Mahershala Ali met Viggo Mortensen in early 2017, at an industry brunch deep into awards season.
He and I just connected, Ali remembers.
It was special from the jump.
Emily Shur
What were you talking about that made you two click that day?
We got out of the… We were in a corner, and I was like, This is great.
So when Pete said, Im meeting with Mahershala Ali, I said, Hed be amazing.
Emily Shur for EW
But [after they met] Pete said, Ithinkthat was good?
[Farrelly and Ali laugh]
PETER FARRELLY:I was confused!
ALI:I couldnt say, All right, I want to do it, because its a process.
Emily Shur for EW
You gotta get it right.
I told him, Ill talk to you soon.
MORTENSEN:But what does that mean, Ill talk to you soon?
ALI:I had to talk with my wife, and people Im close to.
I knew I wanted to do it.
MORTENSEN:[Points to Farrelly] Buthedidnt know!
FARRELLY:Honestly, I knew if I got them, it would work.
I never doubted it for a second.
Given how toxic racism continues to be, were you ever worried that the movie wasnt serious enough?
Its been called feel-good.[Ed.
note: This interview was conducted before Mortensens use of a racial slur at a recent event.
He hassince apologized.]
FARRELLY:It has a positive, hopeful ending, but feel-good makes it sound squeakier-clean than it is.
[Laughs]
How did you decide when to add comedy?
Did the humor come naturally?
ALI:Things became funnier as we worked on them.
The truth is that this is a quirky situation, and it has levity to it.
FARRELLY:Yeah, I was keeping that in check.
I thought of trying to go for jokes.
Like farm dog
Sorry,whatdog?
Was that a deer or a… farm dog?
And we took out dramatic stuff, too.
The truth is, the tour went for over a year, up to when JFK got assassinated.
Don and Tony went to the funeral!
We had it in the script for weeks, and I just remember not liking it.
It would have been too heavy.
It was fascinating but ruined the flow.
ALI:It takes them out of the car.
MORTENSEN:And it would have been a two-and-a-half hour movie.
ALI:[To Farrelly] Youre gonna use it for the sequel, though, right?
FARRELLY:[Laughs] Yeah.
ALI:OrForest Green Book.
[Mortensen applauds]Lime Green Book.
Whats your biggest takeaway from working on this?
FARRELLY:The whole experience has been special.
When everything falls together like this, I feel unbelievably lucky.
And Pete was so open, the energy was super-positive…. And Viggo, what has stayed with you?
[They all laugh] Im kidding.
Green Bookis in theaters now.
