Article Category: Viggo Mortensen

"Poet, photographer, painter and actor, Viggo Mortensen has always had a keen sense of his own worth. Now his role as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings movies has given him the global recognition he craves. Gunnar Rehlin crosses swords with an uncompromising, and in some ways eccentric, actor."

It’s not often an actor buys his co-star. But then again, Viggo Mortensen isn’t your average actor. And come to think of it, the co-star isn’t some hot young filly—it’s a real horse. “I just fell in love with him [on the set of ‘Hidalgo’],” Mortensen says. “He doesn’t live with me [in Venice, Calif.]. […]

Viggo Mortensen talks about his youth and how felt he was affected by it, and about the paths he followed before becoming an actor. He concludes, "We each have only a limited amount of time here. We have to do more with it—pay attention, explore, be open to all of life. Because we have only one chance, we have to make life seem longer than it really is."

Scroll down past the blinking Hollywood Jesus banner and the ads, and you will find an excellent in-depth article interview with Viggo Mortensen on the relationship of Tolkien's work to today's international situation, the artist's right to speak out politically, the great themes of the Lord of the Rings, and the translation from book to film.

A brief discussion with Viggo about how he picks movie projects, what has changed because of the financial success of The Lord of the Rings (not as much as you might think), and of course some comments on foreign policy.

Michael Medved criticizes Viggo Mortensen, John Rhys-Davies, and other actors who make political statements, saying that "controversial off-screen pronouncements color our on-screen perceptions of Aragorn or Gimli, and threaten the perceived—and heroic—unity of the Fellowship of the Ring." If you read this, we suggest you might also find Pastor Greg Wright's response to be of interest.

Article describes Viggo Mortensen's challenging first acting experiences. "When I started taking acting lessons in New York, it was interpretations like that of Renée Falconetti in The Passion of Joan of Arc that I had as my model. It is not surprising that I didn't break through." From there it covers other films, from The Indian Runner to Lord of the Rings.

In this extensive interview, Viggo analyses the development of Aragorn's character through the three Lord of the Rings films, and talks about the exhaustion, sadness and satisfaction that he and his fellow cast members felt at the end of the filming.

In-depth discussion with Viggo Mortensen about the complexity of Tolkien's books, Aragorn and other characters, exhaustion and other aspects of the filming of The Lord of the Rings.

Interview with Viggo Mortensen about the difficulties and rewards of filming The Lord of the Rings, and of his perception of the character of Aragorn. "Aragorn...makes an effort to understand other peoples, and other races. He uses his knowledge about the history and culture of Middle Earth to understand people better, and he doesn't act without thinking." Sounds a lot like Viggo to us.

Long, detailed, personal interview with Viggo Mortensen about the filming of The Lord of the Rings. Lots of wonderful quotes and anecdotes from Viggo and his co-workers. When asked what he is taking away from the marathon filming experience, Viggo answers, "How we treat everyone else and whether we try to be compassionate or merciful is what makes a difference, what makes a community, and, ultimately, what makes society. That's pretty obvious but a lot of people will just say, 'Oh, yeah, that's all very nice.' But what else is there? That's something that this story is trying to tell you; that everybody has to play their part and do what's right. This movie has just strengthened my perceptions and convictions about that."

Extensive interview and article about Viggo's films, art, music, life. Great quotes from Dennis Hopper, Diane Lane, art dealer Robert Mann, and several others Viggo has worked with. Photographs (including cover) by Bruce Weber, plus several from his childhood.

This photo essay, featuring self portraits and other works by Viggo Mortensen, celebrates Mortensen's ability and willingness to "translate [his] dreams and hopes into thoughts, ideas and actions." The author goes on to say that "as an artist he takes the time to look carefully at the world around him. The moments he captures are based on lived experiences."

Brief synopsis of Viggo's virtues, with a few quotes and a nice photo. Poll "Who's Hotter?" indicates that Orlando won over Viggo 57% to 42%. Obviously they weren't asking us. Favorite quote from Viggo: "As long as I have Orlando around, I can sneak away. The girls will go for him every time."

Amusing lament about the ways in which Viggo makes it difficult for "the rest of the male population" to compete for women's attention: "Once, it was not that hard for an ordinary Australian male to appear cultured.... But Viggo has raised the bar. How can we hope to even get near competing with a man who, when invited to address the crowd in New Zealand, starts by speaking flawless Maori. While wearing a UNICEF shirt."

LOS ANGELES — As odd as the connection might seem, there is something about “Lord of the Rings” actor Viggo Mortensen that unearths memories of “Apocalypse Now.” Marlon Brando’s enigmatic, cerebral Col. Kurtz was, as co-star Dennis Hopper says in 1979’s blow-your-mind Vietnam War film, “a poet-warrior in the classic sense.” “The man’s enlarged my […]

"Besides acting, Viggo Mortensen, better known as brave warrior Aragorn in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, also has plenty of passion for poetry, photography and painting."

Topics covered in this thoughtful interview include the filming of The Lord of the Rings, Viggo's Elvish contributions to the films, and the connections between Tolkien, politics, photography and life. "What [The Lord of the Rings] is about, and what the experience of working with these people is about," he says, "is celebrating the idea of fellowship and community, celebrating the effort to find common ground and considering that we really do have a lot more in common with others than not."

Round-table interview focuses on the moral aspects of Aragorn's character, on the philosophical and political implications of the Lord of the Rings, and on the need for dissent. Viggo: "You saw in the Vietnam war, where the government would say things or the media would reinforce that, [saying]: 'Let the congressmen, let the people in government judge the moral course of the country. There were placed there to judge these things. Let them do it.' That’s not what this country is about. This government is a government by the people, for the people."

From 19-Dec-2002 to the end of 2003, Viggo Mortensen lists some of the high and low points from his perspective, in art, films and especially world politics.