Iolanthe's Quotable Viggo
24 February 2013 17:57:51A word popped up in an interview recently that got my quotable senses twitching: Renaissance. 'There's that word again', I thought. Viggo has been called a 'Renaissance Man' more times than I've had hot dinners. It's even been in the title of a fair number of interviews by journalists obviously overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff he does. Below is just the tiny tip of the 'Renaissance' Iceberg.
?the very definition of a 21st century Renaissance Man.
Validation for Viggo
Filmstew
Richard Horgan
22 January 2008
As we've reported to you before, Viggo is a very, very colorful character. He's a renaissance man (although he hates it if you call him that)...
Goin' Fishin' with Viggo Mortensen
By Lynn Barker
Teen Hollywood
28 September 2005
Charismatic and with a prolific renaissance spirit...
"I love leading an itinerant life"
By P. S. - translated by Ollie and Zoe
Luz
September 2012
The inveterate actor, whose self-taught, renaissance-man leanings have the reputation of being based on actual talent...
Leave It To Viggo
By Susan Perry
Black Book
1999
To say that Viggo Mortensen is a Renaissance Man would probably be an understatement.
Celebrity Artist - Viggo Mortensen
By Ken Hall
Art & Frame Review
May 2002
"He's a complete Renaissance man. He can do it all, and very well."
Elijah Wood
Mortensen is an artist three times over
Kelly Carter
USA Today
8 February 2002
In real life, actor Viggo Mortensen really has the soul of a renaissance man.
"If I have a day off, I'm not at a Hollywood party. I'm not the type of actor who lives in the press. I'd rather be home in shorts and a T-shirt surrounded by paint brushes, a blank canvas and have a few candles burning as the day fades into the night," he says.
"I think our true occupation as human beings is to learn as much as possible about life and ourselves," he adds. "You find those answers in the quiet moments."
Superstar Viggo's A Serious Soul At Heart
By Cindy Pearlman
Chicago Sun-Times
9 September 2007
...it's not easy being a Renaissance man when you've got hordes of fans, a publicity campaign to support and a family to attend to.
Viggo Mortensen: Hunky star finds an unlikely kindred spirit in David Cronenberg
By Wendy Banks
NOW
8 September 2005
The multi-talented Mortensen, a Renaissance man if ever there was one, needs as many waking hours as he can get to accommodate his cultural activities in the fields of art, poetry and music, not to mention his acting work - he stars in three vastly different films due for release in the next few months.
Viggo Mortensen looks beyond Hollywood
Telegraph.co.uk
25 September 2008
During down time between filming love scenes with Gwyneth Paltrow in "A Perfect Murder," Mortensen kept his leading lady entertained by serenading her with Spanish songs. (His original paintings also made it into the film.) So it's a little surprising when, during the middle of an interview, he singsongs,
"Clap on, clap off."
"Whatever happened to those things?" said Mortensen, 40, laughing. "That was a good commercial. All my references are outdated because I don't watch television anymore. But I remember that one." Mortensen can be forgiven for not watching much TV--the busy Renaissance man just doesn't have the time.
Sensitive Side of Psycho
Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun Times
16 December 1998
Nikolai is flawlessly performed by the ingenious Renaissance man Viggo Mortensen.
Borscht, Baddies, BadAss
Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff
Santa Fe Reporter
3 October 2007
His face is granite, and built on the most imposing jawline in the business since Kirk Douglas, but his eyes are soft and expressive, nervous even. He speaks quietly, often just above a whisper, and over the course of our interview he will convey the impression of a Zen-like renaissance man, a poet, a painter and a musician who fell into acting and could just as easily fall out of it again.
Viggo Mortensen: first Good - and then goodbye?
Kevin Maher
The Times
2 April 2009
The Times
"He's a Renaissance man. He paints, he acts, he writes poetry, you could bounce a quarter off of him and he cooks the way our mothers cook -- from scratch."
Mark Ordesky
Valiant Effort: A Late Substitution, Viggo Mortensen Dived into Rings.
By Irene Lacher
LA Times
21 December 2002
Unlike many actors who essentially play themselves in every role, Viggo Mortensen is developing a reputation for diversity.
The US-born renaissance man has published nine volumes of poetry, is an avid photographer, and his abstract paintings have been hung in galleries worldwide. Then there's his discography - 15 or so albums, generally of ambient music, featuring spoken word and poetry.
While some artists with this much output may be driven by ego, there was no trace of it during Mortensen's visit to Sydney yesterday to promote his latest film, Good. "You open one door, then another, then another," he said.
Renaissance Man Mortensen Arrives With Good Advice
By Ian Cuthbertson
The Australian
24 March 2009
"A human always has some secret," he says. "Something we keep for ourselves, something the audience wants to know about. It's what creates the dramatic tension." He pauses to consider his answer, suggesting that no moment is wasted. Every experience on or off screen will probably surface in a new character, piece of music or poem. Probably while riding a horse. Danny DeVito, it's time to step aside. We have a new renaissance man.
The Renaissance Man
Colin Fraser
SX
8 April 2009
"Viggo is a really nice guy, he's really bright, and he's a bit of a renaissance man. He paints, writes poetry and takes photos and speaks at least three languages. He's very generous and really was involved in this film. He likes to talk about it and make sure we're on the same page. I've enjoyed sharing time with him very much."
Ed Harris
Cannes Film Festival 2005 Press Kit
Viggo speaks softly. He's especially reluctant to speak about himself. In fact, most information about the mega-star in his bulky press packet comes from colleagues or from journalists' observations during time spent with the Hollywood hunk whom most term a 'Renaissance Man.' This humble being of limitless interests is not reluctant, however, to reflect on his experiences, his passions or his observations of the world around him.
A Visit With Viggo
By Marianne Love
Sandpoint magazine Winter Edition
2004
This 44-year-old renaissance man, whom I encounter while he's pacing a hotel suite pondering various eating options, isn't just unaware of or indifferent to his appeal; he seems truly baffled by it.
Super Natural
Anna David
Daily Telegraph
30 November 2002
Q: Poet, musician, painter, photographer. Do you feel like a Renaissance man, or is it better not to exaggerate?
A: Better not to. I think I'm a restless guy. And not much more
"When I wake up I think of death"
By Karmentxu Marín - translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
El Pais
9 September 2012
As always, you will find all previous Quotables here in our Webpages.
© Viggo-Works/Iolanthe. Images © St. Lawrence University.