“In making the point that many people casually used the ‘N’ word at the time in which the movie’s story takes place, in 1962, I…
“In making the point that many people casually used the ‘N’ word at the time in which the movie’s story takes place, in 1962, I used the full word,” the actor said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. Although my intention was to speak strongly against racism, I have no right to even imagine the hurt that is caused by hearing that word in any context, especially from a white man.
“For instance, no one says n— anymore,” Mortensen said.
Dick Schulz, a freelance director who was at the event took to Twitter to report what Mortensen said.
“Was at a screening for #GreenBook—the movie is amazing, but at the Q&A after Viggo Mortensen just dropped the N-word and the oxygen immediately left the room.#movies,” he wrote.
In the replies, other people who were allegedly at the panel reported that Mortensen was rambling and that he was trying to make a point that people should not refer to the “n-word’ as the “n-word.”
“I was in the audience too, Viggo was long-winded, rambling, and just dropped the n-word as something that shouldn’t be said as ‘n-word,’” said a Twitter user with the handle, Club Chalamet. “Totally unexpected and unnecessary. He talked a lot more in follow up questions. They all were pimping the film hard to a voting audience.”
‘Green Book’ star #ViggoMortensen apologizes for using N-word during panel on film: ‘I will not utter it again’ https://t.co/JgidqMAm09 pic.twitter.com/ib14uvp2tf
— Shadow and Act (@shadowandact) November 9,2018
“It was all anyone was talking about when we left the theater,” he said before adding that the actor’s comments did a disservice to the movie. He also revealed that a woman in the audience said: “Don’t Say That” when the actor used the n-word.
