean Connery#world
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

George Petzetakis: Debts in Athens, business and the high life in America despite international warrants

December 23, 2025

The Pentagon “sees” strong nuclear mobility in China: Over 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles have been deployed near Mongolia

December 23, 2025

Exploring the soundscapes of Axios Delta and Lake Orestiada

December 23, 2025

Afroditi Latinopoulou’s interview with Tasos Xiarchos, their dance, the young woman who got flustered, and the remark “For someone who’s gay, you outshine many men”

December 23, 2025

Decrease in container traffic in Piraeus, upward trends in other European ports of COSCO

December 23, 2025

Saks in the shadow of bankruptcy – In a difficult position despite raising billions

December 23, 2025

The world tour of Bofiliou with Haroulis was cancelled

December 23, 2025

Record passenger traffic for Athens International Airport – 34 million passengers by 2025

December 23, 2025
All News

> Economy

Decrease in container traffic in Piraeus, upward trends in other European ports of COSCO

The return of the Suez and Red Sea routes is expected to revive activity at the country's largest port

December 23, 2025

Saks in the shadow of bankruptcy – In a difficult position despite raising billions

December 23, 2025

Properties linked to Jackie O’ Bar Mykonos face foreclosure procedures

December 23, 2025

Property purchases by foreign buyers down 23.9% over nine months

December 23, 2025

Japan to restart the world’s largest nuclear power plant, 15 years after the Fukushima disaster

December 22, 2025
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2025 Πρώτο Θέμα