Every year there seems to a be an early Oscar front-runner that ends up receiving some backlash (whether you feel it’s warranted or not is your own opinion) before its awards season push. This year, that film is “Green Book.” There are a variety of complaints about the film, from its tone, treatment of racism, and most recently, it’s factual inaccuracies. However, it’s that last topic that Viggo Mortensen would like to challenge.
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A few weeks back, family members of Dr. Don Shirley (the real-life inspiration for Mahershala Ali’s “Green Book” character) issued statements about the film, calling it a “symphony of lies.” They took apart every aspect of the film, from its handling of Dr. Shirley to his relationship with Tony Lipp. And in a new interview with Variety, Mortensen, who plays Lipp in the film, defends “Green Book” and says the criticism is unfair.
“[Writer] Nick Vallelonga has shown admirable restraint in the face of some accusations and some claims – including from a couple of family members – that have been unjustified, uncorroborated and basically unfair, that have been countered by other people who knew Doc Shirley well,” Mortensen said. “There is evidence that there was not the connection that [the family members] claimed there was with him, and perhaps there’s some resentment.”
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Also coming to the film’s defense is director Peter Farrelly, who was targeted by the Shirley family in the aforementioned interview. “I’m very disappointed by that. I wish they were, and they have a right to their opinion, but when we went down that road, we looked into the heirs of Don Shirley, and unfortunately it wasn’t the family. The heirs were friends. When we found out about the family, we tried to embrace them, and they’re not having it right now, and it’s very disappointing,” said the filmmaker.
Farrelly continued, “I don’t think it would have changed the movie at all. This is a movie about a two month period in these men’s lives. It’s not about him and his family. It really isn’t.”
It’ll be interesting to see how this controversy affects Oscar voting, as that begins shortly. Either way, it would appear there’s forever going to be a stain on the legacy of Farrelly’s film and how it represents Dr. Don Shirley’s life.