Quotable Viggo

It’s nearly 2021 (I think we’ll be glad to see the back of 2020) so it’s time for the Annual Quotable Quiz. As always, some are easy and some are tricksy but I know what a clever lot you are! This is just for fun so keep your guesses to yourself and I’ll post the quotes next week that will give you all the answers.



© Getty Images.


1) As a kid, what did Viggo want to be when he grew up?


2) For what did Viggo win the Drama-Logue Critics Award in Los Angeles in 1987?


3) What did the Green Book production team buy him to celebrate his Oscar nomination?


4) In which film did the director prepare Viggo for his role by making him spend time with a Hell’s Angel? And who was the Director?


5) One of the many jobs Viggo had when he was young was at the Winter Olympics. What was he hired to do and did he do it?


6) Viggo stashes his chocolate like what kind of animal?


7) In which film did Viggo play opposite an actor playing one of Viggo’s distant relatives?


8) In March 2003 Viggo took part in a anti-war demonstration outside the White House. Which of his poems did he read to the crowds?


9) Aside from the duck, when he was a kid what animal did Viggo try to take home to show his family?


10) According to Exene Cervenka, what did Viggo keep his early poetry in?


11) For which film did Viggo take on a corporate giant to persuade them to allow their product to be included in the movie?


12) What was Viggo filming when he duetted ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ with his co-star?


13) Which town in Spain did Viggo take to his heart while filming Alatriste?


14) What was the very first role that we know Viggo played?


15) Which actor appearing with Viggo said “we’ve all been Viggo-tized” and which film did they appear together in?


16) In what sport was Viggo beaten by Hobbits?


17) Which actress called Viggo ‘the chocolate crack dealer."


18) Viggo has worked twice with screen-writer John Fusco. Once in Hidalgo and once in…?


19) In what film did Viggo steal a scene from a much-feted actor while ‘never getting out of a chair’?


20) Who did Viggo say were ‘terrible at writing’, but he looked forward to seeing them soon?

Now Falling is appearing in so many more Festivals, it’s finally possible to put together enough quotes for a Review Round-up. So here are the best of them, going chronologically back from this month to last January when the film made its first appearance!



Image Brendan Adam Zwelling.
© HanWay Films/Perceval Pictures.


Viggo Mortensen’s directorial debut Falling is a compelling and carefully written addition to LGBTQ+ cinema. Mortensen’s triple-threat debut - he writes, directs and stars in this touching drama - showcases his versatility in the arts, as well as his understanding of dementia and the importance of its representation in film….
Mortensen’s script does well to dissect and explore the tangled duality of personal liberation and family conservatism - and it is Mortensen’s quest for authenticity within these stories that elevates the messages at the core of the film.

Stephanie Brown
Eye for Film
4 December 2020



…it’s a really valuable work, beautifully edited and shot, with a wonderful performance by the veteran actor Lance Henriksen: a sombre, clear-eyed look at the bitter endgame of dementia. Mortensen takes a determined walk across the hot coals of family pain…

…With some self-effacement, Mortensen has conceded the performer’s alpha prerogative to Henriksen. It’s the right decision: Henriksen’s Willis, in all his self-defeating cantankerous arrogance, is so commanding. But I wondered if Mortensen could or should have shown us more about John, more about what he has gone through to arrive at this strenuously calm, diplomatic unresponsiveness. Could he have broken out more, shown more anger? Either way, this is a very substantial achievement.

Peter Bradshaw
The Guardian
3 December 2020



The biggest shock of Falling, Mortensen’s debut as writer and director, is just how careful, wistful and traditionally dramatic it is. There’s no experimentation, no sense that he’s trying to prove himself as an image maker, or peacocking with unnecessary literary flourishes in the script. This is stripped-back, robust, observational filmmaking that dares to allow a scene to be more than just a container for key information. It also allows characters to exist in that liminal space between antagonism and empathy, rather than packing them off on a formulaic journey from one to the other. To put it more bluntly, Falling is a deeply unfashionable film, but it’s unfashionable in the same way that a Clint Eastwood film is unfashionable – i.e., it still manages to exude a sense of hand-tooled quality.

David Jenkins
Little White Lies
3 November 2020



… Mortensen’s aesthetic style, paired with cinematography from Marcel Zyskind creates an impressive visual blend. There’s an almost ethereal quality in the scenes which capture moments of nature from John’s rural American childhood with a dreamlike quality. A scene featuring older Willis lost and lingering on a beach eventually wading through the water, evokes poignant similarities with a young John sifting through a lake to collect a hunted duck. This and many others make up immaculately thought-out details which showcase Mortensen’s emotionally intellectual approach to writing and directing.

Falling’s impressive showcase in the build-up of years worth of hurt and suppressed issues, paired with impressively crafted emotive characterisation allows Mortensen’s debut to shine. Stellar turns from Henriksen and Mortensen, gentle aesthetics, and blending of past and present narrative strands are just a small number of the debut filmmaker’s successes.

Culture Fix
26 November 2020



Two things are remarkable, really: one is Henriksen’s performance, among his very best in a 60-plus-year career. The other is Mortensen’s seemingly instant aptitude as a filmmaker. He has a clear eye for composition and staging; he’s visually economic but sometimes quite daring; and his script is refreshingly non-linear and rarely goes in the direction you expect. This is not A Dementia Film, as the subject matter might imply, and it offers no easy solutions for difficult questions, or obvious resolutions.

The final few minutes of the film seem to emphasise this, culminating in a coda that’s as surreal and confounding as it is poignant. As an actor, Mortensen has always managed to gently surprise, and it looks like he plans to do so as director, too.

John Nugent
Empire Magazine
30 November 2020



It’s a film missing none of the essential elements—a good script full of dramatic tension; excellent acting; and a close and painful look into aspects of human nature, love, and family.

Far Out
12 October 2020



It's an intense film, well-told, thought out and deeply felt, that delves into painful feelings, the weight of memories, and the complexity of feelings. Mortensen's performance, as always, is believable.

Carlos Boyero
El Pais
24 September 2020



While it's true that Falling is so unrelenting in its negative depiction of Willis that it can feel one-note, that's not necessarily a criticism, as Mortensen wants to relay the terror that those around Willis have to live with. The drama also imagines realities to show Willis's warped state of mind. The performances are strong, with even Mortensen staying on top of his game, despite all the work he did behind the scenes in this debut that has a touch of Clint Eastwood about it.

Kaleem Aftab
cineuropa.org
18 September 2020



Viggo Mortensen’s directorial debut is an earnest family drama etched in jagged memories and an elegant waltz between past and present. His sensitive handling of the material creates a quietly affecting reflection on the ties that bind and provides an unusually juicy role for Lance Henriksen as the belligerent, bile-spewing patriarch…
…Mortensen’s own performance is as understated as the film, making John a dutiful son of almost saintly patience straining every sinew to avoid confrontation. Scenes in which he finally lets rip are all the more effective for his earlier restraint.

Allan Hunter
Screen Daily
10 September 2020



Mortensen’s heart is in the right place; he wants us to understand these characters, as difficult as it might be to do so. With a more conventional director at the helm, Falling could have been reassuring, polished awards bait; instead, it’s something richer and more discomfiting. I’ve been thinking about it a lot since I saw it. So will you.

Norman Wilner
Now Toronto
10 September 2020



The film does a super solid job of balancing the multiple facets of John’s life. Be it his gay marriage, his Mexican speaking daughter, or his time spent serving his country. Rather than belabor any one point over the other, Mortensen peppers in each of these dynamics to perfection while still delivering the importance and power of each of these attributes. That is to say, it’s not a ‘gay’ movie, it’s not a ‘political’ movie, it’s not an ‘Alzheimer’s’ movie. No, it’s a movie about a complicated, quiet, and modern-day life… Mortensen would tell the audience at the film’s closing night Q&A that “there’s no shame, no matter how hard it is, in forgiving and accepting. No matter how much you might hate them. You’ve only got the 1, or the 2. When they are gone, they are gone.”

“Falling” is both a story about a trying child/parent relationship, and it’s a film that you should watch.

Toni Gonzales
Awards Circuit
11 February 2020



Viggo gives a beautifully understated performance here, letting Henriksen (whom it’s nice to see in a really meaty role, again) carry the load and dive into Willis’ damaged psyche, giving a riveting performance, which allows the supporting cast to do just that: support a pair of great actors doing what they do.

Vsmoviepodcast
28 January 2020



As a director, Mortensen doesn't make things easy for himself: We figure that a film like this is headed for some kind of redemption, but Willis seems completely irredeemable for much of the film. But Mortensen is too smart to go for an easy reconciliation, instead exploring shades of resignation and acceptance, particularly in the wake of an argument that can stand as a father/son version of the one in "Marriage Story" — primal and fearsome, it goes to places so dark that all the characters can do afterwards it attempt to crawl out of the wreckage.

"Falling" is a finely drawn character drama, as you might expect from much of Mortensen's acting career, and a film that pays attention to small details that bring these people to life.

Steve Pond
The Wrap
24 January 2020



Having quietly spent years augmenting his acting work with prodigious output in music, poetry and visual arts (not to mention founding a publishing house that champions other artists' work), Viggo Mortensen finally takes the director's chair in Falling, a masterful family drama taking a compassionate view of a father whose faults are impossible to ignore…

…Falling doesn't transform its emotional landscape into a simple question of rejection or forgiveness. It's comfortable knowing that meanness and affection can exist in the same person, and that tolerance, even when it only flows in one direction, benefits both giver and recipient.

John DeFour
Hollywood Reporter
24 January 2020



“Falling” is unpretentious and perfectly accessible to mainstream audiences. Mortensen’s patience, his way with actors and his trust in our intelligence are not unlike late-career Eastwood, which isn’t a bad place to be so early in one’s directing career.

Peter DeBruge
Variety
24 January 2020



Since discovering his sexuality, his father Willis has questioned the truthfulness of John’s reality in such insensitive ways that it’s hard to picture why any son would stick around to help – blood or not. But in that regard, Mortensen delivers such a defining performance that is so capable of impacting many whose experience is similar. His character’s reservations is matched with a nuanced delivery of emotion that feels as passionate as it is affecting.

Part of what makes Falling work for me is its dedication to not hide the ugly truth in what could’ve been a story that settled for stereotypical character growth and a happy ending. But if truth be told, it’s also what makes Mortensen’s Falling a difficult watch.

Brittany Witherspoon
Popculture Reviews
24 January 2020



In Mortensen’s most notable directorial flare, Falling flashes back and forth between John’s childhood on the farm and his present-day life in California as a well-to-do suburban husband to his Chinese-American partner, Eric, and father to their daughter, Monica (Gabby Velis). There’s nothing novel about interwoven timelines, but Mortensen’s vision of how the two interact is poignant and meditative.

Luke Hicks
Film School Rejects
24 January 2020



In many ways Falling is a tough film to watch, as we’re essentially voyeurs, watching horrible family dysfunction without it ever really amounting to much, other than the fact that there’s some grace to forgiveness even if its undeserved. One can’t fault the craft or the acting, with Mortensen low-key as the kindly son forced to keep in his simmering rage… One thing FALLING does that’s terrific is that it gives Lance Henriksen a showcase role. One of the best in the biz, Henriksen’s been perennially underrated ever since the eighties, and approaching eighty he’s as good as he ever was, sinking his teeth into the role with vigor…

…It’s a passionate debut for Mortensen but it’s not an easy watch.

Chris Bumbray
JoBlo.com
24 January 2020



It's a confident, assured directorial effort by Mortensen, who breezes through the various time periods (with Borg/McEnroe star Sverrir Gudnason as young Willis) with ease…

…Falling makes the case that it is never too late to move beyond the hurt and chart a new course. It's a passionate, heartfelt debut for Mortensen, and a film many will relate to because of how tough the material is to watch.

Travis Hopson
Punch Drunk Critics
24 January 2020

There are ideas that come up frequently in Viggo interviews, one of which popped up again in the recent El Pais and Curzon interviews. This is the idea that memory is a ‘story that we tell ourselves’ and that we are constantly constructing our own reality. So this week we have a very philosophical Quotable. Viggo’s insight that we create and live in our own stories plays with the idea that memory isn’t always accurate, but it is a deep reflection of our sense of self and how we perceive the world. It also explores the different aspects of ourselves which we present to the world and how we weave events into our life story.



© Toni Galan.


“Memory is a very strange thing, very fallible. It’s a story that we tell ourselves. We all remember the same moments in a different way…I believe that memory makes each one of us tell a story and that this has to do with wanting to control what happens around us.”

Viggo Mortensen: "The first thing I think about when I wake up is death"
by Borja Hermoso
7 September 2020
El Pais



“When you’re talking about memory and discrepancies and how subjective memory is, you start to realise that memory is more a collection of feelings that evolve over time than it is a collection of facts. We try to control the past to feel comfortable subconsciously in the present.”

Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen and Lance Henriksen on Falling
Curzon Cinema Blog
26 November 2020



“This world is a dream we all contribute to, in one way or another. We are part of the dream, if we are aware or not, if we like it or not. These pictures are a part of my dream, of the way I exist and act in the world.

When I show them, when I look at them or we speak about them, they include also another dream: the dream, the memory how the light was in that moment, how the place where they were taken was. They are 'memory' of a light, exactly how they say 'picture' in Iceland: lijosmynd, that is lijos (light) and mynd (memory).

To take pictures means to lock the memory of the light as it was in that exact moment.”

Viggo Mortensen, The Photographer Of Dreams
By Giovanni Valerio - translated by Cindalea
Panorama First
July 2008



We are the stories we tell about ourselves, the stories we tell about others, the stories we read about everyone and every thing.

Viggo Mortensen’s heroes
Ethan Gilsdorf,
Boston Globe
3 March 2012



“What one remembers from childhood is often mixed with things we are told. Memory is like poetry, just one version of reality, not accurate at all."

Viggo Mortensen: "Writing and acting are like being a kid again"
By Eduardo Bejuk - translated by Zooey
Gente
25 August 2009



To Viggo, poetry is a way to leave reality behind in order to reach another, purer reality, away from those commonplace moments and the difficult situations for which there's no apparent relief. Poetry, to him, is a way to put the world into perspective.

About Them... "I like a brave woman"
By Salvador Llopart - translated by Ollie, Rio and Zooey
La Vanguardia
14 March 2010



How much of your life is in your stories and poems?

Like all writers, I write many different things, but you always create using your own life, even if everything is imaginary on the page. As much as you invent a totally distinct world, there’s always something of yourself, even if you don’t realize it. I contribute my experiences as a person who’s modern
led all over and has had a somewhat unusual bond with language. Canciones de invierno [Winter Songs], for example, has things that seem to be very true and very much mine, and they aren’t. Maybe the writings where I hide or invent myself are more my own than those that are directly autobiographical.

Viggo Mortensen - All of Us are Mestizos
by Carlos Shilling – translated by Ollie, Remolina, Rio and Zoe
LaVoz
November 2010



“In the act of filtering, there can always be manipulation. Spanish psychiatrist Rojas Marcos said on one occasion that it is impossible to live without a small dose of self-deceit.

We all lie to each other and to ourselves; everyday we show ourselves to the world in a different way. You wake up and look at yourself in the mirror, you brush your teeth, you choose your clothes, and you prepare coffee....Without thinking about it, you create a man with his own personality and that is different to the one from the day before, and that you show to the first person you see. There is a very good phrase in an X band song (my ex-wife’s band): ‘Life is a game that changes while you’re playing’.”

Mortensen Code
By Sol Alonso - translated by Remolina
November 2008
Source: Vanity Fair (Spain)



"Patches of recorded feeling vanished, irretrievable. There is no point in trying to remember and rebuild the word houses, word hills, word dams, or word skeletons like some sort of archeology project. There may be pieces I recall or inadvertently retell, but every word will be new, will go somewhere, will die no matter what I might do to tame or hold it."

Viggo Mortensen on his lost writings
Introduction to Best American Non-Required Reading
Houghton Mifflin
2004



Even Mortensen's memories of early childhood are deeply spiritual. He tells me about the time he crawled into the woods and fell asleep. "I was sleeping under a tree, and it was very peaceful," he says. "And then a dog started barking, and that's how my parents found me."

You are always escaping, I say.

Yeah, he says. He calls his mother - on my cell phone, because he doesn't have one - to double-check his recollection. "Hi, it's Viggo. Sorry to be calling so late," he says. "Oh shit. You're in the middle of it? That's funny. Is it the tape? [She was watching a tape of The Two Towers.] O.K., sorry, it's just a quick question and then I'll let you get back to what you're doing. Remember there were a couple of times I ran away? And the time the dog came and found me in the woods? How old was I then? About one and a half. O.K. But, anyway, the dog came and found me and I was sitting under a tree? Happy? Sleeping, right?"

Big look of consternation.

"I was sitting in the middle of the woods crying? I thought I was sleeping. Are you sure?"

Finding Viggo
By Alex Kuczynski
Vanity Fair magazine
January 2004



“…..you know, no one looks at the world like it really is. Everyone looks at the world like they want it to be. When it comes down to it, everyone is in their own 'dream world', we could become crazy if we thought of the world like it really is.”

Dreaming About Telling Stories
By Einar Fal Ingolfsson - translated by Rosen and Ragga
Morgunblaðið
29 May 2008

We heard the sad news this week of the death of Maradona who – despite controversy – was one of the greatest footballers ever to run onto a pitch. Viggo met him once on a TV programme and gave him his San Lorenzo socks. Which is probably about a Viggo a gesture as it gets! He has also met Pele (and suffered the fate of many hopeless fans), and his childhood football hero ‘The Frog’. Yes. You’ve probably guessed it. This week is football Quotable week.



© unknown.


Mortensen speaks five languages, and seems happy to discuss football in all of them.

Interview: Viggo Mortensen, actor
Scotsman.com
9 February 2012



We really seem like two children, both fifteen years old at most. Instead, we make almost ninety years together. I’ve been speaking with Viggo Mortensen for twenty minutes, and the only topic we’ve been able to discuss are old and blessed soccer player picture cards.

A Latin Man Comes From The North
By Riccardo Romani - translated by Cindalea
GQ (Italy)
May 2007



Gulliver: Why San Lorenzo and not River or Boca?

Viggo Mortensen: Because I have blue blood. I went to the doctor for a check-up, and he told me so.

Chat with Viggo Mortensen
By - translated by Margarita
Reforma
18 November 2005



Oh God,no! Viggo Mortensen is wearing the sweatshirt of San Lorenzo, the Argentine soccer team of which he is a big supporter. The effect is what I feared: all male journalists present at the meeting with the actor unleash questions about who will win this game, this season, the derby ... with the result that the first 20 minutes with one of the most fascinating men in the world are wasted with talk about sports!

Viggo Mortensen: "Do I look sexy?"
By Simona Coppa - translated by Ollie
Grazia
9 October 2012



Wearing all manner of Buenos Aires and soccer trappings (socks, bracelet, and a San Lorenzo pin, plus a complete mate set and the sports section of The Nation on hand), Viggo Mortensen greeted the Argentinean press on his recent visit to Buenos Aires….. He takes off his black boots and allows us to see the wide stripes on his socks in the colours of the team he loves.

