Liam Neeson has shut down speculation he is against vaccinations after narrating a documentary that questions their legitimacy and includes discredited scientific claims.
The Taken star, 73, has lent his voice to a new film – Plague of Corruption: 80 Years of Pharmaceutical Corruption Exposed – which is based on the 2021 book of the same name by Kent Heckenlively and Judy Mikovits.
The latter is a disgraced former scientist who gained notoriety during the Covid pandemic after claiming the disease was caused by a bad strain of the flu and advised people not to get vaccinated.
Meanwhile her co-author – who also an executive producer on the film – has written books with far-right radio presenter Alex Jones. He was infamously ordered to pay $1.4billion (£1billion) to the families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting after calling it a ‘giant hoax’.
As reported by The Guardian, Heckenlively recently posted on social media: ‘Liam Neeson for the win. Aslan in on our side!’
The publication – which has watched the film – has said it ‘questions the legitimacy of vaccines and praises Donald Trump’s health and human services secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr.’
Meanwhile the film’s director is Michael Mazzola, who has previously been involved with documentaries about UFO conspiracies.
Despite the controversy surrounding the release, representatives for Neeson have denied claims he supports the views shared in the project.
‘We all recognise that corruption can exist within the pharmaceutical industry, but that should never be conflated with opposition to vaccines,’ they shared in a statement to multiple outlets, including The Guardian.
‘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.
‘He did not shape the film’s editorial content, and any questions about its claims or messaging should be directed to the producers.’
In the documentary, one of the lines that Neeson reads says that people who support vaccinations have demanded ‘unconditional submission to our public institutions’ and ‘science has become dangerously politicised’.
Another line also criticises Covid lockdowns, saying: ‘Thousands of lives were lost, not to the virus, but to the mental anguish brought on by these harsh restrictions.’
In a section about Covid vaccines, Neeson references a report that claims they were ‘rushed to market’ and viewed as ‘dangerous experiments’, adding that those responsible ‘continue to evade accountability’.
Meanwhile Kennedy also features, claiming that: ‘The big problem with vaccines is that they just aren’t safely tested.’
The controversial politician – who is the current US secretary of health and human services – has pushed vaccine misinformation and public-health conspiracy theories over the past 20 years.
That includes claiming a connection between vaccines and autism. Despite a recent World Health Organisation report confirming there has been no link found – the film still peddles the theory.
During a sequence that shows politicians praising Kennedy before he speaks, Neeson’s script says: ‘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.’
Meanwhile the film ends with him saying: ‘This is not the end of our story. This is the beginning of a new chapter.”
Neeson’s participation in the documentary comes after he’s previously expressed support for vaccinates in his role as a global ambassador for Unicef.
In 2002 he called them a ‘remarkable human success story’. ‘The conversation about vaccines in recent years has lost sight of how much good they have done for each of us. We need to celebrate this. It is perhaps one of the biggest collective achievements in human history,’ he said at the time.
Since coming to office, Kennedy has cancelled $500million (£376million) in funding for the development of vaccines to counter diseases including the flu and Covid.
He’s also removed the Covid-19 vaccine from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended immunisation schedule for healthy children and pregnant women.
His comments and actions have drawn intense criticism from many scientists, who have accused him of spreading damaging – and dangerous – misinformation.
Metro has contacted representatives for Liam Neeson for comment.
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