"The same day I was offered Witness, I was offered a Shakespeare in the Park production--I think it was Henry V," he recalls. "I made a choice to try something I didn't know much about, which ended up being the right thing, because it was a good story and I got to work with Peter Weir."
History Teacher
By Missy Schwartz
Entertainment Weekly
19 August 2005
"It was Peter Weir who, seeing me, said, "It will be interesting for (the character played by) Alexander Godunov to have this brother who follows him everywhere." And he asked me to stay six weeks instead of one! It was in June and July, it was very hot. As I had little to do, I passed the time in roaming around Pennsylvania on a bicycle I had found. I made friends. I was like Tom Sawyer, and they paid me, and I could watch the crew on set as much as I wanted.
Viggo Mortensen: The Soul of a Warrior
By Juliette Michaud
December 2002
Source: Studio Magazine
That part, which was supposed to be a one-day job, expanded into a speaking role as Alexander Godunov's younger Amish brother.
"I was basically told to shadow him," Mortensen recalled, laughing. "So wherever he went, I followed."
Sensitive Side of Psycho
By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun Times
16 December 1998
[Harrison Ford] was most of all professional. Conscientious. Interesting to study. I had the greats before me: Peter Weir, above all, with his calmness and efficiency. In the evening, when I came back from my wandering, they let me watch the rushes. Witness was an idyllic experience.
Viggo Mortensen: The Soul of a Warrior
By Juliette Michaud
Studio Magazine
December 2002
'He was really into the building-the-barn scene. I was supposed to be handing him tools and he'd say 'Hand me a whatever,' and I didn't know what the hell he was talking about. He probably built most of that barn himself.'
Viggo Mortensen on working with Harrison Ford in Witness
The Hot New 39-Year-Old
by Dennis Hensley
Movieline magazine, 1998
Watching Witness the other day I was reminded again of Viggo Mortensen's immediate star power. He probably had one line in that movie and yet you can't take your eyes off of him.
Sasha Stone
Awards Daily
19 March 2010
Anyone familiar with actor Viggo Mortensen's minuscule role in "Witness" will chuckle at how important he's become to the movie since. Mortensen, known the world wide over now for his heroic roles in the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy, is interviewed as extensively as any of the major stars for the bonus features.
"I wondered what would happen to him," Weir muses about Mortensen.
Witness Special Collector's Edition Review
By Toni Ruberto
The Buffalo News, 9 Sept 2005