Viggo Mortensen: The Biggest Soccer Fan In Hollywood
By Lorena García - translated by Margarita
La Nacion
16 November 2005



I met Maradona once on Susana Giménez' program.... The idea was that his arrival would be a surprise at the end of the broadcast, but someone got excited and told me a few hours before going to the station. I took with me in my pocket a CASLA t-shirt with "10" and gave it to him during the program. I told him that there was a gap in our lineup because of injuries (maybe it was Walter Montillo that was hurt, I don't remember now) and that the following day, since we were playing against River, maybe he would like to join us. The idol took it very well and Susana, who's a Cuervo, laughed too.

In the last minutes of the program, I took off my boots to give him the San Lorenzo socks I was wearing and I think I told him that he'd have to look for the shorts himself. He also accepted that gift with a lot of dignity and in an extremely generous spirit. If he thought that I was an idiotic Cuervo, he didn't say so.

Viggo Mortensen
In This Heat
By Viggo Mortensen and Fabián Casas - translated by Ollie and Zoe
Sobrevueloscuervos.com
18 December 2013



"I'm spreading “the cuervo gospel” all over the world. That's not only my mission, but my career, that's my job. Cinema, poetry and all the rest are hobbies. Spreading the cuervo gospel, that's what I'm dedicated to..."

Viggo Mortensen
In The Name Of The Father
By Natalia Trzenko - translated by Ollie and Zooey
La Nacion
22 June 2010



"Every time I go to Argentina, I go to the San Lorenzo store and I buy all the decals they have because I have the habit of sticking them up in cities, airports, in the stadiums of other teams, " he recounts and ends with a sly smile, "to mark territory."

"We are all artists" - Viggo Mortensen
By Susana Parejas - translated by Ollie and Zoe
7 Dias
2 September 2012



“[Football] is theatre. Theatre in the sense of watching not so much the winning and the losing, but how people behave, on the pitch and in the stands, when they win and when they lose. It represents the best and the worst of human behaviour.”

Viggo Mortensen: intellectual nourishment in a world of artery-clogging culture
By Dan Masoliver
Shortlist.com
20 December 2018



‘If CASLA loses, I'm devastated for a while and when they win, the world seems like a stupendous place.’

Viggo Mortensen demonstrates to this newspaper that the great never lose their humility
By - translated by Ollie and Zoe
TiempoSur
9 June 2013



"I would rather see San Lorenzo win the tournament than get an Oscar, definitely."

Viggo Mortensen
By Juan Cruz Sanchez Marino - translated by Graciela
GENTE
26 December 2008



As he turns away I see that his football shirt has been signed by a player called The Frog, who wrote: “Thank you for being simple,” which I ask him to explain. Is he thanking you for being a half-wit? He laughs. “I think he means thank you for being real. He was a childhood hero of mine. A great player. Kept it simple.” Simple is the last thing you would ever think of Mortensen. He’s very complicated, but also very real.

Sympathy for the devil
By Chrissy Iley
The Observer
19 April 2009



'Yesterday, my limousine was blockaded by people. The fans were banging against the windows. I opened the door and escaped down a small alley. And who did I run into? King Pelé and his bodyguards. I asked for an autograph...but his bodyguards stopped me. King in his limousine, poor beggar in the street. A good lesson,' concludes Mortensen, who invites you to reflect on the morality of such a story.

Viggo Mortensen - The Lord Touches All
By François-Guillaume Lorrain - translated by Margarita
27 October 2005
Source: Le Point



"Have I behaved? I haven't talked about San Lorenzo too much, right?"

Viggo Mortensen in a Todos tenemos un plan interview
Soledad Villamil - Viggo Mortensen: Brothers In Arms
By Nazareno Brega - translated by Ollie and Zoe
Clarin
29 August 2012

I love the comment in the recent El Pais interview that “The truth is that with Viggo Mortensen you get the feeling that he does almost everything.” Indeed - Viggo has so many hats it’s bewildering. It would be easier for us lesser mortals if he wore some of those hats badly, but they all suit him and they all fit. The more you think about it the more mind-boggling his sheer versatility is.



"Ramas para un nido" poetry reading
© Silvia Susana Flores.


…from the black backpack with the emblem of the San Lorenzo de Almagro Athletic Club, his beloved CASLA soccer team, he took out Lo que no se puede escribir (What Cannot Be Written), a book of poems written by him, with photos taken by him. The truth is that with Viggo Mortensen you get the feeling that he does almost everything.

Viggo Mortensen: "The first thing I think about when I wake up is death"
by Borja Hermoso
7 September 2020
El Pais



Having quietly spent years augmenting his acting work with prodigious output in music, poetry and visual arts (not to mention founding a publishing house that champions other artists' work), Viggo Mortensen finally takes the director's chair in Falling, a masterful family drama taking a compassionate view of a father whose faults are impossible to ignore…

John DeFour
Hollywood Reporter
24 January 2020



Viggo Mortensen has proved to be vigorous and uncompromising in every role, but always brings a mysterious sense of introspection. Like no other he knows how to unite brutality and sentiment in one look or movement so that even the greatest criminal radiates a certain sentimentality. Translated to the screen, this results in a perfect actor for many top film-makers

Oscar Actors: Mortensen, Viggo–Joseph Plateau Honorary Award at Film Fest Ghent
by Emanuel Levy
Emanuellevy.com
18 October 2020



His poetry and prose are taut and gripping - the outpourings of a genuine talent…

Understated A-lister Viggo Mortensen tells our reporter about his new cult hit 'Captain Fantastic' - and why it's impossible to be the perfect parent
by Ed Power
Irish Independent
31 August 2016



"Viggo meticulously edited my Perceval book, Supernatural, and I'm pretty sure he does that personally on every Perceval book. Supernatural includes the Flannery O'Connor story 'A Temple of the Holy Ghost.' He scrutinized every word, every punctuation, every space throughout the process all the way to last looks for final printing. [As an editor] he evaluates whether his knowledge of many languages affects his choices in spelling and syntax. He is a perfectionist publisher."

Lindsay Brice
The Book of Viggo
By Shana Nys Dambrot
LA Weekly
1 November 2018



"The connotation of celebrity art isn't very good," Mann says. "It implies dilettante. I wouldn't put Viggo in that context. He doesn't have to paint, that's not the point. I think he really needs to make art, really needs to."

Robert Mann, New York Gallerist
In the Spotlight But Shining On Its Own - Celebrity Art
by Lisa Crawford Watson
Art Business News
2001



…my phone rings. Viggo is on the other end and invites me to a gallery show featuring some Native American photos, music and poetry that he has authored during the making of "Hidalgo". When I arrive at the gallery, I see the show is entirely composed of marvelously printed images from the ghost dance... amazingly saturated and 8 feet wide. Stunning! At the show, I run into Richard, who loaned Viggo his camera to shoot these same stills. I ask him; "Did Viggo borrow only one roll of film?" Yes... only a single roll. Well, the show was comprised of 16 photographs that were double wide (15 perfs instead of 7) which meant that the collection represented nearly every photo that Viggo shot that day. 16 of the 18 total exposures from the single film roll. Mind blowing.

Shelly Johnson, Hidalgo cinematographer
Instagram
23 March 2017



...his almost ludicrous list of talents includes poetry, painting and a prolific discography which boasts more album releases than your average full-time musician.

An Unconventional Method: Viggo Mortensen
Clash
8 March 2015



A number of years ago I reviewed a collection of Mortensen's photographs and poems and commented on how with either media he seemed to have the innate ability to capture specific moments in time with both his words and his camera… he's equally capable of bringing an audience into a specific moment in time with his music. Acà is a beautiful and evocative collection of music which will allow you to travel into your own memories of time and place like few others I've heard.

DanVTMuzrzr reviewing Acà
Music Blogs
22 February 2014



You can imagine the excitement and delight of the crowd! Mortensen was charm itself, asking how many of us had seen the movies more than five times, and saying, 'Me too!' He stayed on stage for a few minutes and ended - gasp! - by SINGING to us all! Yes, Aragorn himself stood there on the stage and sang for us his coronation ditty.

Viggo Sings!
5 March 2012
By Greendragon
TORn.
5 March 2012



"You know, every actor you work with, you ask them, 'So, how do you ride?' And they always say, 'I ride excellently.' Viggo says to me, 'I ride O.K.' He gets on the horse, and he rides better than me.”

Rex Peterson
Finding Viggo
By Alex Kuczynski
Vanity Fair magazine
January 2004



Mortensen… has already entered into cinematic folklore as one of the great screen swordsmen of our time.

The Reluctant Hero
By Douglas Andrews
Sunday Express
17 November 2002



Viggo Mortensen holds the unusual distinction of having two TIFF movies in which he speaks four different languages … none of which are English, the language that moviegoers are accustomed to hearing Mortensen speak.

Steve Pond
The Wrap
11 November 2014



"Viggo's a leader, just by sheer dint of his personality. He's an example to us all. He's a massive work-horse, like a massive multiplex. You can go through one door and he's a photographer, then you go through the next door and he's a singer. Then you go and look at his poetry and his art and there's his films! I'm not jealous at all [laughs]. And he's just a great guy and my friend."

Bernard Hill
Viggo Mortensen
by Desmond Sampson
Pavement #62, 2003



“Now, Viggo, you speak seven languages, you write poetry in three languages, Danish, Spanish and English, you ride horses superbly and you’re a great swordsman and all our womenfolk are in love with you… do you understand how annoying you are?”

Radio interview with Richard Glover
ABC Sydney
24 March 2009

At the very end of the recent El Pais interview Viggo left us with an intriguing teaser. He has finished writing something that is ‘like a western, well it is a western’. My heart sank and rose at the same time because a) I can’t stand westerns and b) I love seeing Viggo as a cowboy. Of course, if it ever becomes a film, it doesn’t mean that he will actually be in it. But a girl can dream because Viggo was born to ride the range…



© New Line Cinema/Warner Brothers, Matt Lankes, Touchstone / Buena Vista Pictures.


And after Falling, what?

Well, during the shutdown, I finished writing another thing. It also has to do with memory. It’s like a western, well, it is a western. We’ll see.

Viggo Mortensen: "The first thing I think about when I wake up is death"
by Borja Hermoso - translated by Ollie and Zoe
7 September 2020
El Pais



As a child, he loved comic books and was obsessed with adventure stories, tales of Vikings and explorers. If he was not going to be a soccer player, he wanted to be a gaucho. "I liked the whole cowboy thing, I suppose," he remembers. "Being self-sufficient, living off the land. You know, a knife in the back of your belt."

That is part of what appealed to him about his latest movie, Hidalgo...

The Rebel King
By Chris Heath
GQ magazine
April 2004



Standing 5 feet, 11 inches tall, he undoubtedly an outdoorsy guy - all weathered skin, callused hands and easygoing gestures. One could easily see him at home on the range - he even has that "ah shucks" cowboy mumble.

The Other Side of Viggo Mortensen
By Paul Young
Variety Life
October 2003



He is not a man who can walk into a room unnoticed.... His blond hair is neatly parted and he is clean-shaven; there is a jagged scar on his upper lip, a streak of lightning against his tan, the relic of a fight during his teenage years.

A weird mix of cowboy and playboy, Mortensen gives the impression of Indiana Jones going to a fancy dress party as Bryan Ferry.

Lone Star
By Peter Ross
Sunday Herald
Dorchester, UK 11 April 2004



"I found out a while back that I'm related to Buffalo Bill - distantly, on my mother's mother's side of the family," he says. "It's true: I went to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, and saw the records that prove the connection."

Viggo Mortensen: The Straight-Shooting Star of the New Western
By Joe Leydon
Cowboys & Indians
April 2004



"One thing that sometimes happens when people think they're being really authentic is that they tend to make everything look too worn-out. If you do the research, you'll see that even if a cowboy was poor, he'd take pride in certain things. Like, his saddle wasn't going to be some piece of crap. And they had color - it wasn't all drab browns and grays, all worn-out stuff. That scarf - that's something Hitch takes pride in, and he takes care of it."

Viggo Mortensen
Spotlight - Appaloosa
By Joe Leydon
Cowboys & Indians
October 2008



Viggo Mortensen follows a classic cowboy code in the Western "Appaloosa": Speak softly and carry a big honkin' gun.

Mortensen Packs a Big Gun
By David Germain
Associated Press
17 September 2008



"I looked at old Remington drawings and other images to see how guys would really stand in gunfights back then. It wasn't that thing you always see in movies, where the guy is standing there with his legs apart and with his hands out waiting to draw his gun. Not that people never did that. But it just made more sense to me that you'd have one leg forward, and your hand forward, and your gun's already out. I have to say, I did think about it like a bullfighter at that final moment, with the sword. I saw a Remington drawing of a guy facing down another guy in the street, using exactly that position."

Viggo Mortensen
Spotlight - Appaloosa
By Joe Leydon
Cowboys & Indians
October 2008



In [Appaloosa], Harris and Mortensen… the archetypal cowboys and the base layer of the American psyche that believes in riding into the sunset and heroic endings.

Mortensen says he loves the cowboy ideal as well as the cowboy aesthetic, but the classic old codes are fast becoming obsolete as the western world faces a looming geopolitical shift as well as a climate crisis.

"We're going to hell in a handbasket...."

Mortensen Delves Into America's Cowboy Mentality
By Katherine Monk
Ottawa Citizen
7 September 2008



It's not as if we haven't seen movies like "Hidalgo" before - the cowboy, the horse, the hat - and yet there's something fresh about it all the same. Part of it comes from Viggo Mortensen, an actor who has the measured pace and steady gaze of a Cooper or a Stewart.

Wild West to wild Mideast
Mortensen saddles up as former cowboy racing across desert
Mick LaSalle
Chronicle, 5 March 2004



Mortensen is steadfast like a throw back to the old school smoldering actors that paraded about the prairies, years ago; sexy and very iconic American cowboy.

Hidalgo Review
Emily Blunt
The Blunt Review
2004



"The cowboy 'ethic' has as much in common ideally with the Medieval Knight or Lakota warrior or Samurai warrior in that you can be an individual, be independent minded and allow other people to have their individual experience too! It can be that way."

Viggo Mortensen
An Interview with Viggo
By Lise Balk King and Frank J King
Native Voice
January 2004



Hopkins was ahead of his time as a humane horse-trainer and endurance rider. He was also an example of what I have seen in cowboys (and cowgirls) I have met and admired among Argentines, Uruguyans, Moroccans, Algerians, Egyptians, the French, New Zealanders, Australians, Icelanders, Lakota, Blackfeet, Apache, Quebecois, and so on: a straightforward, open-minded, and ethical individual. I think it is a wonderful thing to see the apparent revival (again) of the "Western" genre in the movies, but it might be worth keeping in mind that neither cowboys nor stories in the "Western" genre are exclusively an area of expertise or solely of relevance to North Americans. Making "Westerns" can be as positive or negative, as universal or narrow-minded as the stories they portray. Making good "Westerns" can mean being on the right track, but, as Will Rogers said:

"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

Viggo's Golden Boot Award Acceptance Speech
By Viggo Mortensen
11 August 2007

I'm sure we are all a wee bit thrilled that Cronenberg accepted a role in Falling and I bet he and Viggo had a great time back together with their usual roles reversed! It's ages since we had Viggo/Cronenberg 'double act' Quotable and although these are all old really chestnuts I think we could all do with a few laughs to brighten our day!



© HanWay Films/Perceval Pictures.


"We both have such bad memories that neither of us could remember we had worked together," says Mr. Cronenberg. "It was only when I saw photographs that I realized."

Behind the banter, 'Eastern Promises' actor and director offer serious insights
By Chris Vognar, Dallas News
12 Sept 2007



"It's like a marriage. You might see two people together and not understand why they are, but they know. We know. We feel we can get the best out of each other."

Viggo's 'Promises'
By Sara Stewart
New York Post
26 Aug 2007



….exuding from [A History of Violence and A Dangerous Method] is a sense of ideal alchemy, as if the sculptured physique and the Sphinx like face of the actor were made for the dry and morally complex thrillers of the Canadian film maker.

Sans Viggo, je n'aurai pas fait ce film
Les Inrockuptibles
Serge Kanaski and Julien Gester
12 November 2007



DC: It's a total lie. I do everything, Viggo does nothing. I do all the work. But he pays me to say that he does a lot of stuff.

VM: Also to say that I'm thoughtful and considerate.

Talking Eastern Promises with David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen
By Sara Maria Vizcarrondo
Rotten Tomatoes
12 September 2007



"Viggo's cheap, he's available and he's obedient!" laughs Cronenberg. "And he's got a great chin."

David Cronenberg
Ties that bind
by Melora Koepke, Hour CA
13 Sept 2007



What was it that got you interested in A Dangerous Method? Was it mostly working again with Cronenberg, or the psychological theme? Or both?

Firstly, working with David Cronenberg again. Secondly, the bait that David threw my way, in the form of an elaborate system of undergarments that Sigmund Freud was reputed to have employed on some of his summer excursions deep into the Alps. They included an elaborate system of miniaturised pulleys and wires that assisted in muscular stimulation for the steeper climbs. I was allowed to wear these undergarments in all scenes whether I was climbing or not.

Viggo Mortensen
Empire On-line Web Chat
31 January 2012



"I think my cast has great need of psychoanalysis, which is why I cast them actually, to introduce them gently to the idea that they needed help, a lot of help….And you can see they are much better people. Before they were messes. When I found them, they were neurotics, hopeless," Cronenberg said to great laughter.

Mortensen played along. "Now we dress ourselves," he retorted.

Venice Film Festival Press Conference
Cronenberg 'cures' cast in Freud-Jung drama
Rssbroadcast.com
2 September 2011



"What I love most about David…..more so than any other director alive, is that he asks many, many questions, and with each subsequent viewing you find that there are more and more questions, but he doesn't give you any answers. He respects you enough to let you think for yourself and form your own opinions."

Viggo Mortensen
Crimes and Misdemeanours
By Phillip Berk, Filmink
October 2007



How did they work to create Mr. Mortensen's Nikolai, covered in tattoos and minimalist of motion?

"I just followed orders," deadpans Mr. Mortensen, 48. "And I just told him to do whatever he wanted," says Mr. Cronenberg, 64.

Behind the banter, 'Eastern Promises' actor and director offer serious insights
By Chris Vognar, Dallas News
12 Sept 2007



"In the movie," said Cronenberg, "Viggo was wearing Armani. We don't allow him on the street like that, because he can't carry off the class when he's being himself."

Mortensen, director discuss their noirish
Eastern Promises
By Dixie Reid, Sacramento Bee,
12 September 2007



On the stillness in Nikolai's character:

Mr. Mortensen: "They had to freeze-frame me."

Mr. Cronenberg: "It was stop-motion. I worked him like a puppet."

Behind the banter, 'Eastern Promises' actor and director offer serious insights
By Chris Vognar, Dallas News
12 Sept 2007



VM: So do you think (Russian president Vladimir) Putin will like this movie?

DC: Putin will probably love this movie.

VM: I think he'll probably get some of my character's tattoos.

DC: Frankly, I think he has them already.

A Conversation Between David Cronenberg And Viggo Mortensen: The Interview
Transcribed by Patches
28 Sept 2007



Viggo — we hear you're a fan of horses. Is it true that you took some horses from Lord Of The Rings?

DC: But he's a horse thief, that's why he did that. He basically had sex with all the horses in the movie. That was his way of dealing with it.

