That’s what got me.” Many things in the “Green Book” script appealed to Mortensen. “Things that are difficult to put into one script,” the actor said. “And the movie makes you laugh ...

Before Mahershala Ali read the script for 'Green Book,' he had never heard of Don Shirley, the classical/jazz pianist he portrays in the film. But now, a part of Shirley lives within him.

The script was inspired by historical events, following a black jazz pianist who hires a white driver/bodyguard to drive through the deep South. The musician and the driver use "The Green Book ...