Article Tag: egoless

Captivating interview with Viggo covers Jauja, his preparation and work as an actor, family, Perceval Press, and activism. Interviewer Alice Fisher concludes: "Whether he’s stumbling through a desert looking for life’s answers, bringing his own tea set to an interview or flying across the country for a 20-minute chat, the man knows what he wants.”

The subject is Hidalgo; the interviewer focuses on Viggo Mortensen's modest manner. "Mortensen is a bit like Aragorn, the Lord of the Rings character he imbued with warrior grace and more than a bit of ambivalence. He seems primed for a kingdom. Yet Mortensen doesn't appear to need the glory. He's happy forming alliances. He's comfortable doing the work. He's not quite as at ease promoting the work, or rather himself."

Tom Roston spent two days driving from Montana to Idaho with Viggo Mortensen and his son Henry. The resulting article includes conversations on LOTR, fame, commitment, exhaustion, sex appeal, eating roadkill, and philosophy. "You know, there are freakish and unexpected events that make up our lives. You have to be open to suffering a little."

It was only tabloid gossip, but relatives in Denmark rejoiced when they read that Viggo Mortensen was dating his A Perfect Murder costar Gwyneth Paltrow a few years back. "Maybe she'll make you pay more attention to your own grooming," they told him. Not a chance. The Manhattan-born actor ... prefers painting ... to primping.

Profile of Viggo Mortensen portrays him as a "steel-jawed hunk" who is also an "overall decent human being." A few anecdotes, quotes from co-stars.

In a land without mountains, you have to be happy with the few mountains there are. It can be reflected in a relaxed and well-balanced acceptance of the conditions of things, but it can also – sometimes – be reflected in a “sturm-und-drang”, an attempt to be more than you are. Reaching for the sky […]

A brief, flirty interview about Viggo's "Renaissance Man" qualifications, film career, and the rocky start to his art career. Excerpt: "A couple days ago, I looked at all [my] paintings, and I was like, 'I don't know what these are.' Then it snowballed. 'What kind of actor am I anyway? What kind of father? I mean what a joke. God, I'm such a vain, self-involved creature, and I should just stop making these things and inflicting them on people!' I can see why people jump out of windows."