VM: It wasn't great with every single one. But I did my best.

Cronenberg and Mortensen - Dangerous Minds
Shortlist.com
10 February 2012



First [introduced] was Ashton Holmes..."Next is fabulous, luscious.... William Hurt. Then the amazing, always surprising... Ed Harris... The startling and scintillating... Maria Bello. And finally, the really not too bad..... Viggo Mortensen!"

David Cronenberg introducing his cast at TIFF
From Topaz's account
Toronto International Film Festival



…they're as comfortable together as a pair of old shoes.

Behind the banter, 'Eastern Promises' actor and director offer serious insights
By Chris Vognar, Dallas News
12 Sept 2007



VM: Well, is there anything else? It's onerous to talk to me, I know.

DC: It's torment. I actually had to take some codeine pills before we
started.

A Conversation Between David Cronenberg And Viggo Mortensen: The Interview
Transcribed by Patches
28 Sept 2007

It’s wonderful that Viggo has paid homage to Peter Jackson a few times now in interviews about Falling. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was probably one of the greatest cinematic tests any Director could face and the fact they made it through is because Jackson always believed they could do it. He had a great production team and a great cast of actors, of course, but holding it all together with such energy and grace was a herculean task. Time for some Peter and Viggo moments!



© New Line Productions Inc.


Mortensen made special mention of Peter Jackson, who gave him his break with the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. "With his intelligence, his energy and problem-solving abilities, he taught his team how to adapt and overcome problems. You can do it if you really want to, there's always a way."

Up Close and Personal With Viggo Mortensen, the Director
Variety
12 October 2020



Describe Peter Jackson in three words.

A decent man.

Viggo Mortensen - Aragorn
Empire magazine
October 2003



"Knowing Viggo now, his conversation was incredibly Viggo-like, but at the time it was incredibly off-putting," Mr. Jackson said. "He was asking about the character: how long has he lived with the elves? Where are his parents? If I didn't know the answer, I'd make it up. There would be this terrible long silence, and I didn't know if the phone had disconnected or not, and then he'd ask another question and there would be 30 more seconds of silence."

"At the very end of the call, I thought it had gone very badly, that he wasn't going to do the role," Mr. Jackson continued. "I was thinking, `What are we going to do now?' as I was waiting for the call to end, and then there was another long silence and Viggo said, `I guess I'll see you on Tuesday.' "

Peter Jackson on offering him the part of Aragorn
The Man Who Would Just As Soon Not Be King
By Sarah Lyall
New York Times, 2003



"While Peter obviously cares a great deal for Tolkien's writing-otherwise he wouldn't have given so much of his life to it - what seems to have drawn him most as a filmmaker was the pure adventure aspect of the tale. The heroic sacrifice of individuals for the common good. All the breathtaking sequences - he really poured himself into those. The more I explored Tolkien, the more I felt I had two bosses: Tolkien and Peter Jackson. I tried my best to be loyal to both of them."

Viggo Mortensen
We Were All On an Epic Journey
by Jeff Giles, Newsweek magazine
2001



“I was looking at snapshots I have of the crew, Peter, the cast, and obviously people change, but there was more. There's something also in people's eyes, even in Peter's, who knew what he was getting into more than any of us. The way his eyes look, it's the eyes of a person before a major test."

Ringleaders
By Serena French
Flare magazine
January 2004



'Some of the photos are bit blurry though, Viggo, so perhaps you should buy yourself a tripod...

Peter Jackson at the "For Wellington' opening, Massey University
Stars Come Out For Exhibition Launch
Massey University
1st Dec 2003



"Viggo commits himself to a project with the same intensity as the filmmakers - which is rare for an actor," the director says. "After the end of a long day's shooting, when all the other cast would be either in bed or in the bar, [partner and co-screenwriter Fran Walsh] and I would be home grappling with the script for the next week's shooting. At midnight, a nine-page handwritten memo would come rattling through the fax from Viggo, outlining his thoughts about that day's work and the next few days to come. He would suggest passages from the book we should look at. This wasn't an exception - over 15 months it became the rule. In the small hours, it was actually comforting to know there was somebody else out there grappling with the same nightmare that we were."

Peter Jackson
The Hero Returns
By Tom Roston,
Premiere 2003



'Peter has kind of dusted the book off and breathed new life into it, combined it with other stories, and given it a bit of his own imagination. He's revived the book for people in the 21st century.'

Viggo Mortensen
The Lord of the Rings: The Untold Story
By Ian Nathan
Empire
December 2004



"Viggo commits himself to a project with the same intensity as the filmmakers - which is rare for an actor," the director says. "After the end of a long day's shooting, when all the other cast would be either in bed or in the bar, [partner and co-screenwriter Fran Walsh] and I would be home grappling with the script for the next week's shooting. At midnight, a nine-page handwritten memo would come rattling through the fax from Viggo, outlining his thoughts about that day's work and the next few days to come. He would suggest passages from the book we should look at. This wasn't an exception - over 15 months it became the rule. In the small hours, it was actually comforting to know there was somebody else out there grappling with the same nightmare that we were."

Peter Jackson
The Hero Returns
By Tom Roston
Premiere 2003



Viggo has that dark, mysterious, quiet-man quality. He's also very intelligent and private. A lot of people have said these movies are going to make Viggo a big star. I nod and smile, knowing that being a big star is the last thing in the world that Viggo wants. He's completely unimpressed and disinterested in that world. I think he'd prefer to stay home and paint, write his poetry, and enjoy himself rather than play the Hollywood game. That's an aspect of him that I respect a lot.

Peter Jackson
Movieline Magazine



…Jackson [gave] his 8-year-old son's class a tour. He asks the kids questions and videotapes them as he walks backwards through a field of fake dead horses. The children worship the Aragorn character, and they had hoped to meet Mortensen. Later, when asked if they had got their wish, he nods giddily. 'Oh, yep-yep-yep,' he says. 'Viggo's great with kids. He showed them his sword, and then one of the boys very excitedly pointed to his dagger and said, "That's the dagger he stabbed Lurtz with in 'Fellowship of the Ring'!' So then Viggo whipped out his dagger.' Jackson is giggling now. 'Afterwards, one of the kids said to his friends, "Do you think Aragorn would baby-sit children?''

Peter Jackson
Newsweek
1 December 2003



On the very last day of shooting Aragorn fighting the orcs, Peter quietly gave Viggo an Uzi, loaded with blanks, for the last take.

Dan Hennah
Unsung Moments & Unseen Heroes of
The Lord of the Rings
Premiere, November 2004



When I was leaving, Peter Jackson gave me my sword and a tape with my best scenes and also.... the worst!."

Viggo Mortensen on the last day of filming LOTR
Year in the Life of Viggo Mortensen,
by Sophie Benamon
Studio Magazine
2003

These last few weeks have all been about Falling, Viggo’s debut film as Director and Writer. Time to have a look back at the film from its first showing in Toronto to its current round of Festival viewings. Falling has been critically acclaimed by many for its uncompromising approach to a difficult subject and is anchored by a wonderful performance by Lance Henriksen as the Father. Alas, my Quotable collecting has been a little curtailed by my inability to speak anything but English, but there is still plenty here to enjoy!



Image David James.
© HanWay Films/Perceval Pictures.


“Falling” is unpretentious and perfectly accessible to mainstream audiences. Mortensen’s patience, his way with actors and his trust in our intelligence are not unlike late-career Eastwood, which isn’t a bad place to be so early in one’s directing career.

Peter DeBruge
Variety
24 January 2020



Mortensen says that even though his father, mother, grandparents and uncle all suffered from dementia, and that the film is dedicated to his two other brothers, this is not an autobiographical story but one that sprung out of many places and it just suddenly all came to him, like a dream, on that plane. It finally became a story of a fictional family that shares traits of his own. “A few days after I got home I said I’m just going to look at this thing because I ended up writing a short story sort of. On the plane I couldn’t sleep so I just kept writing and then it just became something that had nothing to do with my family but this story.”

Viggo Mortensen On ‘Falling’ Into A New Phase Of His Career With Directing Debut Set To World Premiere At Sundance
By Pete Hammond
Deadline.com
23 January 2020



He started sculpting a story about finding common ground with someone you disagree with.

“As I was writing the screenplay, I was thinking about what’s actually happening in the country,” he said. “How do you deal with hate speech or with someone who just doesn’t accept, won’t even listen to you, doesn’t want to know anything about what you perhaps stand for, what you identify as — all those kinds of things.”

‘Falling’: Lance Henriksen Says Viggo Mortensen’s Feature Debut Made Him Realize The World Is Changing – Sundance Studio
ByDino-Ray Ramos
Deadline.com
28 January 2020



What was your most memorable experience while filming FALLING and working with the star and director, Viggo Mortensen?

Working with Viggo was almost surreal. I have not personally watched his movies since they are mostly for adults, but I saw him at the Oscars in 2019 when he was nominated for an Oscar for Green Book. When I saw him at the recall audition, I was starstruck and super excited. He has a really amazing voice that is really calming. He is very patient as director and really helps you do your best on set. He is very nice and also acts like a regular person.

Young Actor Carina Battrick Stars in Viggo Mortensen’s FALLING
Defective Geeks
2 September 2020



“I would’ve preferred not to be in the movie, I have to say that, but to get it made one of the conditions was I had to act in it. I’ve been around for a long time as an actor, but if you haven’t directed a movie you haven’t directed a movie – I’m unproven and I’m lucky to get a chance.”

Viggo Mortensen talks directing debut 'Falling'; first look at family drama
Tom Grater
Screen Daily
15 May 2019



Quick to change the subject away from his own on-screen contribution, [Viggo] heaped praise on his critically acclaimed co-star Lance Henriksen.
“It’s a great performance from him, and I believe he deserves all the acclaim he gets, and I hope he receives more.”

Viggo Mortensen Charms San Sebastian at ‘Falling’ Press Conference
ByJ amie Lange
Variety
25 September 2020



[Falling] gives erstwhile action star Henriksen (Bishop in “Aliens”) an unprecedented opportunity to actually act…It took long enough for someone to entrust a part as tricky as this to Henriksen, whose plunge pays off in Mortensen’s sensitive hands.

Peter DeBruge
Variety
24 January 2020



He knew Henriksen from working with him in Appaloosa, the film directed by actor Ed Harris. “I just got to know him a little bit. I just felt he was right, somehow, even though he hadn’t done anything like this. Then people said it’ll be a lot easier for you to raise the money if you could get a name, somebody who’s more known or something. I said, no, he’s the right guy.

Viggo Mortensen On ‘Falling’ Into A New Phase Of His Career With Directing Debut Set To World Premiere At Sundance
By Pete Hammond
Deadline.com
23 January 2020



One thing FALLING does that’s terrific is that it gives Lance Henriksen a showcase role. One of the best in the biz, Henriksen’s been perennially underrated ever since the eighties, and approaching eighty he’s as good as he ever was, sinking his teeth into the role with vigor…

…It’s a passionate debut for Mortensen but it’s not an easy watch.

Chris Bumbray
JoBlo.com
24 January 2020



In Mortensen’s most notable directorial flare, Falling flashes back and forth between John’s childhood on the farm and his present-day life in California as a well-to-do suburban husband to his Chinese-American partner, Eric, and father to their daughter, Monica (Gabby Velis). There’s nothing novel about interwoven timelines, but Mortensen’s vision of how the two interact is poignant and meditative.

Luke Hicks
Film School Rejects



Viggo Mortensen’s directorial debut is an earnest family drama etched in jagged memories and an elegant waltz between past and present. His sensitive handling of the material creates a quietly affecting reflection on the ties that bind and provides an unusually juicy role for Lance Henriksen as the belligerent, bile-spewing patriarch…
…Mortensen’s own performance is as understated as the film, making John a dutiful son of almost saintly patience straining every sinew to avoid confrontation. Scenes in which he finally lets rip are all the more effective for his earlier restraint.

‘Falling’: Toronto Review
By Allan Hunter
Screen Daily
10 September 2020



While it's true that Falling is so unrelenting in its negative depiction of Willis that it can feel one-note, that's not necessarily a criticism, as Mortensen wants to relay the terror that those around Willis have to live with. The drama also imagines realities to show Willis's warped state of mind. The performances are strong, with even Mortensen staying on top of his game, despite all the work he did behind the scenes in this debut that has a touch of Clint Eastwood about it.

Kaleem Aftab
cineuropa.org
18 September 2020



As a director, Mortensen doesn't make things easy for himself: We figure that a film like this is headed for some kind of redemption, but Willis seems completely irredeemable for much of the film. But Mortensen is too smart to go for an easy reconciliation, instead exploring shades of resignation and acceptance, particularly in the wake of an argument that can stand as a father/son version of the one in "Marriage Story" — primal and fearsome, it goes to places so dark that all the characters can do afterwards it attempt to crawl out of the wreckage.

"Falling" is a finely drawn character drama, as you might expect from much of Mortensen's acting career, and a film that pays attention to small details that bring these people to life.

Steve Pond
The Wrap
24 January 2020



Since discovering his sexuality, his father Willis has questioned the truthfulness of John’s reality in such insensitive ways that it’s hard to picture why any son would stick around to help – blood or not. But in that regard, Mortensen delivers such a defining performance that is so capable of impacting many whose experience is similar. His character’s reservations is matched with a nuanced delivery of emotion that feels as passionate as it is affecting.

Part of what makes Falling work for me is its dedication to not hide the ugly truth in what could’ve been a story that settled for stereotypical character growth and a happy ending. But if truth be told, it’s also what makes Mortensen’s Falling a difficult watch.

Brittany Witherspoon
Popculture Reviews
24 January 2020



Viggo gives a beautifully understated performance here, letting Henriksen (whom it’s nice to see in a really meaty role, again) carry the load and dive into Willis’ damaged psyche, giving a riveting performance, which allows the supporting cast to do just that: support a pair of great actors doing what they do.

Vsmoviepodcast
28 January 2020



Mortensen’s heart is in the right place; he wants us to understand these characters, as difficult as it might be to do so. With a more conventional director at the helm, Falling could have been reassuring, polished awards bait; instead, it’s something richer and more discomfiting. I’ve been thinking about it a lot since I saw it. So will you.

TIFF review: Falling is Viggo Mortensen’s emotional directorial debut
By Norman Wilner
Now Toronto
10 September 2020



…Falling doesn't transform its emotional landscape into a simple question of rejection or forgiveness. It's comfortable knowing that meanness and affection can exist in the same person, and that tolerance, even when it only flows in one direction, benefits both giver and recipient.

John DeFour
Hollywood Reporter
24 January 2020



"We worked really hard. It's been a long road," he said. "You never know how people are going to look at a movie. You just have to make it and be faithful to what you're seeing, and hope other people like it. As William Goldman said, 'nobody knows anything.'"

Viggo Mortensen On ‘Falling’ Into A New Phase Of His Career With Directing Debut Set To World Premiere At Sundance
By Pete Hammond
23 January 2020
Deadline.com

I’ve decided in these difficult and frustrating times what we need is more Viggo Mortensen. That Zen like calm and concentration, that ability to savour every moment and live on the now. Is he really, as Thessaly La Force says, ‘the pond in the middle of the forest’? Maybe we could all do with a little of his philosophy.



Image Fernando Morales.
© The Globe and Mail.


He’s a regular guy — except he’s not. There’s something about Mortensen that is difficult to describe, because who he is, paradoxically, is almost entirely about what he isn’t. The empty charm and insecure braggadocio often present in his peers are unsettlingly, though wonderfully, absent in him. He is, in such a superficial medium, able to transmit the feeling of a soul.

Viggo Mortensen, the Unlikely Leading Man
New York Times
By Thessaly La Force
15 October 2018



He speaks with a gentle yet engaging passion and carries himself with a sense of calm that seems to radiate outwards to anyone in proximity - whether it be the ardent fans he enjoys speaking to while walking up red carpets or the hotel waiter who brings him boiling water so he can brew his cherished maté, a syrupy tea first tasted as a young boy growing up in Argentina.

Viggo Mortensen: "It's my nature to do a lot"
By covermg.com
10 July 2012



Here's the thing about Viggo Mortensen: I could listen to this man speak on just about any topic for hours. His voice is both passionate and hypnotic. It's impossible not to be engaged when he's speaking because he presents himself with, somehow, both a welcome calmness and a focused intensity at the exact same time. It might be magic. I suspect it is magic.

Viggo Mortensen Will Hypnotize You With His Intensity As He Dissects What's Wrong With Our Polarized Country
By Mike Ryan
Uproxx
7 November 2016



The women in his movies are drawn to him as if there’s a hidden stillness that they need to reach, like finding a pond in the middle of a forest. So much of masculinity on film feels like watching a gift you don’t want being unwrapped. But Mortensen’s operates on another plane.

Viggo Mortensen, the Unlikely Leading Man
New York Times
By Thessaly La Force
15 October 2018



Supping a herbal remedy from a mysterious brass pot that looks like it was stolen from Middle-earth, while sporting a bushy moustache liable to make Bill the Butcher green with envy (for his next role as a Spanish soldier in Alatriste), Mortensen exudes a Zen-like calm.

"We're Animals Too, Y'Know?"
By James Mottram
Hotdog #67
September 2005



Viggo Mortensen is no flake. He's a pretty intense guy — with a mellow sort of presence.

After "The Road" Viggo Mortensen Looks on the Bright Side: "You Could Always Be Dead"
By Jeffrey Podolsky
Wall Street Journal
17 November 2009



His voice is calm, a Zen whisper from the depths.

Understated A-lister Viggo Mortensen tells our reporter about his new cult hit 'Captain Fantastic' - and why it's impossible to be the perfect parent
by Ed Power
Irish Independent
31 August 2016



Cerebral, spiritual, sex symbol in spite of himself.

Viggo Mortensen: "Travelling is the best anti-war weapon"
By Yetty Hagendorf - translated by Donna Marie
Le Soir (Belgium)
2 February 2015



My first impressions of Viggo are a little hard to explain. He has an elusive reputation but I found him very down to earth. At the same time, however, he came off as quite mysterious. He spoke in a hushed, thoughtful tone and sounded very poetic in his speech patterns. Even when he wasn't saying much of anything I felt compelled to listen.

John Makarewicz
CHUD magazine
2004



Mortensen is a matinee idol with a philosopher's soul — Jean-Jacques Rousseau trapped in the body of Rudolph Valentino.

Viggo Mortenson is complicated
By Micjelle Devereaux
San Francisco Bay Guardian
12 September 2007



Most actors will agree on the value of appearing enigmatic. But there is enigmatic and then there is Viggo Mortensen…

On Viggo Mortensen
By Ryan Gilbey
Filminfocus.com
4 December 2007



"We function very differently, especially in the way we channel our energy. He is always calm, and speaks softly. I have a more brutal side. I learned a lot from knowing him."

Vincent Cassel
Viggo Mortensen the Insatiable
Studio Magazine
By Sophie Benamon
November 2007



"Viggo has the perfect qualities as a man and as an actor to do this part. He's got incredible depth of soul."

