Despite its recent Golden Globe win for Best Comedy, it would appear that the Oscar hopes for “Green Book” are fleeting. This thought comes after a string of recent controversies that seem to be mounting against the Peter Farrelly-directed film. There has been public criticism from the family of the film’s subject, a star’s use of the N-word during a press conference, and the writer’s apparent right-wing, conspiracy theory-filled past. But now, a new controversy has popped up and it might just become the final nail in the “Green Book” coffin.
Yesterday, an article from Newsweek that ran in 1998 resurfaced (courtesy of The Cut), which revealed that Peter Farrelly had a history of exposing his penis to co-workers. This was presented as a joke by the director and his colleagues, but in hindsight is deeply troubling. The part that seems to be gaining the most traction now is when it’s revealed that Farrelly exposed himself to his star Cameron Diaz while during production of “There’s Something About Mary.”
This was the director’s explanation for the Diaz incident:
“Peter interrupts, horrified: ‘No. We did it before she was in.’ So you risked losing a big star by showing her your penis before she was on board? Peter smiles at my foolishness. ‘Of course! That’s what got her in.’”
Here’s how Farrelly described the “joke,” in the same article:
“‘It’s not like I make a habit of just whipping it out and saying, ‘Hey! Look! My cock!’ We do a joke where, it’s like, Bob says, ‘Pete’s been really crazy, he went out and spent $500 on a belt buckle.’ I go, ‘Bob, it’s an investment, it’s not a big deal.’ He says, ‘You’re stupid! $500 on a belt buckle!’ I say it’s not stupid … Finally she says, ‘Let me see it.’ And I lift my shirt and have it…hanging over.”
Upon the resurfacing of this 20-year-old article, the director released a statement that he hopes will calm everyone down and put their minds at ease.
“True. I was an idiot,” he said in a statement (via The Wrap). “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.”
Time will tell whether or not Farrelly’s apology will sway voters, as Oscar season truly begins to heat up. It’ll be interesting to see if “Green Book” is able to avoid yet another controversy and have an as successful night in February as it did this past Sunday.