This awards season Lord of the Rings' Viggo Mortensen is receiving tons of praise for his role in Green Book opposite Moonlight Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali. However, the actor's name is also involved in some alleged crude commentary by a New York judge, which has recently led to the jurist's resignation from the court.
Court Justice John W. Hallett has stepped off the bench of LeRay Town after a 15-year term following a complaint from lawyer Terence Brennen, who promoted the 2017 Snowtown Film Festival, where Viggo Mortensen was honored for his work. Brennen filed a complaint in August claiming Hallett said, "You and Viggo Mortensen should get a hotel room and suck each other's dicks."
In a report by New York Post, Terence Brennen also said in his complaint that he was also subjected to Justice Hallett making a oral sex gesture and patting him on the cheek before saying, "There, there little boy." The now-former court justice also allegedly described the Snowtown Film Festival as "about the gayest thing I have ever heard."
Four months after the formal written complaint was filed by Terence Brennen, the judge has resigned from his position and agreed to never serve in any judicial capacity again; it should be noted Court Justice Hallett's current term was set to end in 2019.
In a statement, the commission's administrator Robert H. Tembeckjian said that homophobic or anti-LGBTQ remarks should not be in the vocabulary of a judge or in courts, continuing with these words:
Such statements undermine public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary, which demands that a judge be and appear fair-minded and unprejudiced toward all who have business in the courts.
The incident concludes just as Viggo Mortensen has received a Golden Globe nomination for his work on Green Book, where he plays the personal driver to an African-American classical pianist during his tour through America's Deep South. The film also received four other nominations, including for Best Picture and in the supporting category for drama, as Mahershala Ali also received a nod.
When Green Book premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, it was given the distinguished Audience Award, boosting its Oscar potential. More recently the family of the man Mahershala Ali's character is based on, spoke out about not being consulted for the film.
Viggo Mortensen is a 60-year-old actor who has been in the industry since the '80s but notably gained recognition for his portrayal of Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He's also received praise for his role in 2007's Eastern Promises and for 2016's Captain Fantastic. Green Book is still in theaters and an expected frontrunner for awards recognition this year.