Nick Wechsler – 'The Road'
Interview with Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Contender
Emmanuellevy.com
3 September 2009



'Viggo is just the coolest guy. It's hard to say too much about how cool he is. If you spend enough time with people they will do something to piss you off, or that shows them to be just a normal human being, but I think Viggo does like to push himself to be just the best person he can, and that comes across. If you believe in reincarnation, he does seem to be quite far along his line. He does seem to have learned a lot of lessons, and seems quite old and wise. But he's not a serious fuddy-duddy. He'll go surfing with us, and he likes to go out at night and have some drinks.'

Billy Boyd
Lone Star
By Peter Ross
Sunday Herald, 2004



We like Mortensen because he shows us how to be.

Viggo Mortensen, the Unlikely Leading Man
New York Times
By Thessaly La Force
15 October 2018

I loved Viggo’s comment about his flip phone in this week’s Q CBC interview. Indeed, it’s still working, so why throw it out? It’s just a functional item and Viggo has never been one to follow trends or live with his phone constantly in his hand. In some ways he is beautifully ‘old-fashioned’ in the best sense of the word. He still treasures things that our fast-paced, crazy world under-values and is increasingly leaving behind. He still believes in being in the moment without distraction, in having some silence in which to gather your thoughts, in the slower consideration of a hand-written letter, in the living experience of being in a cinema with others. It’s one of the reasons we love him, isn’t it?



Image Rich Polk.
© Getty Images for IMDb.


He's still the proud owner of a flip phone, his one Luddite pleasure (well, aside from sending postcards to friends), and is in the midst of a self-made avalanche of responsibilities: an upcoming film he's directing, a publishing house he runs, a new book of Spanish poetry he's releasing.

He knows himself: "If I added social media and Instagram and Twitter, I'd never get anything done."

Finally, an Oscar for Viggo? Mortensen shines a light on 1960s-era racism in 'Green Book'
By Andrea Mandell
USA Today
15 November 2018



“It’s still working so why throw it out?”

Viggo Mortensen on his flip phone
Q CBC Interview
12 September 2020



Viggo Mortensen, who seems only loosely tied to modern life at the best of times...

Helen O'Hara
Empire Magazine
18 August 2016



People today are much less present in spite of being hyper-connected. You see people in the street absorbed in their cell-phone; there’s plenty of time for that message. What’s more important than now?

Viggo Mortensen: "The feeling of the absurd is something that's constant with me"
By Ima Sanchis - translated by Ollie and Zoe
La Vanguardia
8 October 2015



"…there is something to be said for being isolated and out of phone range, because you can fall into a habit to such a degree that you don’t even realise that you’ve lost something: silence."

Viggo Mortensen's grand plan
Telegraph Men’s Style Magazine
By Sheryl Garratt
26 March 2013



'He's never different,' the guitarist says. There's a long silence. 'He doesn't seem like he belongs in this time.'

Buckethead on Viggo
Eats Roadkill, Speaks Danish, by Amy Wallace
Esquire magazine
March 2006



Correspondence greatly occupied Freud and Jung. One no longer writes many letters today. Do you?

Yes, I still do. And when I do, people are surprised to receive them. It's becoming rare. Almost exotic. But I like it, yes.

Viggo Mortensen in the Shoes of Dr. Freud
By Nicolas Crousse
Le Soir – translated by Dom
4 September 2011



In our relentlessly tech-driven age, the actor, now 57, feels strongly about the importance of the written word.

"Oh yeah,'' he says. "The written word and even the handwritten word. I still send postcards. I hope that it never becomes entirely impossible to put a letter in a mailbox and have it arrive magically on the other side of the world.'' And for all its benefits, he says technology — the harmful effects of which are alluded to in the film — may be shrinking our attention spans: "Sometimes, yeah. I think people are less patient and their attention span [is shorter]. It also goes with movie going culture. It's less frequent that people will sit for two hours or three hours and watch a movie that unfolds slowly and in a complex way. Same with novels and poems. People are maybe less patient.''

Viggo Mortensen goes off the grid for film Captain Fantastic
Rosemary Neill
The Austrailian
19 August 2016



...he’s still in love with old-school cinema.

“I’m sort of old-fashioned in that I don’t think a movie is fully realized until people have paid a few bucks to go into a room and sit down together, with strangers,” he said. “I think there’s something about that that’s different. You can sort of simulate that in your house, but there’s something about the movie house, the movie theater, that I think is valuable. I hope it never completely goes away.”

How Viggo Mortensen learned to be captain of 6 kids onscreen
Moira Macdonald
Seattle Times
8 July 2016



"I doubt that I will ever watch a movie on a mobile phone."

A Minute with Viggo
Viggo-Works
7 October 2015



Lately, he's repaired his analog cameras and has gone back to shooting film. "Nothing against digital photography," he says, "but I love those old cameras, and I love film.”

The Book of Viggo
By Shana Nys Dambrot
LA Weekly
1 November 2018



Viggo Mortensen, Oscar-nominated star of the new film "Captain Fantastic," said he hasn't played [Pokemon Go] but his son has explained it to him and he doesn't judge it.

"When I do have a little bit of free time, there are other things that I personally would like to do (rather) than that. But I can understand it's a fad," he said. "It probably won't last forever but people are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, chasing these illusions.

"But they're also having fun. There's no point in being judgmental about it. I don't have a criticism, I just think it's amusing."

News1130
25 July 2016



"I've chosen to live a certain way, and I don't want that to change," offers Mortensen by way of explanation. "I like being detached from the constant feed of phone calls and news and entertainment. So much of it is based on selling you something. If you turn on the television, if it's not the ads, it's somebody with an agenda, trying to get some political message across, or force some opinion on you. I know there are some good things on there too - The Simpsons, Sopranos, whatever - but I just feel my time is better spent reading a book, or drawing, just creating something."

Long Live the King
By Paul Byrne
Wow.ie
April 2004



I bet the guy even turns off his cell phone in movie theatres.

Movie review: The Road will rivet you
Marshall Fine
Huffington Post
25 November 2009

After Viggo’s eyes, you’d think people would comment most about that distinctively dimpled chin, but no. It’s his cheekbones. Watching the trailer for Falling I was struck again by how chiselled his features are (I know, I was probable concentrating on the wrong thing). He has a bone structure that age will never wither. His cheekbones have been described as lemon-juicers, bookshelves, bacon slicers and arrowheads. They came most into their own in Eastern Promises where they probably should have had their own acting credit…



© Focus Features.


There is nothing fierce about him except his cheekbones.

The Brain Dane
By Ariel Leve
The Sunday Times
30 November 2003



His face is strangely feline in its geometry, heart shaped, the sharp lines of his cheekbones framing his blue eyes. Even when he is covered in dirt or sweat or blood (or sometimes all three), he’s still in possession of a dignity that few other actors can rival.

Viggo Mortensen, the Unlikely Leading Man
New York Times
By Thessaly La Force
15 October 2018



As Frankie, Mortensen has a plum role for an actor starting out and grabs it with both hands. Deploying that unsettling stare and those bacon-slicer cheekbones for the first time, he creates a memorably feral, seductive and unpredictable lost soul with a capacity to switch from charm to menace in an instant that brings to mind a young Kirk Douglas.

The Indian Runner (1991) Film Review
By Jeff Robson
Eye for Film
14 September 2011



Mortensen's performance is astounding. Looking a lot more like Gollum than Aragorn, he's shaggily bearded, smeared in grime and shockingly thin, with cheekbones like lemon juicers and teeth like the visual aids in a school anti-smoking lecture? Viggo Mortensen gives a three-dimensional performance in 'The Road' that needs no 3D glasses.

Nicholas Barber
The Independent
10 January 2010



Mr. Mortensen has bladelike, Slavic cheekbones, the most jutting movie chin since Kirk Douglas's and icy blue eyes that can seem soulful one minute and menacing the next. He also has a compact, chiseled physique that looks great adorned with Russian mob tattoos.

Big Gun Takes on the Apocalypse
Charles McGrath
New York Times
10 September 2009



He is not a man who can walk into a room unnoticed. His father, also called Viggo, is Danish, and Mortensen has inherited his northern European features - the bowed brow and arrowhead cheekbones.

Lone Star
By Peter Ross
Sunday Herald
Dorchester, UK
11 April 2004



It does not hurt that, alone among the multinational leads, he manages a persuasive Russian accent--nor that, with his extraordinary looks (those cheekbones could have been cut by a jeweler) and athlete's physique, he all but demands the camera's attention.

Reviewer talking about Eastern Promises
Christopher Orr
TNR Online



Have there ever been so many chiseled features on one big screen? You could sharpen knives with their stony cheekbones.

Reviewer talking about Appaloosa
New York Magazine
By Logan Hill
24 August 2008



Viggo Mortensen is a serious and impassioned actor whose apparent severity extends to his Nordic features: he has hard blue eyes, and a pair of cheekbones that could double as bookshelves.

Viggo Mortensen: A Method Actor in Middle-Earth
by Ryan Gilbey
The Independent.uk, 2001



Viggo Mortensen is not about the words. He's about being... present. .......
......Mortensen's an actor I'm content just to watch: Those riven cheeks, taut against blade-sharp cheekbones, features that gift golden hour. He quietly inhabits the role of Frank Hopkins....

Ray Pride
Movie City News
Review Date: March 4, 2004



But even his fatigue did not disguise his almost unfair handsomeness, which manifested itself in extremely chiseled cheekbones and jaw, in silky hair that fell over his forehead, and in eyes of ice-blue. Sadly, the fetching stubble and flowing hairstyle that he wears as Aragorn were absent, along with the swashbuckling cloak, but you can't have everything.

The Man Who Would Just As Soon Not Be King
Sarah Lyall
New York Times
7 September 2003
New York Times



On Monday, Viggo Mortensen stood, somewhat nervously, in Brookline to collect the ninth annual Coolidge Award, an honor that has in previous years gone to Meryl Streep and Thelma Schoonmaker for contributions to film. At the Coolidge press conference, Mortensen appeared charismatic but enigmatic, a clear reflection of the stern commitment to authenticity and humility that garnered him the award. At the same time, however, Mortensen's high cheekbones shadowed twenty years off of his age and gleamed with Tolkien's same childish voracity to absorb and preserve the richness of humanity.

The Profundity of Viggo Mortensen
By Michela Smith
Daily Free Press
8 March 2012



DC: I don't think of you as an American. As I said when we did History Of
Violence, I could tell that you were actually Russian-it's obvious from your
cheekbones. I doubt that you'll be able to play any other kind of role now.
They'll say, "You can't cast Mortensen as an American - he's so foreign?..

- I thought it was incredibly bold of me to cast you as an American in
History Of Violence.

VM: Well, yeah, but it was a twisted view of America.

A Conversation Between David Cronenberg And Viggo Mortensen: The Interview
Transcribed by Patches
28 Sept 2007

It looks like Viggo and Lisandro Alonso will be working together again and making more movie magic – their last collaboration produced the incredible journey that became Jauja. And this time we even have a name before filming: Eureka. Viggo was deeply involved with the creative process in Jauja and also took on the role of Producer. For Lisandro this was the first film in which he had worked with a professional actor rather than local amateurs, and the result was so extraordinary and original that festival critics were blown away. Let's take a look back at the film and their highly creative partnership.



Image Guadalupe Gaona.
© 4L Productions.


Some months ago, unthinkable, unpredictable news appeared: the famous American (and Danish) actor, Viggo Mortensen, the one from The Lord of the Rings, would be the star of the new Lisandro Alonso film, still untitled, spoken in Danish...

The Lord of Independence
By Roger Koza - translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
La Voz
7 April 2013



Few stars of his stature would consider such a low-budget arthouse film in a foreign language - let alone co-produce it, be able to act in both Spanish and Danish, and be prepared to sport such spectacularly awful whiskers.

Viggo Mortensen shows his independent side
by Demetrios Matheou
Herald Scotland
4 March 2015



Why Viggo?

For me, it was ever since I saw the film he made with Cronenberg, A History of Violence. I really liked him as an actor. Then I met him in 2006, in Toronto for the film festival, and we just spent a couple of minutes together at a party. I'd never before worked with actors, because I thought… Well, I have some wrong ideas about some of them. [Laughs] Not all of them, but some of them.

Lisandro Alonso
Lisandro Alonso On "Jauja," Viggo Mortensen, and Narrative Mysteries
By Luke Goodsell
Movie Mezzanine
17 March 2015



… he gave me a San Lorenzo pin - he's always going around giving people those things. I liked him very much; right then I realized that we could treat one another as equals.'

Lisandro Alonso
"It´s a mixture of spaces, times and languages."
By Diego Brodersen - translated by Ollie and Zoe
Pagina 12



'He's a great actor and I'm a new guy, in terms of actor's stuff, so I think I had to sit down and learn from him. I didn't speak that much, and I think Viggo knows 100 percent how to interpret this guy.'

Lisandro Alonso
Lisandro Alonso On "Jauja," Viggo Mortensen, and Narrative Mysteries
By Luke Goodsell
Movie Mezzanine
17 March 2015



The actor acknowledges that working with a director known for his off-the-grid methods – such as using primarily with non-professional actors – was a bit of an adjustment. "It took a little getting used to," he says. "For one scene I asked Lisandro who was doing the continuity on the set, and he asked me, 'What's that?' The way he works, he's never had to worry about things like that before."

Adam Nayman
Globe and Mail
9 September 2014



'He was the first one to wake up and try to organize the crew. I really learned a lot from him. He's a worker, you know, a machine, all the time thinking good things for the project. Sometimes he was too much for me, because I was not used to that. I was used to working with people who don't know how to read or write, you just organized a little bit of the frame, and that was it. But with Viggo, you have to talk about why you wanna do that, in terms of where to put the camera and the lights, you know.'

Lisandro Alonso
Lisandro Alonso On "Jauja," Viggo Mortensen, and Narrative Mysteries
By Luke Goodsell
Movie Mezzanine
17 March 2015



"I´d say, [he was] thinking about the film 24 hours a day."

Lisandro Alonso
"It´s a mixture of spaces, times and languages."
By Diego Brodersen - translated by Ollie and Zoe
Pagina 12
27 October 2013



Lisandro Alonso says that, during the shoot, you'd knock on his door at 7:30 in the morning to suggest ideas to him. Are you an interventionist actor who constantly contributes ideas?

Yes, you have a limited window of time to say something that you hope lasts and you have to make the most of the opportunity. And with an open director, like Lisandro, it's much easier. He can make use of whatever he likes.

Viggo Mortensen: "People don't think of me only as Aragorn."
By Àlex Montoya - translated by Ollie and Zoe
Fotogramas
23 September 2014



'We didn't have much film. We were shooting it on real film and we had a limited amount, so in the latter stages of the shoot we were down to short ends and that was clear. I'd ask, "Well, how much [film] do you have left?" And [Alonso] would say, "Well I have a piece about a minute or less, and one that's about 39 seconds." And I'd tell him, "Well, at a quick trot to cross that piece of ground, 39 seconds would be cutting it a little close so save that longer bit for the next scene."'

Viggo Mortensen Tells Us Why He Hasn't Done Blockbusters Since 'Lord Of The Rings'
LAist.com
By Carman Tse
19 March 2015



It was interesting to work with a director who does long shots, without being afraid of the calmness and the length of time: in front of the camera, everything you do becomes interesting. It's the first time that he was using professional actors, but in the film, we don't look like actors, we just look like people. People who are having real experiences. In these conditions, it's impossible to make a mistake. It's a strange feeling as an actor. What you do will be in the film. That gives you confidence and peace of mind.

Viggo Mortensen: "If The Lord of the Rings can win 12 Oscars, I don't see why Avatar wouldn't win the Oscar for best film."
By Eric Vernay - translated by Donna Marie
Premiere (France
21 May 2014



Mortensen and Lisandro are obviously more concerned with art than commerce. Even the way Jauja is presented could alienate, the 4:3 ratio looming like a relic of a bygone age. "The Academy frame was something that happened in the process," explains Mortensen. "When [Lisandro] started looking at the footage the lab had cropped it strangely. He wanted to see more of the sky, and he was concerned about that. So he said, 'Just send it to me so I can edit it.' As soon as he saw it, he realised that's the way it should look, and so he put it together that way."

Viggo Mortensen talks Jauja
By Philip Bagnal
Scannia
11 March 2015
Student
6 April 2015



"Viggo is incredible. He has the triple role of actor, producer and musician and along with that, he was thinking about how to improve the film 24 hours a day. In addition he rigorously corrected every French, English and Danish subtitle."

Lisandro Alonso
The Lord of the Roles
By Pamela Biénzobas - translated by Ollie and Zoe
In-LAN



"What I think is special about Lisandro is that he's able to make a truly original movie, remarkably original, without referencing other filmmakers or other movies, without drawing attention to what he's doing, without showing off. My feeling is that the film is not in any way pretentious, and yet it stands out from all other movies. That's a hard thing to do."

Viggo Mortensen talks Jauja
By Philip Bagnal
Scannia
11 March 2015



I never enjoyed a collective effort more than I did during the ultra-creative, multilingual collaboration we experienced as a team in those beautiful natural landscapes deep in Argentina.

Viggo Mortensen
Something Material
By Viggo Mortensen, Fabián Casas and Lisandro Alonso - translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
Sobrevueloscuervos.com
31 May 2014

Theatre has been very much on my mind lately. My friends and I are all amateur theatre performers and with no sign yet of a sensible way to allow them all to reopen and still fill enough seats to avoid a massive loss, we are missing our acting and singing! Live theatre is special. It's dangerous – you never know what might happen or what a fellow actor may suddenly improvise. You never know how the audience will react to any scene or line - it varies from night to night. You never know what you might have to do when something goes wrong (I once spent most of an act on stage holding up a piece of scenery…). But you can never forget how wonderful it is, for audience and performer, when it goes right. I wish Viggo had done more theatre, especially after his early success in 'Bent', but cinema called. At least we have his performance in Purgatorio, a very difficult two-handed which presents the actors with enormous challenges…



https://www.viggo-works.com/webpageimages/6purg.jpgImage Andrés de Gabriel.
© Teatro Español.


What brought you to theatre? "Fear. I've done theatre because it frightens me. I'm attracted to everything that frightens me… It's a new adventure every night. If you get off track, you have to see how to get back."

Viggo Mortensen: "I'm attracted to what scares me"
By Roció García - translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
El País
24 November 2011



"[Dorfman] sent me a version of the play. It's a play that has been evolving. It was performed in a theater workshop, I think in Seattle, in the northwestern United States, for the first time and it's been attempted several times. Ariel says, more or less in jest, that it's a cursed play, that every time he tries to put it on in a, shall we say, legitimate theater, it doesn't work. Someone gets sick, something happens, somebody leaves, and there's been a long journey for us, too, before arriving here."

"La Ventana" with Viggo and Carme
By - transcribed by Ollie and translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
Cadena SER
23 November 2011



The whole process of the [Purgatorio] rehearsals that were so difficult up till now, with a very complicated script, has been a very interesting education for me. I´ve liked this very much and, up to a certain point, it heals, improves my perspective as an actor, as a person.

Viggo Mortensen
Inside The Dressing Room
By - transcribed by Ollie and translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
El Mundo
15 December 2011



'[It's] been a tough but rewarding challenge after more than 20 years not doing a play. Tough subject, difficult script to memorize and present.'

