A screenwriter, as well as the director, of Green Book are facing public criticism, one for a 2015 anti-Muslim conspiracy theory tweet, the other for flashing his penis two decades ago.
Nick Vallelonga, who just won a Golden Globe as co-screenwriter on the film, is facing backlash over the anti-Muslim tweet he wrote in 2015.
Meanwhile, Green Book director Peter Farrelly is revisiting earlier scrutiny when The Cut this week published excerpts of a 1998 Newsweek story that described Farrelly exposing his genitals for fun, for which he said he’s sorry and ashamed.
Farrelly shared the screenwriting Golden Globe. Green Book also won Best Motion Picture.
Vallelonga’s tweet was in response to President Donald Trump’s false claims that after 9/11 Muslims cheered in Jersey City as the Twin Towers went down. “I saw it, as you did, possibly on local CBS news,” Vallelonga wrote. “100% correct,” he said on Twitter.
Trump has used the right-wing conspiracy theory to rile up his base, especially at campaign rallies. However, there has never been a credible report supporting these claims.
Vallelonga has since deleted his Twitter account, as various people have pointed out his hypocrisy of supporting an Islamophobic conspiracy theory while writing a movie starring Muslim actor Mahershala Ali. For Green Book, Ali won the Best Actor Golden Globe.
A representative of Vallelonga told IndieWire, “The Twitter account has been deleted…not sure if any comment is actually needed here.”
During his period of flashing, Farrelly and his brother Bobby tricked both film executive Tom Rothman and actress Cameron Diaz, into looking at his penis, according to the story.
In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, Farrelly acknowledged the story was true. “I was an idiot. I did this decades ago and I thought I was being funny and the truth is I’m embarrassed and it makes me cringe now. I’m deeply sorry,” he said.
