Did Mahershala Ali Really Play The Piano In Green Book?

Mahershala Ali won an Academy Award for playing jazz pianist Don Shirley in 2018’s Green Book, but how real was the piano playing in the movie?

Green Book sees Mahershala Ali portraying real-life pianist Don Shirley, and he does such a convincing job that it’s not clear whether the actor was actually playing the piano in the movie. The 2018 drama follows Italian bouncer Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), who picks up a job driving around the famous pianist. Given their drastically different backgrounds and social statuses, they don’t immediately get along. However, following a long and intense road trip, they learn a lot about each other and understand why they are the way they are, and they form a beautiful and unlikely relationship.

The movie was surprisingly directed by Peter Farrelly, who was previously known for slapstick and vulgar comedies such as Dumb and Dumber and Hall Pass, but it went on to win numerous awards, including the Oscar for Best Picture. In particular, Ali was praised for his performance as Don Shirley in the movie, and it marked his second Academy Award win following his performance in another Best Picture winner, 2016’s Moonlight. Ali was totally deserving of the award for Green Book, and the myriad of scenes of him playing the piano are endlessly entertaining. But was that really him on the keys?

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The Piano Was Actually Played By Kris Bowers

Mahershala Ali’s portrayal of Don Shirley in The Green Book was totally believable, especially during the musical sequences, and while Green Book‘s Best Picture win at the Oscars was controversial, there was nothing scandalous about Ali’s win. However, the actor didn’t play the piano, and Green Book uses clever edits to hide the fact that it isn’t Ali’s fingers hitting the keys. The piano was actually played by Kris Bowers, and it’s his hands that can be seen on the black and white keys. Bowers was Ali’s piano double and the movie’s composer, and he had previously worked with Jay-Z and wrote music for the Netflix series Dear White People.

Technically proficient jazz piano playing is totally different from and a lot more difficult than simply knowing how to play the piano. The pace and rhythms of jazz piano playing are on a whole other level, so it’s hardly surprising that Ali needed a stand-in, as would any actor. While some stars have gone to extreme lengths when it comes to method acting, to work on the level of Shirley or even Bowers requires years of experience.

Ali Worked With Bowers On His Posture

While Mahershala Ali didn’t play the piano in Green Book, the actor did work with Kris Bowers to learn how to look like a piano player and how to mimic piano playing. According to Bowers, the musician spent three whole months with Ali simply working on his posture and mannerisms. The musician explained, “[Mahershala] always said, ‘When you look at a ballet dancer on the subway, you know they’re a ballet dancer by how they’re standing.’ So he wanted to even look like a pianist when he wasn’t at the piano” (via Classic FM). It’s a commitment like this that led to Ali being a two-time Academy Award winner.

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