Viggo Mortensen on Purgatorio
Viggo Mortensen Talks Working With Kristen Stewart in On the Road
by Allie Merriam
Buzz Sugar
29 November 2011



"It's just two characters, and it's an hour and 45 minutes," he said, with no intermission. "Any mistake you make is live, and it can go off the rails," he said. "Also, in the script, there's a lot of repetition and a lot of strange things about time."

Viggo Mortensen interview
By Chris Brock
Watertown Daily Times
20 November 2011



Sometimes, during rehearsals, I have thought that I've been an idiot to get into this theatrical challenge, but then the doubt, the insecurity go away and I keep enjoying what I´m learning from my colleague Carme Elías, and from our director, Josep María Mestres. Ariel Dorfman´s script is demanding, but it´s full of little gifts that keep coming to you…

Viggo Mortensen: "Sometimes I have thought that I´ve been an idiot to get into this theatrical challenge"
By Liz Perales - translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
El Cultural
31 October 2011



During rehearsals, even in some performances, there are moments in which we say, "Ah, that phrase also means this or it could..." Or, last night, we had quite a laugh there. Also, it's also possible...Or, at times, you cry at one point and during another performance, you don't. I don't know, because the thing is alive."

"La Ventana" with Viggo and Carme
By - transcribed by Ollie and translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
Cadena SER
23 November 2011



I put the script here, although I already know the text. I always have the script backstage. I have this owl with the bracelet in San Lorenzo colors; I touch the two eyes of the owl every night before I go on. I have a photo of San Lorenzo's first championship team in 1923, Father Lorenzo Massa, the Silesian who founded San Lorenzo, I have chocolate. I'm always eating...

Viggo Mortensen
Inside The Dressing Room
By - transcribed by Ollie and translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
El Mundo
15 December 2011



Viggo Mortensen is a better stage than film actor. And not because that medium is bad, but because the nearness of the spectator and the live performance allow one to appreciate more intensely the entire panoply of gestures and intonations that accompany his acting.

An Interpretive Reading
By María Martín - translated by Ollie and Rio
Diario Abierto
14 November 2011



It seems incredible to me that the guy I had seen the day before in Freud´s skin in Cronenberg´s flick was the same actor we had less than a metre away (we were in the first row, facing the stage). He looked like another, completely different person. With another voice, other features, other movements...If this is not a huge actor, I don´t know who could be.

Purgatorio Review
By José Angel Barrueco - translated by Ollie and Rio
Globedia
28 November 2011



The third act, when the cursed lovers meet again, is a beauty. Carme Elías throws herself into the horrifying confession and reaches her emotional height because she captures the duality of this devastated and indomitable woman who wants to begin anew but would return to doing everything she'd done, and Viggo Mortensen is unsurpassable in humanity, contained pain and buried passion.

You and I make four
By Marcos Ordóñez - translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
El País
7 November 2011



"I find peace in Viggo´s eyes. Confronted with the giddiness of the text, you can take risks with him, walk the tightrope."

Carme Elías
Viggo Mortensen And Forgiveness
By Ulises Fuente - translated by Ollie and Rio
La Razón
1 November 2011



"I learned more about acting and thinking on your feet in that play than in my last ten or fifteen years in filming," he says, seriously. "There's no saying cut, you just figure it out; it's like an hour and forty minutes long take. I really loved it, loved the connection with the audience."

Viggo's round-table at the Freud Museum
by Lucy Wiles
Felix Films
10 February 2012

At the beginning of July we had a belated review in Flood Magazine of Viggo and Buckethead’s collaboration Pandemoniumfromamerica headed ‘It’s Time to Talk About Viggo Mortensen and Buckethead’s Collaborative Album. Well, I think it’s time to ‘Quotable’ again about their experimental music making. Though not quite my thing (I have tried), I do admire the sheer guts it takes to just have fun, muck about, remove all limits and just see what happens. It’s really creativity at it’s most raw.



]©TDRS Music/unknown


[Pandemoniumfromamerica] is endlessly unsettling—it sounds more convincingly apocalyptic than the adaptation of The Road Mortensen would shoot six years later. It doesn’t get much more skin-crawlingly weird than hearing Viggo whisper William Blake’s America a Prophecy over his own atonal piano and aimless harmonica on the title track.

It’s Time to Talk About Viggo Mortensen and Buckethead’s Collaborative Album “Pandemoniumfromamerica”
Flood Magazine
by Mike LeSuer
1 July 2020



Taking lyrical cues from William Blake, Rumi, and Jonathan Swift (whose "Holyhead" gets murky, standout treatment), the album could almost be called the dissonant but similarly adventurous Sgt. Pepper of its age...

On Pandemoniumfromamerica
Holding Court with the King: Viggo Mortensen heralds the return of the renaissance man
By Gregory Weinkauf
East Bay Express
2003



"It is a tribute to the memory of the victims of the 11th September tragedy. I wrote the words, but I also used texts that I love very much… It's totally experimental. The Hobbits agreed to join me and it was a lot of fun, we improvised on the spot, we spent our time exchanging instruments. Elijah played the battery and the piano."

Viggo Mortensen on Pandemoniumfromamerica.
A Year in the Life of Viggo Mortensen
by Sophie Benamon
Studio Magazine
2003



"I did some percussion, and Buckethead had this bag of masks, which we all wore while we were playing," Wood says. "It was wild."

Finding Viggo
By Alex Kuczynski
Vanity Fair magazine
January 2004



Ask Mortensen about his Buckethead connection and he'll calmly inquire "Do you know him? Have you seen him play?" Say that you have... and Mortensen's face will light up, excited that he's not the only one hip to the six-string slaughtering of Buckethead.

Viggo Mortensen & Buckethead: The man who portrayed Aragorn talks about recording with the king of horror guitar.
By Spence D.
3 March 2004



“I met [Buckethead] like seven or eight years ago when I’d made a recording of...I’d participated in a poetry recording for children and each poet or writer had to invent something about a theme, well, from Greek mythology. I did something about Poseidon and he put it to music. I listened to the music afterward, when the recording was ready and I asked, “Who’s the guitar player?” Then I called him and we began to work [together].”

Viggo Mortensen
"La Ventana" with Viggo and Carme
By - transcribed by Ollie and translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
Cadena SER
23 November 2011



'I like to play with music. But I would not define myself as a musician, but as a sound modulator. I love to be with musicians and play, to see what comes out from the mess that we do together.’

Viggo Mortensen
The Painter Hero
By Giulia D'Agnolo Vallan
CIAK
March 2002



One listen to The Other Parade, his rereleased 1998 album with Buckethead, ex-wife Exene Cervenka, and a host of others, reveals total artistic fearlessness (Mortensen plays a motorcycle muffler on every track). Its haunting, post-industrial abstractions make Einstürzende Neubauten sound like 'NSync -- and, if taken in the wrong mood, they may encourage a listener to beat on the disc itself. But there's absolutely no lack of energy and presence.

Holding Court with the King: Viggo Mortensen heralds the return of the renaissance man
By Gregory Weinkauf
East Bay Express
2003



You also composed music for a director who normally eschews scores in his films. How did that come about?

I was surprised that Lisandro wanted to use music in this way, as he had never done that in his first four movies. He said toward the end of the shoot that he wanted something lyrical, perhaps played on guitar, for the sequence under the stars, which is an important transition point in the story. He said he did not care if it was modern or period music, that it should not be recognizable. We did not have much of any money left in the budget for this, as we had just enough to complete the shoot and the editing, so, as one possible, free-of-charge option, I sent him some tracks I had previously composed featuring the great guitar player Buckethead.

Lisandro chose two tracks from a record called Please Tomorrow, recorded in 2004.

Mortensen plays a Danish engineer in Patagonia
By Pam Grady
San Francisco Chronicle
13 May 2015



"I think for him, to work with me, I'm obviously not, you know, a professional musician or a professional music producer or anything like that, so I don't work in a conventional way and I don't have set rules for how we are going to do each take or how long its going to be or what approach we are going to take, so I think it's probably refreshing for Buckethead to just go ahead and play. And be safe, he can be safe in making mistakes, doing whatever. I'm never going to make him do something and I would never use something he didn't like so I think its a safe atmosphere for him to be really creative."

Viggo Mortensen on working with Buckethead
CHUD magazine
By John Makarewicz
2004



Being in the studio with him and just spending a day at work, I walk out of there always feeling a little lighter, all my problems and responsibilities just feel a little less daunting somehow. It's like going for a nice walk in the woods. You just feel a little more able to deal with thing 'cause you know that you've used your time well and gotten something special out of the day. I feel that working in the studio and in particular working with him."

Viggo Mortensen & Buckethead: The man who portrayed Aragorn talks about recording with the king of horror guitar.
By Spence D.
3 March 2004



Listening to Viggo Mortensen and Buckethead's renditions of Viggo's works on This That And The Other is to be brought back to the direct immediacy of art and to be given the opportunity to experience a creation firsthand from its creator.

Review: This That And The Other
By Richard Marcus
blogcritics.org
March 20
2007



“He just inspires me and I feel like I can try different things, too or even suggest stuff… He’s great. I’m so glad that in my life I’ve gotten to know him a little and work with him. He’s one of the most original, genuine, most sincere, and most gifted individuals I’ve met in my life. He’s incredible.”

Viggo Mortensen & Buckethead: The man who portrayed Aragorn talks about recording with the king of horror guitar.
By Spence D.
3 March 2004

Having taken a look at Viggo the Woodsman last week, this week I thought we’d revisit Captain Fantastic, a film that tells us that every dream should be taken in moderation. Although Viggo would never be a Ben Cash he was perfect for the role, with his huge array of interests and skills, and his ability to connect with all the youngsters. Filming with him must have been, well, fantastic!



© Bleecker Street.


When he appears, caked in mud, looking like a kind of eco-Rambo, splashing barefoot through a river and cutting the heart out of a deer, you’ll be thinking: Well, that’s just Viggo Mortensen’s life, isn’t it?

Wild man Viggo Mortensen lets it all hang out in Captain Fantastic
Neala Johnson
Herald Sun
8 September 2016



‘He is an extraordinary man, an extraordinary mind. He had many thoughts and notes — great insights — before shooting. And once filming, Viggo contributed an effortless simplicity and deep humanity that, I believe, elevated the film.’

Matt Ross
Cannes Festival
Eugénie Malinjod
20 May 2016



In "Captain Fantastic," he truly does seem like a hunter, in the Hemingway/James Fenimore Cooper sense. He looks like the kind of guy who, yes, would worship Noam Chomsky, but he also looks like the kind of guy who would eat him for breakfast.

The Secret Appeal of ‘Captain Fantastic’: It’s Left-Wing… and Right-Wing
By Owen Gleiberman
Variety
14 July 2016



“When I was preparing for this role, I went back to where I used to live [in northern Idaho] and spent some time there. I ended up driving to Washington from Idaho in a pickup truck filled with all kinds of things I thought might be useful. It looked like something out of The Beverly Hillbillies when I arrived.

Viggo Mortensen
Cannes Press Kit
May 2016



Mortensen says he brought “sleeping bags, a canoe, bicycles, clothing, blankets, books, pots and pans — all things that I knew these people would have”… Most of it made it into the film, including a loud patterned red shirt that the actor had squirrelled away from his 1987 wedding.

In ‘Captain Fantstic,’ Viggo Mortensen found more than a modern-day ‘Mr. Mom’
By Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post
15 July 2016



‘I like gardening and I grow my own vegetables... I could say to Matt, “If it’s this time of year, this is how big the vegetables would be. This is what would grow in such a small clearing.” All those things you only see in passing, but it was important to him and to me that the way this family lives be completely credible.’

Viggo Mortensen goes 'extreme' in 'Captain Fantastic'
Josh Rottenberg
LA Times
30 June 2016



The Lord of the Rings star shows a full complement of skills including driving the family's bus, lighting a fire, playing guitar and rock-climbing.

"To be honest about the climbing scenes, I have a little vertigo," says Mortensen. "It gets me. I’m glad I look like I’m comfortable."

Viggo Mortensen is a marvel in 'Captain Fantastic'
Bryan Alexander
USA Today
19 May 2016



"He's the gentlest man you'll meet, especially with the kids. He's really quiet out in public, but he loved all [us] little ones to pieces. He was hanging around with us all day and telling jokes. He acted like a father figure. He's a great guy."

Nicholas Hamilton
Young Aussie actor Nicholas Hamilton stars with Viggo Mortensen at Sundance
Harry Winsor
If.com.au
15 January 2015



‘...music is when we all would get together. That was at least once a day we'd get together, all of us. We really were jamming and laughing and talking. We'd have something to eat. Okay, let's go! And then we'd start playing. The feeling there was, There's no such thing as making a mistake. We're just playing together. We got better and better and more comfortable with each other...I thought the music was important as an initial bonding thing.’

Viggo Mortensen
'Captain Fantastic': Matt Ross, Viggo Mortensen and the perils of off-the-grid fatherhood
by Michelle Lanz
The Frame
7 July 2016



“W.C. Fields said don’t work with kids or animals, I guess because they’ll upstage you or drive you crazy,” said Viggo Mortensen, with a soft chuckle. “But I’ve always enjoyed it.”

Viggo Mortensen
How Viggo Mortensen learned to be captain of 6 kids onscreen
Moira Macdonald
Seattle Times
8 July 2016



‘For Ben, you can alternate between what a great father and this guy's a maniac.’

Viggo Mortensen Goes Green: ‘I Trust Hillary About as Much as I Trust Donald Trump’
Marlo Stern
The Daily Beast
16 July 2016



"You get the sense [Ben] is watching over them kind of like a wolf parent," says Mortensen. "He is not mean to them but a lot is expected. And you are not going to be getting a lot of sugar with it."

Viggo Mortensen gets dirty to play a 'wolf dad' in Captain Fantastic
by Stephanie Bunbury
Sidney Morning Herald
2 September 2016



“Just because it’s not possible to be a perfect dad or to be Captain Fantastic, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying.”

In ‘Captain Fantstic,’ Viggo Mortensen found more than a modern-day ‘Mr. Mom’
By Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post
15 July 2016



“It was an awesome family of actors. I was so happy watching this movie with all of us together.” Mortensen gestures at the cast, and at the screen that has just delivered a beautiful filmic experience. “I just love this family!”

Captain Fantastic: Viggo Mortensen & Family
by Christine Westwood
FilmInk
11 June 2016



‘[Viggo] demonstrates the aspirations of the movie, what kind of movie are you hoping to make, and for me, I can have no better faith than in Viggo Mortensen.’

Matt Ross
Captain Fantastic: Viggo Mortensen and Matt Ross Interview
Jason Gorber
Dorkshelf.com
14 July 2016

I’m lucky that I have a nice bit of woodland near me. It’s small but somehow feels immense when I walk in it. Trees have that effect on you, and I spend a lot of time there – especially lately - just enjoying the light and the leaves, the rustle of small creatures in the undergrowth and the sound of birds. Viggo is also a man at home in the forest (or occasionally lost in it…) being a woodsman through and through. As he says below, when things are tough “it is enough to walk in the forest to immediately feel better.”



© Karen McDonald.


‘I believe that I'm a man of the hills, the woods, the angry sea, a somewhat solitary guy …’

[I]Viggo Mortensen in Algiers
For It To Rain
By Viggo Mortensen and Fabián Casas - translated by Ollie and Zoe
Sobrevueloscuervos.com
19 October 2013



He smells of woodsmoke, as though he’s just returned from some manly pursuit like chopping logs in a forest. Again, highly possible. He does have a home in the remote mountains of Idaho, surrounded by woods. In fact the scent is wafting from his cup of tea.

Viggo Mortensen is lord of all things
Chitra Ramaswamy
The Scotsman
24 May 2013



“We rented a hotel room for him, but he never stayed there. We just knew he was in the forest somewhere. That kind of commitment really shows in his work.”

Captain Fantastic Producer Lynette Howell Taylor
Viggo Mortensen
Cannes Press Kit
May 2016



“I am a happy man when I am not tied down,” he says, taking a sip of maté. “I don’t have a hidden self, I am not prone to depression. If I feel unwell, it is enough to walk in the forest to immediately feel better.”

Viggo Mortensen, Beautiful Savage
Richard Gianorio
Le Figaro
26 September 2008



Like the philosopher Thoreau, Viggo likes to lose himself in the woods, into the wild, in a trip into nature to find beauty and freedom, and to find the essence of life, as he explains with a deep, quiet voice, between long pauses and a cigarette rolled by himself.

Viggo Mortensen, The Photographer Of Dreams
By Giovanni Valerio - translated by Cindalea
norama First
July 2008



Wandering around the gallery in bare feet sporting a Lord of the Rings shirt, Mortensen describes how one series of photographs on show were a bit of a fluke. Lost 1,2,3 and 4, he jokingly calls them, were taken when he was geographically challenged in the bush on the West Coast one night. The photographs were snapped so that the flash might give him light to get his bearings.

"I eventually had to lie down under a tree for a while till the moon came over me and I could figure out where I was."

Viggo Mortensen at the Massey exhibition, NZ.
Viggo Says Thanks in Pictures
by Bess Mason
Dominion Post, 2003



‘I also like trees in their own right, to be honest, and photographing them is a way of paying them respect and remembering them.’

Skovbo Exhibition Brochure
May/June 2008



“The Danish woods look like Tolkien's, they are the kind that doesn't look dangerous, but if you walk alone by night in the forests of Denmark, you can feel the energies of the past. I felt that already as a child, back then when I played with swords there outside my uncle's farm, played and felt like a Viking.”

Viggo Mortensen
The American Dane
By Susanne Johansson - Translation by Majken Steen Thomassen
Berlingske Tidende
28 November 2001



... I went fishing for the afternoon in the lovely mountains bordering the state of Colorado, in a wonderful river, surrounded by a landscape out of a John Ford movie... I caught a couple of brown trout and a brook trout. Since I wasn´t hungry and had nowhere to keep them until dinner, I let them go. I almost always release what I catch. Tomorrow I will be tired for the shoot, because tonight I will have to drive several hours to reach the next hotel, but I´m happy. The forest, the rivers, being alone in those places, it´s like food to me.

The Past Is In Everything
By Viggo Mortensen and Fabián Casas - translated by Ollie and Zoe
Sobrevueloscuervos.com
19 August 2014



“He has a cabin that looks like it’s out of Lord Of The Rings”, says Currie. “It literally has a tree growing up in the middle of the living room. We had a lot of pizza and watched a lot of Argentinian soccer, drank a few rum and Cokes, and saw a pile of grizzly bears.”

The unlikely trio who brought Oscar contender 'Green Book' to life
Charles Gant
Screen Daily
18 January 2019



“Every tree is something special, just like people are. All different, but... I look at them as I look at people. I get along well with most trees. I don't get into arguments with them, and if I do it's probably my own fault. If I don't watch where I'm going when I'm in the forest, it comes back and smacks me in the nose, and I only have myself to blame.”

RUV Interview
Skovbo Exhibition, Iceland
Translated by Mums
30 May 2008



Even Mortensen's memories of early childhood are deeply spiritual. He tells me about the time he crawled into the woods and fell asleep. "I was sleeping under a tree, and it was very peaceful," he says. "And then a dog started barking, and that's how my parents found me."

You are always escaping, I say.

