Rhianna Benson
§Despite being hired to narrate a documentary questioning the legitimacy of vaccines, Liam Neeson's team insists he's not an 'anti-vaxxer'.
The Irish actor lent his legendary voice to producers of Plague of Corruption, based on the controversial book of the same name authored by former scientist Judy Mikovits. For reference, the ex-researcher is famed for having made a handful of discredited medical claims, including that the Covid-19 pandemic was caused by a bad strain of flu vaccine.
This allegation is one of the many made in the hotly-debated documentary, the executive producer of which, Kent Heckenlively, also served as Mikovits' co-author. Heckenlively also boasts a background of working alongside far-right radio host Alex Jones, the notorious school shooting-denier.
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Anyway, back to Neeson. In the doc, while reading a script, he reads that advocates for vaccinations have demanded 'unconditional submission to our public institutions', adding that 'science has become dangerously politicised'.
Over another scene, he reads of the Coronavirus pandemic: "Thousands of lives were lost, not to the virus, but to the mental anguish brought on by these harsh restrictions."
For narrating their programme Heckenlively gave the 73-year-old a special shout-out on X.
"Liam Neeson for the win," the producer gushed. "Aslan [Neeson's Narnia character] in on our side!"
Understandably, the hotly-debated partnership - and Heckenlively's social media remark - has seen the Taken frontman subjected to mass backlash online, with critics accusing Neeson of being an 'anti-vaxxer'.
In response, however, the father-of-two's team have promptly responded to criticism of his role in the doc, shutting down that he had anything to do with the script given to him.
"We all recognise that corruption can exist within the pharmaceutical industry, but that should never be conflated with opposition to vaccines," a statement given to the Guardian reads. "Liam never has been, and is not, anti-vaccination.
"His extensive work with Unicef underscores his long-held support for global immunisation and public-health initiatives."
The spokesperson added: "He did not shape the film’s editorial content, and any questions about its claims or messaging should be directed to the producers."
The programme also serves to praise Republican leader Donald Trump's health and human services secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
The politician - who recently claimed that people with autism will 'never hold a job or date', alleged a link between circumcision and autism, and pledged to 'eliminate' the cause of the 'autism epidemic' - appears in the doc.
"The big problem with vaccines is that they just aren’t safely tested," RFK Jr insists in one scene, before going on to attack former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director, Anthony Fauci.
The documentary concludes with Neeson reading: "We cannot change the past, but we can demand transparency and accountability for the future. We cannot bring back every loved one we lost, but we can honour their memory by seeking and upholding the truth.
"This is not the end of our story. This is the beginning of a new chapter.”