Liam Neeson looked downcast as he made a rare appearance three months after his shocking comments about seeking vengeance on a black person after the rape of a friend.

The Taken actor, 66, looked almost unrecognisable as he cut a very casual figure during an outing to Central Park with a friend in New York City on Thursday.

Liam tried to keep a low profile in grey tracksuit bottoms which he teamed with two  navy blue hoodies.

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Pictured: Liam Neeson looked downcast as he made a rare appearance three months after his shocking comments about seeking vengeance on a black person after the rape of a friend

The Love Actually star sported an overgrown beard and grey locks, which he tucked underneath in a beige baseball cap, he added a pair of black glasses.

The star, who made his first red carpet appearance since the shocking comments in March, appeared downcast as he stepped out in the American city, chewing on a wooden stick.

His appearance comes after he was branded ‘racist’ following an interview where he said he had spent a week prowling the streets with a cosh to murder a black man 40 years ago, when he learned a loved one had allegedly been raped while he was away.

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Casual: The Taken actor, 66, looked almost unrecognisable as he cut a very casual figure during an outing to Central Park with a friend in New York City on Thursday

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Unrecognisable: Liam tried to keep a low profile in grey tracksuit bottoms which he teamed with two navy blue hoodies

Liam Neeson wanted ‘to kill’ a black person after friend was raped

During a chat with the Independent to promote his new film Cold Pursuit in February, the actor described how he walked the streets looking for a ‘black b*****d’ to kill in a misguided attempt at revenge.

Following a worldwide backlash, Liam appeared on Good Morning America days later to insist he is not a racist and revealed he had sought help from a Catholic priest after the incident.

In Cold Pursuit, it sees the action star take on the role of a father intent on revenge after his son has been killed in a drug feud, with Liam revealing he understands his character’s motivation.

Liam explained: ‘There’s something primal – God forbid you’ve ever had a member of your family hurt under criminal conditions.’

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Low profile: The Love Actually star sported an overgrown beard and grey locks, which he tucked underneath in a beige baseball cap, he added a pair of black glasses

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Friend: Liam finished his look with a pair of grey trainers for his walk and outing to Central Park with a friend

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Rare appearance: The star, who made his first red carpet appearance since the shocking comments in March, appeared downcast as he stepped out, chewing on a wooden stick

He said that after coming home from an overseas trip years ago he was told a loved one, who he does not name, had been raped.

Liam said: ‘She handled the situation of the rape in the most extraordinary way. But my immediate reaction was I asked, did she know who it was? No. What colour were they? She said it was a black person.

‘I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I’d be… approached by somebody – I’m ashamed to say that – and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some “black b******d” would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him.’

He went on: ‘It took me a week, maybe a week and a half, to go through that. She would say, “Where are you going?” and I would say, “I’m just going out for a walk.” You know? “What’s wrong?” “No no, nothing’s wrong.”‘

Neeson says he’s not racist after shocking remarks

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Shocking: His appearance comes after he was branded ‘racist’ following an interview where he said he had spent a week prowling the streets with a cosh to murder a black man 40 years ago, when he learned a loved one had allegedly been raped while he was away

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Interview: During a chat with the Independent to promote his new film Cold Pursuit in February, the actor described how he walked the streets looking for a ‘black b*****d’ to kill in a misguided attempt at revenge

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Apology: Following a worldwide backlash, Liam appeared on Good Morning America days later to insist he is not a racist and revealed he had sought help from a Catholic priest after the incident

Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid clash over Liam Neeson racism row

He admitted it was a ‘horrible’ time and he’s learned a valuable lesson from his ‘awful’ reaction. He added that growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles has given him insight into the ‘primal need for revenge’ and how destructive that can be.

Following Liam’s shock interview and the backlash it received, the actor cancelled his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert while the red carpet premiere for Cold Pursuit in New York was abruptly cancelled, with the star missing the screening.

However, despite the furore over his admission that he once went out looking to kill a black man, his latest film took in millions of dollars in its opening weekend, with footballer John Barnes and stars Michelle Rodriguez and Whoopi Goldberg defending Liam.

When Liam appeared on GMA, he said he ‘understood’ the hurt his words had caused but insisted: ‘I’m not racist, this was 40 years ago. I had a primal urge. I was trying to show honour for a friend I dearly loved, in a medieval fashion’.

Liam Neeson row: Spike Lee admits he wouldn’t cast him now

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New role: In Cold Pursuit, it sees the star take on the role of a father intent on revenge after his son has been killed in a drug feud, with Liam revealing he understands his character’s motivation (pictured in character)

The star, who was later hugged and kissed by black audience members on the Live with Kelly and Ryan show, said he had gone to church when he became ‘scared’ and realised he had wanted to ‘unleash’ murder on a stranger for his friend, who he said died five years ago.

He said: ‘I did seek help. I went to a priest, who heard my confession and also later confided in two friends and would go out power-walking for two hours a day to get this [anger] out of me.’

GMA host Robins Roberts asked him if he ‘understood the pain of a black person’ hearing his words, he replied: ‘Absolutely, you’re absolutely right.

‘And at the time, even though this was nearly 40 years ago, I didn’t think about that. It was this primal hatred, I guess, that really shocked me, when I eventually came down to earth and saw what I was doing, looking for a fight.’

Liam Neeson: I went to priest over ‘primal urge for revenge’

When asked how he would feel if his unnamed friend’s attacker was white he said: ‘If he was Irish, a Scot or Brit or a Lithuanian. I know I would have had the same reaction.’

Liam has also since apologised for his ‘black b*****d’ rape revenge comments and claimed it doesn’t represent who he is as a person in an official statement.

Following weeks of mounting controversy, the 66-year-old actor revealed that he is ‘profoundly’ sorry for his shocking comments about seeking vengeance on a black person after the rape of a friend.

The Taken star said that the event ‘ignited irrational thoughts’ and admitted that he completely missed the mark with his opinion.

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GMA: When Liam appeared on GMA, he said he ‘understood’ the hurt his words had caused but insisted: ‘I’m not racist, this was 40 years ago. I had a primal urge.’