Yeah, he says. He calls his mother - on my cell phone, because he doesn't have one - to double-check his recollection. "Hi, it's Viggo. Sorry to be calling so late," he says. "Oh shit. You're in the middle of it? That's funny. Is it the tape? [She was watching a tape of The Two Towers.] O.K., sorry, it's just a quick question and then I'll let you get back to what you're doing. Remember there were a couple of times I ran away? And the time the dog came and found me in the woods? How old was I then? About one and a half. O.K. But, anyway, the dog came and found me and I was sitting under a tree? Happy? Sleeping, right?"

Big look of consternation.

"I was sitting in the middle of the woods crying? I thought I was sleeping. Are you sure?"

Finding Viggo
By Alex Kuczynski
Vanity Fair magazine
January 2004



"I can only speak for myself, but I would go crazy if I couldn't get out of the city and go out into the forest for a little while."

Viggo Mortensen talks The Two Faces Of January, singing with Fassbender and throwing a nappy at Al Pacino
by Tom Ward
GQ
16 May 2014

Well – we know there is one thing Viggo won’t have been doing much of over the last few months. Wearing a nice sharp suit. It must be a relief really, speaking as someone who has been living in comfy jogging pants since March, with the occasional nice top for the obligatory Zoom catch-ups. If any of you are missing those snazzy red-carpet outfits, here is a little reminder.



Image Frazer Harrison.
© Getty.


As Viggo Mortensen approaches from the wings of a London cinema lobby, we're agog to see he's wearing a suit. Onscreen, Mortensen often sports long mud-matted hair, casual duds (at best) and can often be found atop a horse. When we meet him, his haircut is tight, he's in a handsome grey check suit, and there's nary a nag to be seen.

Viggo Mortensen Talks Jauja
By Philip Bagnell
Scannian
10 March 2015



'I'm not usually a suit person… You're lucky I'm wearing shoes!'

Viggo Q&A after accepting the Coolidge Award in Boston
Greendragon posting on TORn
6 March 2012



In the flesh, his inscrutability gives off an electric hum. He is soberly dressed - grey suit, sensible shirt - and speaks in hushed, gravelly tones. If you didn't know, and of course you do, you might mistake Mortensen for a visiting academic or a writer.

Understated A-lister Viggo Mortensen tells our reporter about his new cult hit 'Captain Fantastic' - and why it's impossible to be the perfect parent
by Ed Power
Irish Independent
31 August 2016



'I particularly liked the white linen suit that you see in the poster that Chester wears, and in a way that's another character in the movie because the journey of that beautiful cream-coloured linen suit, on the Acropolis in the sunshine in the beginning, this immaculate, perfect, fits perfectly, looks great. You see that suit at the very end of the story, and that suit's been through it, it's a bit torn, it's frayed, it's not as clean as it was, it's suffered almost as much as the man wearing the suit, and it's an interesting journey for that suit. It's interesting to see that sometimes there's an object or set of clothes that has a life of its own, and that's the case with that suit.'

Viggo Mortensen Talks The Two Faces Of January
Adam Miller
Entertainmentwise
15 September 2014



‘There was one occasion where I had a fitting with him in Barcelona but Viggo had just come down with a fever and was completely delirious. He was sweating buckets and he confessed to his girlfriend afterwards that he hadn’t a clue what he was trying on, but he remained professional to the core. I wasn’t aware how bad he was until he confessed to me later that he could have been trying on bin bags for all he’d known.’

The Two Faces Of January
Steven Noble
Esquire Magazine
2014



Viggo Mortensen surely wasn't just cast because he's a great actor; it's because no one can rock a 1960s cream linen suit quite like him.

Leigh Singer
IGN.com
19 May 2014



"It comes from a very good tailor in Boedo, in Buenos Aires. San Lorenzo de Almagro".

Viggo on being asked who tailored his Golden Globes suit
Mortensen highlights his Argentinian team at the Golden Globes
By E J Tamara - translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
Publimetro
16 January 2012



"In [Eastern Promises]," said Cronenberg, "Viggo was wearing Armani. We don't allow him on the street like that, because he can't carry off the class when he's being himself."

Mortensen, director discuss their noirish
Eastern Promises
By Dixie Reid, Sacramento Bee,
12 September 2007



Viggo Mortensen asked to have 6 extra copies of the Monday issue of Ekstra Bladet so that he could send them to his relatives in Denmark and they would be able to see him in his nice red suit at the Gala Premiere for Eastern Promises at the Imperial Cinema

My Heart Beats For Denmark
By Kim Kastrup - translated by Rosen
Ekstra Bladet
25 September 2007



Why, it's Aragorn Powers: International Middle-Earth Man of Mystery!

Comment on the Armani Red Suit worn at the Copenhagen
Eastern Promises Premier
Life&style Magazine
October 2007



Viggo Mortensen stacks his case and suit protector neatly in the corner of the room. The precision of the movement is entirely in keeping with an angular formation of razor cheekbones and sharp suit. We probably shouldn't be surprised the Danish-American-Argentine has this travelling thing down.

The Mad Men
Tara Brady
The Irish Times
10 February 2012



You looked sexy in The Lord Of The Rings...what's your favourite costume?

My birthday suit.

Now that is sexy, no wonder women love you...

If you say so.

60 Seconds With...Viggo Mortensen
Elle
December 2005

With life reduced so much over the last few months it has been very hard not to focus on treats to cheer the day. And by treats, I mainly mean edible goodies. Especially because, for quite a while, the only time I left the house was to buy food while doing an absolutely massive survival shop. Quite a lot of chocolate found its way into the trolley (I’m sure Viggo would approve) along with other stuff that I normally never put in there. Thank goodness lockdown is easing because otherwise I would end up, to quote Viggo, ‘as fat as a tick’. Which is a long way of saying, here is a Quotable all about food. Crickets, hot dogs or a McDonald's french fry anyone?



© Cake Bake Shop.


Just for fun … what is your favorite comfort food?

Hard to choose one, but I can give you four off the top of my head: pickled herring, strong cheddar cheese, dark chocolate, and salted almonds.

Viggo-Works 10th Anniversary Interview With Viggo
By Viggo-Works and Viggo Mortensen
Viggo-Works
30 May 2014



VM: Rabbits sometimes run out in front of your car, right? Well, I hit this rabbit on this lonely road in the South Island and I wanted to make sure it was dead. If it wasn't, I'd put it out of its misery. And it was quite dead, so I thought, 'Well, why waste it?' And so I made a little fire and ate it.

Q: Is this something that you thought Aragorn would have done?

VM: As he was driving down the road and if he hit a rabbit? Yeah, he might. If he was hungry, I guess.

The Hero Returns
By Tom Roston
Premiere 2003



"He's just a very simple guy with simple tastes; he doesn't like any luxurious things. I would try to get Viggo to have a decent meal and he would just sit there nibbling on a piece of lettuce, which upset me no end."

Omar Sharif
contactmusic.com
5 May 2004



Here were all the toy soldiers, ineffective windshield wipers, first tastes of chocolate, wine, asparagus, venison, trout, chalk, ants, a Big Mac, dirt, dandelion stem, unsweetened yerba maté, duck, beer, snow, blood...

Viggo Mortensen on his lost notebooks
Introduction to Best American Non-Required Reading
Houghton Mifflin, 2004



Mortensen, 60, who is Dutch-American, recalls flying in from his home in Spain to meet Tony Lip’s descendants [for Green Book] at a New Jersey red-sauce joint still owned by the family.

And the Italian food just kept coming. “Oh my God," he says. "The first thing was, 'Let’s go to the kitchen and have (Tony's wife) Dolores’ meatballs.' But I was already full. I hadn’t gained all that weight or expanded my stomach (yet).” Then came the antipasti, and a second course, and a third. Mortensen struggled to finish his plate. “And then they’re looking at me like, 'He doesn’t like it.' ... 'No, no! It’s great!’ ”

Afterward, “I made a good show of going out to my rental car and getting in it, and I just drove around the corner and parked, cranked the seat back, undid my belt and laid there for an hour,” he says with a grin.

Finally, an Oscar for Viggo? Mortensen shines a light on 1960s-era racism in 'Green Book'
By Andrea Mandell
USA Today
14 November 2018



If there were Oscars for eating hot dogs, Viggo Mortensen’s would win this year’s award hands down…

Geoffrey McNab
The Independent
30 January 2019



“It was a lot of fun putting it on, but less fun taking it off.”

Viggo on putting on weight for the film
3 things to know before road-trip flick ‘Green Book’ pulls into town
By Susan Wloszczyna
Gold Derby
7 November 2018



The comfortable rapport between the young Australian and the seasoned Mortensen was on display as the duo described pre-production bonding activities, including a visit to an anatomy exhibit that featured real human bodies and a trip to a Mexican restaurant in Pittsburgh to sample edible crickets and worms.

Viggo Mortensen and young co-star trade barbs, discuss bleak film The Road
By Cassandra Szlarski
The Canadian Press
13 September 2009



They later found packages of edible dried insects in a local shop - crickets and maggots in either chilli or salt and vinegar flavours. We decide to use the chilli crickets for the movie.

The Road - John Hillcoat's Diary
By John Hillcoat
Sunday Telegraph
3 January 2010



'The McDonald's french fry is unbelievable. When you bite into it, you think: It's so tasty, it can't be real. As soon as it gets cold, it turns to lard and flubble. I mean, have you ever tried to eat a McDonald's french fry that's gone cold? That's one of the circles of hell. The gulf between the warm, fresh, lightly salted McDonald's french fry and the cold McDonald's french fry is as great a gulf as any I know.'

Viggo Mortensen
What I've Learned
By Cal Fussman
Esquire.
23 April 2015



"I like to live dangerously. Last night I was quietly at home, cooking a meal of chicken, onions and garlic, Cuban style, and then here I am today facing a pack of journalists."

Viggo Mortensen Talks About "Jauja" and "Far from Men"
By Martin Dale
Variety
7 December 2014



"After the first day of shooting on the set of Jauja, the whole team had dinner together. Viggo was enjoying himself, we talked about this and that, but when we had finished eating and the dishes had been removed, he disappeared. After a while we started speculating where he was. Had any of us said something inappropriate? We found him in the kitchen doing the dishes."

Lisandro Alonso
Euroman
11 August 2015



...we had this two-day, one-night wilderness survival camp [for Captain Fantastic], with just the six of us kids and a guide,” she said. “We each were given a knife and had to figure out how to survive. We had to track down our food, purify water, build a shelter. I love being outdoors, but this was pretty extreme.”

“We were building fires because in the forest it was so incredibly dark,” Isler said. “All of a sudden, we heard these sounds and saw this shape coming toward us through the forest. It was Viggo, who said he wanted to bring us beef jerky and dried cherries. And we were all like, ‘How in the world did you find us?’ ”

Tulsa teen actress Samantha Isler talks about her role in 'Captain Fantastic'
By James D Watts Jnr
Tulsa World
29 July 2016



This myth of the poor lonesome cowboy, the guy who has no need of others to be happy, is it really a trick to attract women?

On the contrary! Each time I have tried to charm them with my poetic cowboy side, it's ended in total failure. To seduce a woman, food is more effective than poetry. I love to make complex dishes. That always works!

Viggo Mortensen
Grazia Magazine
Translated by Chrissiejane
December 2009



I would make a giant salad from my own garden, provide good home-baked bread, and, to be safe and not offend anyone, a big rice dish with options of meat and vegetarian, with lots of hand-picked forest mushrooms in both. Also oven-baked potatoes, carrots, garlic, turnips, onions. For those interested, I'd provide fresh-caught wild rainbow trout and salmon, grilled with a bit of lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. Blackberries, raspberries, thimbleberries, blueberries, huckleberries, apples, plums, wild grapes, and whatever else I could find in my ideal orchards and surrounding forest. Lots of good water from a spring, and plenty of red and white wine from Spain, Argentina, Italy, France, and New Zealand.

Viggo saying what he would cook for historical figures invited to a dinner party
Viggo-Works 10th Anniversary Interview With Viggo
By Viggo-Works and Viggo Mortensen
Viggo-Works
30 May 2014



When news of his [Green Book Oscar] nomination came in this morning, his Toronto production staff brought him a “big, huge box of fried chicken” for lunch, as a way of congratulating him. “A nice joke,” he laughs — one that people who’ve seen the movie will appreciate. “I’m going to tear into that now.”

Viggo Mortensen Reflects On The Twists & Turns Of His ‘Green Book’ Journey As He Preps His Directorial Debut
by Matt Grobar
Deadline.com
23 January 2019

As this is Aragorn Week, we are staying with Strider and the huge impact Viggo had on the production and everyone around him. Can anyone imagine the films without him? Certainly not the cast, production team and crew. Viggo became the glue that held the team together through tough times. The carer that cheered everyone up and encouraged them, a support to Peter and Fran through his dedication to Tolkien, and an inspiration to young actors with his incredible commitment to the film and his work ethic. If Aragorn is the hero who got the Fellowship of the Ring to the Black Gate, then Viggo is the hero who got the Fellowship of the Film to the end of filming.



© New Line Productions Inc.


We knew we were blessed in having Viggo - who is part-Danish descent - step into the role of Aragorn when he arrived carrying a copy of the Volsunga Saga that he had taken from his bookshelf! Viggo not only has an actor's sense of bringing his character to life, but also an innate understanding of 'the warrior code' and Tolkien's philosophy of heroism.

Philippa Boyens
The Making of the Movie Trilogy



'Viggo came late to the project, but he brought a dedication and an understanding of the role that became an example, particularly to the younger cast members. You have to remember that this was Orlando Bloom's first movie. Not only was Viggo valuable in his performance, but he was valuable as a leader of the cast.'

Barrie Osborne
The Lord of the Rings: The Untold Story
By Ian Nathan
Empire
December 2004



"He got this reputation as an eccentric because he would carry his sword around, but I found it quite inspiring. There was a glimmer in his eye - he was aware of how other people were perceiving him - but he really reawakened in me a sense of the possibilities of what it can be as an actor enjoying a role."

Sean Astin
A Fantastic Leap of Faith
by Brent Simon
Entertainment Today, 2001



"At the end of shooting one day, we went out and had a drink and Viggo was just so encouraging of everybody he'd worked with, including the extras. He always had a kind word to say to everyone. And I don't know anyone who has a bad word to say about him. He bought flowers for all the extras on one incredibly rainy day. He was just really generous with his time but he never talked himself up. He's quite shy about talking about his own achievements. They were really lucky they got him for this. He kind of makes the film for me."

Jed Brophy
Viggo Mortensen
by Desmond Sampson
Pavement #62, 2003



Mortensen's humility and generosity turned his Rings co-stars into some of his biggest fans. They tell you of the time when a snowstorm shut down production. The cast was being transported to safety when Mortensen seized a four-wheel drive vehicle and drove back to the set in order to save the hobbits' four-feet-tall scale doubles from getting snowbound.

The Hero Returns
By Tom Roston
Premiere
January 2003



“There is quiet leadership to him, and it's not intentional, and I think it's simply because he takes care of the people around him."

Wood praises Viggo for quite some time, in these and other ways. Then he interrupts himself, concerned that he is not doing justice to the full complexities of his colleague's character. "We're talking about how much integrity he has and how brilliant he is," says Wood. "He's also completely insane."

Elijah Wood
The Rebel King
By Chris Heath
GQ magazine, 2004



"Viggo commits himself to a project with the same intensity as the filmmakers - which is rare for an actor," the director says. "After the end of a long day's shooting, when all the other cast would be either in bed or in the bar, [partner and co-screenwriter Fran Walsh] and I would be home grappling with the script for the next week's shooting. At midnight, a nine-page handwritten memo would come rattling through the fax from Viggo, outlining his thoughts about that day's work and the next few days to come. He would suggest passages from the book we should look at. This wasn't an exception - over 15 months it became the rule. In the small hours, it was actually comforting to know there was somebody else out there grappling with the same nightmare that we were."

Peter Jackson
The Hero Returns
By Tom Roston
Premiere 2003



"For our love scenes, he would come to me the night before and say he wanted to change all the lines to the Elvish language. He was trying to make that connection stronger, and I thought it was beautiful that they'd speak Elvish to each other because it adds a layer to their history that you wouldn't otherwise see."

Liv Tyler
Mellow Warrior
By Anthony Breznican
South Coast Today
15 December 2003



“…as an actor you can't wish to work with anyone more truthful and more honest than him. He brings an incredible pathos to the role, and I was so pleased to be doing scenes with him."

Sean Bean
A Fantastic Leap of Faith
by Brent Simon
Entertainment Today, 2001



“I’ve been thinking about how much of an influence [Viggo] was on me. He’s so dedicated, disciplined and talented. He taught me a lot. And it was only afterwards that I realised it. It’s funny: you look back on these things 10 years later and ask yourself, ‘Who had a major impact on me?’ As an actor, it was Viggo. I was unpacking a load of boxes recently, recounting old memories, and I remembered how lucky I was that he was around me at that time.”

Orlando Bloom
April 2011
Shortlist.com



"I read an article that said, 'Finally, someone's found the niche for Viggo Mortensen: the rugged hero who has a deep intellect and a great humanity’. That's what Aragorn is, because Viggo has brought that to it. He's very like that as a human being."

Bernard Hill
It's Good to be "King"
by Susan Wloszczyna
USA Today, 2003



“I really don't know what happened myself, but I lost myself completely in the role. I am a man who likes to withdraw into solitude and take long hikes in the woods and mountains. So was Aragorn. We fitted perfectly together.”

Viggo Mortensen
The Lord of the Rings: The Untold Story
By Ian Nathan, Empire
December 2004



"One of the things that appeals to Viggo about Aragorn is that he's not just an action hero," Mr. Jackson continued. "In his own way, Aragorn is just as thoughtful as Viggo. There's a reluctance on his part to become the king he was meant to be. In a sense, that mirrors Viggo's reluctance to become a movie star."

Peter Jackson
The Man Who Would Just As Soon Not Be King
By Sarah Lyall
New York Times, 2003



"In a story like Lord of the Rings, whether the Ring and Sauron are evil is incidental to me. Even if we were not to get the Ring anywhere near Mount Doom. Even if we all died. It doesn't really matter," Mortensen says. "It's the fact that everybody got together and decided to go on this trip. That's the thing. That's the miracle."

Viggo Mortensen
The Hero Returns
By Tom Roston
Premiere 2003

Hasn't it been wonderful to see the LOTR cast back together again for Josh Gad’s ‘One Zoom to Rule Them All’? But of course, Viggo nearly wasn’t amongst them. And I’m not talking about the Zoom reunion but the actual films. Trilogy fans could just have easily been watching them all joshing and reminiscing with Stuart Townsend. Luckily for Tolkien and us, Peter and Fran had the guts to admit a mistake and Fate was kind. After all, there is only One Aragorn to Rule Them All!



© New Line Productions Inc.


Shortly after filming began it was decided that actor Stuart Townsend had been miscast in the role of Aragorn. While mutually agreed, the timing of the decision to recast could scarcely have been worse: Stuart had been preparing with the rest of the Fellowship actors and filming was due to begin on the scenes in which the Hobbits first encounter Aragorn (as Strider) at the Prancing Pony in Bree.

Executive Producer Mark Ordesky takes up the story: "I was in London when I got the call from Peter... We had five days in which to find and cast the right person, make the deal and get him on a plane for New Zealand-for fifteen months! That is an inherently dramatic situation."

