Liam Neeson responds to backlash over anti-vax documentary

Liam Neeson is setting the record straight after his involvement in a controversial new documentary raised questions about his stance on vaccines.

The Taken star, 73, narrates Plague of Corruption: 80 Years of Pharmaceutical Corruption Exposed, a film based on the 2021 book by Kent Heckenlively and Judy Mikovits. The documentary pushes vaccine skepticism and includes discredited science, as reported by the investigative outlet Important Context.

The film also features an interview with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the current Secretary of Health and Human Services, who is widely known for his skepticism toward vaccines.

But Neeson's team insists his participation shouldn’t be seen as an endorsement of the film’s message.

"We all recognise that corruption can exist within the pharmaceutical industry, but that should never be conflated with opposition to vaccines," his representative clarified in a statement via Entertainment Weekly. 

"Liam never has been, and is not, anti-vaccination," the statement continued. "He did not shape the film's editorial content, and any questions about its claims or messaging should be directed to the producers."

The Oscar-winning actor's long record with UNICEF backs that up. In 2022, he publicly praised vaccines, saying, "Once a terrifying diagnosis, polio is no longer a threat in most of the world… We need to celebrate this. It is perhaps one of the biggest collective achievements in human history."

Clips from Plague of Corruption circulating online push several disproven claims, including false links between vaccines and autism. Neeson’s narration appears throughout, including a clip where he says, "science has become dangerously politicised."