Viggo Mortensen says it was 'unfair' to label him as racist after N-word controversy

Actor Viggo Mortensen says it was "unfair" to him being labelled as racist in the aftermath of his N-word controversy and believes it was "damaging".

The 60-year-old had come under fire on social media for using the N-word during a panel discussion after the screening of his upcoming feature "Green Book", which also features Oscar winner Mahershala Ali.

According to Indiewire, in an interview with France 24, Mortensen, who has since apologised for using the derogatory term, explained his usage of the word and the context in which he used it.

"I would like to say that how it has been explained, that I was simply saying the N-word is not used anymore, that's not what I was saying. What I was saying was that just because people don't say that word anymore, it doesn't mean they don't still harbour discrimination and racism inside of themselves," the actor said.

"Racism tends to evolve and change its vocabulary, its face. That doesn't mean it has disappeared. We always need to be on guard. That's what I was saying. The full context," he added.

The "Captain Fantastic" actor said it was "regrettable" that no context was given by the person who broke the news on Twitter about Mortensen using the N-word.

"One person tweeted I said that word and the room went silent. The room did not go silent. There was no context given, and that's regrettable. It's a serious thing to throw around. To accuse someone of being racist without giving context of what they were talking about, that's not only unfair to me but it's also damaging to social discourse," he said.

"As the people who were in the room know, the context in which I used the word, which is shocking to people still, especially coming from a white person, it was to talk about the need for each generation to keep working. It does not disappear. We always have to be wary of it. That's what I was talking about," he added.