For Mark, there was only one contender for the role of Aragorn-Viggo Mortensen: "My wife had seen Viggo in Crimson Tide and pushed me and harangued me to track him down and meet with him. Viggo doesn't 'do lunch' with Hollywood 'suits,' but eventually I got to meet with him and afterward told Peter that I was passionate about finding an opportunity to work with Viggo."

A year later that opportunity arose, but it took brinkmanship to win the day: "We got a script to Viggo and his reaction was to say no! It took three more days to convince him. At the eleventh hour, Viggo Mortensen arrived in Wellington, joined the already bonded cast and stepped into filming almost as unexpectedly as his character, the mysterious and unknown Strider, appears in the story.

The Making of the Movie Trilogy
By Brian Sibley
Harper Collins
2002



"I guess in the end I did it because I would feel that I had been chicken shit really. I had to leave the next day, so I'm on the plane reading, looking at this gigantic book and thinking, 'What the hell have I done?"

Viggo Mortensen
The Man Who Would Be King
by Nick Dent
Black & White magazine 2001



We knew we were blessed in having Viggo - who is part-Danish descent - step into the role of Aragorn when he arrived carrying a copy of the Volsunga Saga that he had taken from his bookshelf! Viggo not only has an actor's sense of bringing his character to life, but also an innate understanding of 'the warrior code' and Tolkien's philosophy of heroism.

Philippa Boyens
The Making of the Movie Trilogy



"I started reading the Tolkien book on the plane the next day, and about an hour into it or so, I started to see the first signs of things that I recognized: archetypes and storylines, particularly from Nordic sagas. . . . That put me somewhat at ease, and realizing that I was going to get to be part of this saga and be some sort of Viking warrior - a heroic character with all the flaws and self-doubt that the best of those saga heroes had."

Viggo Mortensen
Playing the Hero Suits Mortensen Fine
Philadelphia Enquirer, 2002



And Viggo came on quite late. I'm sure you were designing for Stuart Townsend then?

It was terrifying. I didn't know Viggo. It had been a pretty difficult time working with Stewart and the original design for the costume of Aragorn - the costume when working with Stewart went through a number of radical changes. At the very end of that process, it became again the original costume. And that's only something you discover when you find those old drawings again.

It was something that I really loved. And suddenly, they were like, "Well, Stewart's gone - now we have this guy." So the week before shooting, Viggo walked into my covered wardrobe dressing room and neither of us was saying very much. He's a very quiet person and sometimes I'm a very quiet person - particularly over issues like that. We were like, "I'll get you to put this on and we'll see what happens."

I was standing there and my heart was in my mouth - I was willing to start the process again because I know how much it matters. You cannot act a role like that without feeling like you were in your second skin as that character. And I was certainly prepared to do it, but there was a part of me that was knew we were knee-deep in trouble.

Viggo paced up and down and said, "Do you think we could just put a few more ties on these boots?" And in that moment - I had known the first time he put that costume on that it was ten times better on him and that was actually to do with the amount of - just Viggo's experience and age and life. He imbued that costume with its own life. The terrifying thing for me was that I might have an actor who simply wanted to get rid of it, but he did not do that.

He just wanted to add to it. I was in love with Viggo from the beginning. (laughs)

Ngila Dickson
DVDFILE.com Interview



Who knows, perhaps it was because [Viggo] washed and repaired Aragorn's clothes himself that he so perfectly came to inhabit them-to a point, indeed, where the costume seemed almost to blend with his body. [pause] You know, I really do think that particular costume is incredibly beautiful. It seems funny, perhaps, to talk about something that is so worn and broken down, so darned and patched, as being beautiful-but it is to me.

Ngila Dickson
The Making of the Movie Trilogy



'When Viggo came in, he fitted the bill perfectly as Aragorn, and he also had great ideas. When he picks up the Hobbits in the first film, he has this small hunting bow and arrows, like someone who lived in the wild would have. But that's not something we had ever thought about designing for Strider. That was Viggo's idea. He came in and started talking about the character, and said, 'If I live out in the wild, I'd have a small hunting bow for catching food. It would never be a big deal, maybe you'd just see it while I'm making a campfire.' We said, 'Yes that makes complete sense, we didn't think of that, so let's make you a bow'. It was always great to have those kinds of discussions with the actors.'

Christian Rivers
Hail To The King
By Lawrence French
Starburst #305, 2003



I didn't envy [Mortensen] when he arrived. Viggo walked into a very tense situation, threw himself into his role amazingly and quickly won the respect of everyone on the crew.

Recalling Viggo's first day on set: The filming was going on at the far end of the [Prancing Pony] set when I noticed this figure in a dark hood, smoking a pipe, sitting in another corner of the set altogether. Then I realized: it was Viggo. He wasn't required in the scene, he was just sitting there, observing the vibe, he was actually being Strider, being the outsider, the lonely man in the corner that no one spoke to.

Costa Botes, Video Documentarian
Official Movie Guide



How do you 'dive' into fight scenes?

Well the first day I met the fight choreographer, Bob Anderson, who's been around a long time - he taught Errol Flynn to fence and represented the UK at the Olympics. I went into this room and there were all these stunt people standing there and screaming and yelling. He had them all pumped-up and he stood me in front of them and said "Okay, go!" And they all started running at me, and I was like, "Holy shit!" He said "stop" and they all stopped. Then he told me: "This is what you're going to be dealing with so let's get to work..." He gave me a sword and it was just, like, crazy for two days. The first thing I did on camera was swordplay and I liked it. It was fun.

The Ranger - Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
by Martyn Palmer
Total Film
2002



The first thing I had to do was a swordfight [the confrontation with the Ringwraiths on Weathertop]. Even before I spoke a single word of dialogue, I was forced to confront the physicality of my character. It was probably helpful to do something physical before speaking. More than for any other character, Aragorn's actions speak for him. His choices, the decisions he makes, his physicality, his body, tell you a lot about him. He's a man who throws himself into situations. Which is why it was good to begin my work with a swordfight.

Viggo Mortensen
Official Movie Guide



"I'm still shocked that that was the first thing he did," says Wood, who had an early dinner with Mortensen during which he found him hard to talk with. "But when he started working, there was no question. This was Aragorn, this was the man who was meant to play this role. We had an immense amount of respect for him being able to jump in so quickly."

Elijah Wood on Viggo shooting the Weathertop battle as his first scene
The Hero Returns
By Tom Roston
Premiere 2003



…at least I didn't have much time to get nervous, which was probably good!

Viggo Mortensen
Official Movie Guide



'Ultimately, you create your own luck. Fate does step in. When we ended up with Viggo, fate was dealing us a very kind hand. Viggo, in hindsight, was the one person who was perfect for this film. He came out of nowhere, and suddenly there was Aragorn.'

Peter Jackson
The Lord of the Rings: The Untold Story
By Ian Nathan
Empire
December 2004

Way back in 2013 I did a Quotable of neat one-liners that I thought summed Viggo up. Well, seven years have passed and there are now more favourites in my collection. Some have done the Quotable rounds a lot in those seven years but I still love them!



Image Simon Lazewski.
© Fotofarm.ie.


He’s a star who doesn’t act like a star, yet everyone in his orbit feels his power.

Joe Morgenstern
Wallstreet Journal
7 July 2016



It’s difficult for things to go wrong when you work with Viggo Mortensen.

David Oelhoffen
Q&A: Viggo Mortensen and David Oelhoffen on ‘Loin Des Hommes’
By Roslyn Sulcas
New York Times
26 August 2014



Viggo Mortensen, as far as I’m concerned, could do a Rubix cube on screen for two hours and I’d still want to watch him…

Metal Gear Solid Movie: Eight Actors Who Could Play Solid Snake
By Liam Hoofe
Flickering Myth
15 September 2017



Mortensen, perhaps the only actor alive who could play Sigmund Freud, William Burroughs and a Middle-earth king...

Uday Bhatia
Live Mint
11 September 2015



Cerebral, spiritual, sex symbol in spite of himself.

Viggo Mortensen: "Travelling is the best anti-war weapon"
By Yetty Hagendorf - translated by Donna Marie
Le Soir (Belgium)
2 February 2015



He’s a regular guy — except he’s not.

Viggo Mortensen, the Unlikely Leading Man
New York Times
By Thessaly La Force
15 October 2018



We like Mortensen because he shows us how to be.

Viggo Mortensen, the Unlikely Leading Man
New York Times
By Thessaly La Force
15 October 2018



Viggo Mortensen is understatement personified.

Understated A-lister Viggo Mortensen tells our reporter about his new cult hit 'Captain Fantastic' - and why it's impossible to be the perfect parent
by Ed Power
Irish Independent
31 August 2016



Viggo Mortensen, who seems only loosely tied to modern life at the best of times...

Helen O'Hara
Empire Magazine
18 August 2016



He seems to be a soul meant to wander the earth in search of universal truth, not discuss Hobbit movies over canapés with journalists.

On interviewing Viggo in a posh hotel
Dr. No: Viggo Mortensen Has Made Turning Down Roles Into an Art Form
By Oliver Jones
The Observer
6 July 2016



Is there a language Viggo Mortensen doesn't speak?

Jill Lawless
Associated Press
2 September 2014



I can have no better faith than in Viggo Mortensen.

Matt Ross
Captain Fantastic: Viggo Mortensen and Matt Ross Interview
Jason Gorber
Dorkshelf.com
14 July 2016



He's prepared a gift bag.

Why Viggo Mortensen Is Off the Grid
By Lisa DePaulo
Esquire
25 May 2016



Mortensen doesn't go in much for trappings. He has a flip phone!

Why Viggo Mortensen Is Off the Grid
By Lisa DePaulo
Esquire
25 May 2016



He has a defiantly-handsome face, with a jaw so well-defined you could carve a roast with it.

Viggo Mortensen talks Jauja
By Philip Bagnal
Scannia
11 March 2015



Is Viggo Mortensen the most interesting man in the world?

Viggo Mortensen: Still here, still fantastic
The Film Experience
By Nathaniel Rogers
24 April 2016



They don’t make them like Viggo Mortensen anymore.

A Reader interview with Viggo Mortensen
By Ben Olson
Sandpoint Reader
13 January 2017



Doesn’t everybody want to be Viggo Mortensen? I do!

Matt Ross
Captain Fantastic: Viggo Mortensen & Family
by Christine Westwood
FilmInk
11 June 2016

I don't know about you, but I've got through so many books since lockdown started. Being able to read for long periods without feeling that I should be off out doing something else has been a real luxury. We can only imagine how many Viggo has read because, as we know, he is a great reader and researcher. He reads to inform himself, for pleasure, to prepare a character, to enrich a film set, and he generously gives books away almost as much as he does chocolate!



© Good Films.


Mortensen - in a well-tailored plaid jacket (no grunge look for him) and looking slighter than he does on screen -- leads the way upstairs to the poetry room. He immediately heads for the used-books bin. "I might find something out of print or something I haven't noticed before," he says, perusing titles with experienced eyes.

King of the big screen a champion of poetry: Blake's poetry makes an impression on Mortensen
By Ruthe Stein
San Francisco Chronicle
20 February 2004



[MattRoss] sent Mortensen a huge box of books of recommended reading, including texts by Tom Brown, the renowned naturalist and author of 'Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival; linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky; and Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist and writer Jared Diamond, all of which he felt Ben would be intimately familiar with. "I thought that was a great way to frame some of the knowledge that this family would have," Ross says. "It turned out Viggo had read all the books already."

Cannes Captain Fantastic Press Kit
May 2016



"He would come on set every day with different books for all the kids to read. I ended up having about 10 books that I've never gotten around to reading. He really is a generous, amazingly kind man."

Nicholas Hamilton
Captain Fantastic and the Sundance Kid
By Matthew Lowe
Filmink.com
20 January 2015



'I tend to bring things to films. I find things that are useful for a movie and I usually end up getting along well with the prop man, or the designer. In this film, for example, there are the books that Chester finds in the market... I brought those books.'

Viggo Mortensen talks The Two Faces Of January, singing with Fassbender and throwing a nappy at Al Pacino
by Tom Ward
GQ
16 May 2014



He's a very cerebral man. He turned up with these beautiful old antique books from the time, like Baudelaire, and things that his character would have had. He had a bag of goodies that he brought with him and a hat, a tie and a shoulder holster. I thought, 'this guy is f**king cool.' I was quite intimidated.

Sam Riley talking about The Road
Sullivan on Cinema: Sam Riley
By Chris Sullivan
Redbull.com
9 June 2011



After the movie [The Road], Viggo came back up on the stage and answered a few questions. When put on the spot to add on a final word he thought for a second then dug into his bag and brought out his personal copy of 'The Road'. There were what looked like a hundred stick-it notes marking different pages and the spine was cracked and worn. It's obviously seen a lot of use.

To close the event he read a bit from McCarthy's description of the sea-area landscape. That was pretty cool...

Quint at the Telluride Viggo Mortensen tribute
Ain't it Cool News
8 September 2008



"I read and re-read lots of German authors that someone would have read at the time. Not just German writers, but authors who a literary professor like John Halder might have taught at the time: Proust, Hamsun, American writers. In the movie, you see him in the classroom teaching Proust. I also spent time in Berlin, where I found all the books that you see in John Halder's house and office."

Viggo Mortensen talking about Good
Play It As It Lays
By Philip Berk
Filmink
April 2009



"Viggo sent me books on Russian criminal tattoos which were filled with not just photos and diagrams but also texts about the meanings of tattoos. He also sent me The Mark of Cain. There's this whole hidden world of symbolism that is immediately fascinating......Tattoos suddenly became an intense metaphor and symbol in the movie."

David Cronenberg
Eastern Promises Production Notes
20 August 2007
Source: Focus Features



"I had seen photos in books in Russia on wrestling, such as the practices of the military. I learned those techniques for defence and attack. My partners knew them too: One was a Georgian who was in the army, the other a former Turkish boxer. In this way we could film the scene without doubles. It's because of that it is made so realistic. Nobody ever let their guard down!"

Viggo Mortensen on the fight scene in Eastern Promises
Viggo Mortensen the Insatiable
Studio Magazine
By Sophie Benamon
November 2007



"You have to take into account,' he says, 'that Viggo is a cultured man and he finds out about the places he is going to shoot. In the case of León I know he has read a large number of books about that ancient realm, he knows its poets, writers, painters, its history and geography, and anything that refers to that land is followed with attention and kept.'

José Luis Pérez on Viggo's interest in León
Reunion with Alatriste in Uclés
Diario de León, by Miguel Ángel Nepomuceno - translated by Paddy
26 June 2005



He was the one who read the most about the Golden Century's history. He sent books and CDs for all his casting colleagues to savour that time - "not to seduce or control what the others did, but to share what I had found out," Mortensen informs.

Viggo Mortensen
The Court of Alatriste -Translated for V-W by Paddy
By Rocío García
El País Semanal
6 August 2006



We knew we were blessed in having Viggo - who is part-Danish descent - step into the role of Aragorn when he arrived carrying a copy of the Volsunga Saga that he had taken from his bookshelf!

Philippa Boyens
The Making of the Movie Trilogy



He hadn't read 'Lord of the Rings' at all when he came to the project. By the end of it all I think Viggo knew more about Tolkien and his context than anybody else on the whole production. He read absolutely everything there was - every critical book there was to lay hands on. He doesn't do things by halves!

Jude Fisher
Q&A at The Making of Middle-earth Book Signing
The Science Museum, London
November 8, 2003
Published with permission from Ian Smith



'... it was I who suggested to Ridley Scott the use of a poem by D.H. Lawrence for the introduction scene in "GI Jane'. This reference gave my military character another dimension. It made him a lot more original, it was also my way of making him less misogynist! And the book which I give to Demi Moore, in which there is that poem, it was mine, all battered, really old ...'

Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen: The Soul of a Warrior
by Juliette Michaud
Studio Magazine
December 2002



Myself, I love the rain, especially falling asleep to its music, ideally sounding on a metal roof, and I with a book in my hands and/or an old movie on TV.

Viggo Mortensen
If The Rain Gets Here
By Viggo Mortensen and Fabián Casas - translated by Ollie and Zoe
Sobrevueloscuervos.com
9 October 2014



...I know I can't read all the books or watch all the movies in one lifetime." Does he find that frustrating? Mortensen fixes me with his intense blue gaze. "Mostly no," he says. "If we could run out of books and movies, then we would be bored."

Viggo Mortensen is lord of all things
Chitra Ramaswamy
The Scotsman
24 May 2013



There can be millions of identical copies of any book, and yet the copy you hold and read is your personal doorway.

Viggo Mortensen
The Making of the Movie Trilogy

As we've been seeing this week with Chrissie's 'On This Day' posts, this is the 5th anniversary of Jauja's Magical Mystery Tour through Denmark. Viggo, Lisandro Alonso and Ghita Nørby went to enormous lengths to bring this film to audiences and although it never played to massive houses outside of Festivals, critics around the world who saw it were mesmerised by Alonso's work and Viggo's performance. So this week we have a reminder of what an truly extraordinary piece of cinema it is. Maybe, with all the weirdness of lockdown when normal life has been suspended, it's time to watch it again?



© 4L Productions/Soda Pictures.


Jauja… is a beautiful, mystical, intoxicatingly wonderful film...

Paddy Mulholland
Awards Daily
20 October 2014



Anchored by a rumpled, naturalistic performance by the great Viggo Mortensen…

Angelo Muredda
Torontoist
5 September 2014



The film is framed in a 4:3 aspect ratio and, most strikingly, sports rounded corners on its images. That relatively constricted vision (somehow the rounded corners highlight how quickly the world slips out of view as the camera pans) is offset by the incredible depth that Alonso and masterful cinematographer Timo Salminen produce in their shots. In the open desert, fading gradually from sharp clarity in the foreground to the soft blur of the horizon, the images seem to connote infinity...

...The film is its own journey, and there's seemingly no end to how far you might travel with it.

Tomas Hachard
NPR
19 March 2015



…the tight parameters of these frames encourage us to imagine an infinity outside their edges. Rich colors suggest both dream and the artifice of Hollywood Westerns: deep blue clouds on a sky fading to yellow at its base resemble a painted backdrop; pools of golden firelight in a night shot are manifestly lit, as if on a studio set. Visual leitmotifs suggest threads through the maze: pools and streams whose mirrored surfaces suggest doors into other worlds, a tin soldier that turns up in unexpected places...

...the real treasure, the mythical object for which the film sets out, is finally nothing more than the very film that it ends up being.

Jonathan Romney
Film Comment
19 March 2015
A shot of Dinesen staring at himself in mote-speckled water rhymes with a later shot of the captain stretched out on top of a mountain staring at the stars — one man contemplating both himself and his place in the cosmos...

Vadim Rizov
Filmmaker Magazine
20 March 2015




Mortensen, perhaps the only actor alive who could play Sigmund Freud, William Burroughs and a Middle-earth king, speaks both Danish and Spanish in the film, though he spends most of his time on screen in silence. One of the joys of cinema is the chance to watch great actors just stay still and think.

Uday Bhatia
Live Mint
11 September 2015



Sweating in layers of bulky long johns, and sporting a droopy, weeping mustache, Mortensen carries the film, his human grumbling and surprised, rageful violence conveying the sense of a nervous, basically average man caught on a journey into his own heart of darkness. Increasingly, as the other characters drop away, Mortensen has nothing to play against but nature and himself.

Mark Asch
Brooklyn Magazine
7 October 2014



Alonso's previous features have been notoriously—and, for many viewers, off-puttingly—slow and cryptic. Mortensen injects the director's esoteric, anti-psychological themes with a psychological reality that makes them all the more tantalizing.

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
AV Club
19 March 2015



Viggo Mortensen, as mysterious here as the Sphinx.

Jauja: Viggo Mortensen Lost in Patagonia
By Eric Vernay - translated by Donna Marie
Premiere (France)
19 May 2014



Dinesen, with his European manners, books and scientific principles, is at once noble and ridiculous, a civilized man adrift in the wilderness and the embodiment of blind, imperial arrogance. A doting father and a bit of a snob, he seems to absorb the wildness of his surroundings, becoming desperate and almost feral as he wanders the wasteland howling his daughter's name.

O. Scott
New York Times
19 March 2015



This is a powerhouse performance from Mortensen, as he infuses Dineson with complexity, personality, even a dab of mordant humor – an impressive feat given that the role is largely silent.

As he progresses through this limbo-like landscape we watch him gradually transforming, Mortenson's weathered features becoming akin to the rocks surrounding him. As he emerges from within dark cracks, kneels to sip dripping streams or dozes underneath the stars, he melts into the environment, the boundaries of Dineson's self slowly eroding into the Patagonian dirt.

David James
wegotthiscovered.com
6 April 2015



Our attention is more deliberately focused on Mortensen's place in the landscape, and in the way his soul inhabits his body, clad in a stiff soldier's uniform. Now and again, we do get to look squarely at his face — Alonso wouldn't be so cruel as to deprive us of that entirely. But by holding the camera back, he intensifies both Mortensen's performance and the visual potency of the movie around him. There's so much to take in here that at times I almost felt as if I were absorbing it through my skin.

Stephanie Zacharek
Village Voice
17 March 2015



This lack of solicitude for the audience—the real time, the featureless stretches of land and sky, the incomplete knowledge of events—is a perfect storm of cinematic minimalism. Rather than consume the movie as if it's served to us pre-chewed, we lean in, hold our breath, suspend judgment. We're as lost as Mortensen's protagonist, and we feel the weight of it acutely. The semi-flat steppes all look the same in every direction, and the minutes tick by, until eventually night falls and we lose our bearings completely.

Michael Atkinson
In These Times
18 March 2015



I've now seen Lisandro Alonso's captivating, unearthly Jauja four times, and I don't think I'm any closer to telling you what it's all about; the more I see it, the more puzzled I am. Alonso likes to traffic in the oblique — in the blank, mysterious spaces between the ostensible realities onscreen. That sounds like a lot of hooey, but watching Jauja, which is certainly one of the best films of the year, I never once doubted that I was in the hands of a master filmmaker. For all its seeming austerity, the film pulls you along with incredible force — not unlike the way it pulls its lonely protagonist, played by Viggo Mortensen, along on his quixotic, dreamlike journey....

Jauja is a rapturously bizarre movie that resists knowledge. That's its secret, intoxicating power; the less you understand, the more mesmerized you are.

Bilge Ebiri
Vulture
21 March 2015

One thing I share with Viggo is lifelong notebook keeping – not a diary, but books full of bits and pieces that interest me, quotes I’ve found, notes on things I’ve read, nature notes, experiences, things I’ve learned. It goes on and on. There is a whole shelf full. With loads of lockdown time I’ve been reading right through them for the first time and wondering – is Viggo doing the same?



© Focus Features


Before becoming an actor, he was a published poet, and he still carries a notebook wherever he goes 'just in case a moment presents itself to be stolen.'

The Appealingly Weird World of Viggo Mortensen
By Amy Wallace
Esquire
March 2006



Viggo extracts a big moleskin notebook from his backpack, like a naturalist's notebook, a logbook, in which he notes down his thoughts and everything that passes through his mind with a big, tangled handwriting like the rigging of a schooner.

River Mortensen
By Ramón Raboiras - translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
Esquire
September 2012



The backpack also contained a couple of journals, two screenplays, my passport, and two half-read books. The hardest losses were the stories and poems in the notebooks. I had been looking forward, in particular, to reviewing and fine-tuning hundreds of pages of, for me, uncharacteristically long and unguarded poetry that had been written during a series of very quiet nights spent in the Sahara Desert in late 2002. During that time, for various reasons, I had begun writing extended pieces using a lot of abstract imagery and fragmented recollections from my childhood, combined with the rush of sensory impressions I was receiving while living and working in Morocco. The thick white pages of the notebooks from that time were grimy, stained red from the dust near Ouarzazate, yellow from Erfoud and Merzouga, brown and gray from my hands and the ashes of campfires and cigarettes, dogeared, black with grease. They held sandstorms, camel gargles, vultures, Arabic songs, calls to prayer, prayer rugs, tea, coffee, tent flaps. They reeked of diesel, were alive with flies, fossils, heat waves, goats, soldiers, scorpions, unseen women, donkeys, date palms, doves, hawks, vipers, new or decaying gardens, graveyards, city walls, mosques, stables, wells, fortresses, and schools. This was the start of a long-overdue cataloging of buried memories of plants and their names, horses, car accidents, lightning, pet lizards, parts of arguments between my parents, ifinesses, sheep; of fish caught, lost, released, cleaned, cooked, spied in rivers, ponds, lakes, eaten, rotting, struggling, dying, or dead. In those notebooks could be found faces of teachers I've had, of policemen, children, and old people suffering, giggling, sleeping, or otherwise lingering in emergency rooms, bus stations, on street corners, walking or standing on traces of roads or tracks through harsh deserts, prairies, icescapes, or urban wastelands. Here were all the toy soldiers, ineffective windshield wipers, first tastes of chocolate, wine, asparagus, venison, trout, chalk, ants, a Big Mac, dirt, dandelion stem, unsweetened yerba maté, duck, beer, snow, blood...

Viggo Mortensen on his lost notebooks
Introduction to Best American Non-Required Reading
Houghton Mifflin, 2004



Patches of recorded feeling vanished, irretrievable. There is no point in trying to remember and rebuild the word houses, word hills, word dams, or word skeletons like some sort of archeology project. There may be pieces I recall or inadvertently retell, but every word will be new, will go somewhere, will die no matter what I might do to tame or hold it.

Viggo Mortensen on his lost notebooks
Introduction to Best American Non-Required Reading
Houghton Mifflin, 2004



We meet at a coffee house in Santa Monica, where he's already upstairs with a glass of iced coffee and a notebook. Beside him rests a box, overflowing with sheets of rumpled paper and picture frames, much like one would find in an attic, or on the neglected shelves of Christmas decorations (his manager had asked me if he could make a contribution to the magazine, to which I gave an unqualified "yes").

"I don't know what you're looking for," he says, "but I brought a few things to show you."

Viggo's Box
By Craig Clevenger
Fond Affexxions #5, Winter Thaw 1995



And Viggo Mortensen pulls a notebook from his bag. The poets look at it. Because poets always look. And they see. At the table are Fabián Casas, Damian Ríos and Gabriela Bejerman, three of the 22 Argentine poets in the Anthology of New Argentine Poetry, the brand new book from Perceval Press, Viggo Mortensen's publishing house... "There it is; it's called 'Matinee'," he says. And he reads it.

Viggo Mortensen: "Writing and acting are like being a kid again"
Eduardo Bejuk - translated by Zooey
Gente
25 August 2009



Never without his camera, he snapped away at branches, sky, ice and snow while he talked, stopping only to ask a question, write something in his journal or point out deer tracks and places where beavers had gnawed through trees. Nearly every step seemed to elicit a memory, of some youthful mischief with a friend, a favored fishing or skiing spot from years ago, a conversation with a former neighbor.

Viggo Mortensen ('80) Remembers: A Walk Down Memory Lane (Literally) with the Photographer, Poet and Actor
Macreena A. Doyle
St. Lawrence University, Canton NY February 2003



He'd visited the Freud museum in Hampstead before, but for the purposes of our interview we were allowed behind the velvet ropes and into Freud's study, right next to the famous couch. Viggo was clearly unsettled by such close contact with Freud's personal artefacts, and affected some shivers of recognition as he pored over Freud's notebook which sits on his desk, a pair of fold-up pince-nez placed neatly beside it.

Viggo's Freudian Slip
By Jason Solomons
The Observer
5 February 2012



I spent a lot of time and effort in the following weeks scouring my part of town, looking through trash cans and alleyways, offering no-questions-asked rewards, doing anything I could think of to find what was irreplaceable for me and probably completely useless to whoever had stolen it. Finally, I let most of it go, knowing I would never be able to recreate what had been written far from home in that exhausted but uniquely productive state of mind.

Viggo Mortensen on his lost notebooks
Introduction to Best American Non-Required Reading
Houghton Mifflin, 2004



"To me the movies that I'm in or a painting or a drawing or a poem that I've made, a photograph, they are all journals in a way, a living diary," said Mortensen. "Everything's about that, valuing what's been and where I am now based on the accumulation of those experiences."

Viggo Mortensen On 'The Road' And The Importance Of Human Connections
By Todd Hill
Staten Island Advance
27 November 2009

Hasn’t it been lovely listening to Viggo reading his poetry? Just the treat we’ve been needing when many of our lives have shrunk so much, because words – especially poetry – can transport us away from the limitations of our home and whatever lockdown situations we find ourselves in. Poetry is the language of the soul and the soul can never be confined. Thank you Viggo!



Beyond Baroque 50th Anniversary Gala
© Victoria Looseleaf.


Before becoming an actor, he was a published poet, and he still carries a notebook wherever he goes 'just in case a moment presents itself to be stolen.'

The Appealingly Weird World of Viggo Mortensen
By Amy Wallace
Esquire
March 2006



“To me Viggo is a poet foremost — I know his work from the days of Cafe Iguana and the Onyx Cafe; and of course he polished his poetry chops in the Wednesday Night Poetry Workshops."

Beyond Baroque director Richard Modiano
The Book of Viggo
By Shana Nys Dambrot
LA Weekly
1 November 2018



His poetry and prose are taut and gripping - the outpourings of a genuine talent, not a bored dilettante.

Understated A-lister Viggo Mortensen tells our reporter about his new cult hit 'Captain Fantastic' - and why it's impossible to be the perfect parent
by Ed Power
Irish Independent
31 August 2016



"Poetry is a way to look at life from multiple points of view, a feeling of duplication which even gets more intense if you do it in two languages, like I do."

Viggo Mortensen
About Them... "I like a brave woman"
By Salvador Llopart - translated by Ollie, Rio and Zooey
La Vanguardia
14 March 2010



‘To write a good poem requires discipline, discretion and precision. I often start with situations of everyday life. One day, in Tehran, I see a tourist bus parked in front of my hotel. The name written on the side of the bus, I forget you forever, intrigues me. Isn't that a strange name for a transport company? It became the title of one of my books of poems and travel photos...’

Viggo Mortensen: "You must live your contradictions”
by Olivier Cariguel
Le Magazine Litteraire
March 2015



"For me, it's like taking apart an engine. You take all the pieces, you put them on a table and when you finish putting it together, you leave some of them aside.”

Viggo on writing poetry
"Writing and acting are like being a kid again"
By Eduardo Bejuk
Gente Magazine – translated by Zooey
September 2009



'I'm always looking at things that I write and going 'what can I take out of that and [make] it still work'. And then, years later... I might look at that poem again and go, 'You know, I can still take out two words.'

Viggo Mortensen
The Fire That Fuels an Artist's Heart
by Carnell
Carpe Noctem magazine #15, 1999



Mr. Mortensen's poetry is not your typical verse and rhyming couplet-type thing, or even the more acceptable modern version of free verse. He creates something more along the lines of prose pictures, imagery forged in words that seek to define, in the words of Joyce that he quotes so appropriately in one of his books, the conciseness of his race.

Review: This That And The Other
By Richard Marcus
blogcritics.org
March 20, 2007



These [Mortensen's] poems seem close to the way his mind works: things tend to be collaged in where they almost fit, or, more precisely, they fit in the only way they can: almost.

Kevin Power
Viggo Mortensen: A Life Tracking Itself
Singlanguage 2002



'It is important to protect living poetry, which is also why I participate as often as I can in public readings."

Viggo Mortensen
A Year in the Life of Viggo Mortensen
by Sophie Benamon
Studio Magazine, 2003



"Exene... encouraged me to recite my poems in public. At the beginning the idea was totally worrying for me. But something happens when you are faced with an audience. No matter whether you present photographs, pictures, movies or poems to other people, it's worth it because you always learn something."

Viggo Mortensen
Two-Men Show
By Silvia Feist - translated by Always Smiling and Doreen
Vogue Deutsch
November 2005



...it became quickly obvious when Viggo Mortensen read that he was in a league of his own. Not necessarily for anything spectacular he does with the readings of his poems, in fact he almost delivers them in a monotone, but in his ability to let the poem shine through him like a beacon. He acts as a conduit for his poems so that we are free to make our own interpretations of his work, rather than imposing an emotional reaction on us.

Music Review: 3 Fools For April, Spoken Word
Richard Marcus
Blogcritics.org
15 Feb 2007



"….if you´ve written a poem and you read it, you don´t know what will happen. Something changes between my mouth and the eyes and ears of those who are there reading or listening to my words, my little story. Something changes between writing it and pronouncing the words. I don´t know what the reader receives. There´s no net. For that reason, I'm responsible for what I´ve written and for how I read it."

Viggo Mortensen - All of Us are Mestizos
by Carlos Shilling – translated by Ollie, Remolina, Rio and Zoe
LaVoz
November 2010

I have never, like most of you out there, spent so much time in my own home. It's frustrating, weird and a little bit scary. For people like me who live alone it's an even harder challenge. Thank goodness for Zoom, Skype and Facetime, eh? But it can also be a really creative time, even for those of us who don't normally go in for that sort of thing or think creativity is for others because it's not something we are good at. It's a subject Viggo has always had a lot to say about and one thing is clear – it's not about being good it's about experimenting, observing and having fun. Viggo applies it to painting, photography, music writing and acting, but it can apply to any craft. Fancied trying something for ages but never had the courage or the time? Give it a go! Enjoy the process, don't worry about the result and maybe, just maybe you will experience a little moment of wonder at what you can do.



Skovbo Exhibit in Reykjavik, Iceland
© mbl.is/Einar Falur.


'I kind of — politely, of course — reject the notion that some people are artists and some people are not. I know that children up until a certain age, they don't make the distinction between artist and non-artist. All kids do theater — they don't need a director, they don't need take two, they just do it. They believe it completely.'

10 Lessons on Filmmaking from Viggo Mortensen
Filmmaker Magazine
3 November 2016



'To be an artist is to remain conscious of your surroundings, and I believe that we all have that capacity. Children have it and, as they grow up, they lose it.'

Viggo Mortensen
I wouldn't look the Alatristes of today in the eye
By Oskar L. Belategui, translated for V-W by Margarita
Hoy Sociedad
3 September 2006



I'm an observer. An artist. But I think that all people are artists. You go walking down the street and hear something that a person says and already you're imagining something about the life of that person. Then, someone is speaking on their phone in the line at the bank and he says, "No mom, that's not going to fall down" and hangs up. And you've already invented a complete story about who he's speaking to, who or what is going to fall down. The way you pay attention is already an artistic activity. To survive in the world, we have to interpret our sense of what is happening and at times, it's important to know. People can separate artists and those that think they aren't [artists], but all of us are artists. It's something that we do all the time, interpreting signs that are given to us and other situations, imagining consequences. It's a way to get involved, to link yourself with the environment, with what surrounds you.

"We are all artists" - Viggo Mortensen
By Susana Parejas - translated by Ollie and Zoe
7 Dias
2 September 2012



'Make it [art] purely to please yourself and then there's a chance to please someone else -- that's what it means to me. Everyone has a few friends that they can listen to. You don't have to agree with them, but their opinion is worthwhile. If you're trying to please everyone, then you're not going to make anything that is honestly yours, I don't think, in the long run.'

Viggo Mortensen
A Religious Moment Where Something Might Happen
by Scott Thill
Morphizm
2002



'So much has already been done and there's not much that's new,' he concludes. 'You can't let that stop you though, because the actual exercise of just poking around the debris is worthwhile. Even if you produce stuff that's interesting to nobody but yourself, the activity justifies itself. Making things is a way of finding out.'

Treasure Island: A visit with Viggo Mortensen
Recent Forgeries
Kristine McKenna
1998



'Because of how I was brought up, I go along with it for a while when someone tells me about a rule, but eventually I always end up asking myself: Why does it have to be this way?'

Treasure Island: A visit with Viggo Mortensen
Recent Forgeries
Kristine McKenna 1998



'I like to paint and I like glue. I like gel, you know? Acrylic gel. It's fun to play with that and see what that does. I mean, some of the things are things you're not supposed to mix; oil, acrylics, or water. I just like to get dirty and play with it and see what happens. It's just fun. Sometimes you get something interesting by accident by coating something with some thing you haven't tried coating with before. You just have a hunch that will do something to It will change the texture or alter it some how chemically in an interesting way and change the tone of it. I don't know. I don't have a reason really...'

Viggo Mortensen
The Fire That Fuels an Artist's Heart
by Carnell
Carpe Noctem magazine #15
1999



"What I find with poetry or painting or even acting is that mistakes can often be helpful. In the brief time I've been making paintings, I've ruined a lot of them by not knowing when to stop. But you just put it aside, and later when you come back to it maybe you remove one thing, or add something else, and all of a sudden it works, where before you were ready to burn it. Or maybe you look at it and realize it doesn't need anything at all."

Viggo From 5 to 7
by Dennis Hopper
Flaunt magazine
1999



'I've always loved the kind of isolation that comes from intensely devoting yourself to art forms like painting or poetry or whatever. That's also what makes being an actor so fulfilling in that you can share the creative process and get out of your own head.'

Viggo Mortensen Goes Back to His Roots for 'Everyone Has A Plan'
Staticmultimedia.com
19 April 2013



"I usually use the excuse that everything is abstract. That way, I can do whatever I want. And if you don't like it, it's because you don't get it," he joked.

Viggo joking about his art
Viggo Mortensen Brings The Law Of Appaloosa To Madrid
By Jose Arce - translated by Graciela
La Butaca
20 November 2008



This is only me and my camera. I sit down and watch the sky, stop, and maybe sing a little or write something down. When I have time to do that, I am as happy as I can be.

Viggo Mortensen
Capable Of Many Things
By Hanna Björk Valsdóttir - translated by Ragga
Fréttablaðið
30 May 2008



"I think I'm essentially hopeful and the reason that I paint or photograph or listen to someone who is speaking to me is that I hope something might happen."

The Man Who Would Be King
by Nick Dent
Black & White magazine
2001



'A lot of people that were here tonight said something about their writing, but were too embarrassed by it. And I'd ask them about what they write and encourage them to pursue it. People sometimes seem to feel that poetry is just this little thing you do privately, like your diary. But in reality it's something that you can work at in many ways, that you can share, that you can take as far as you like.'

Viggo Mortensen at the Midnight Special reading
A Religious Moment Where Something Might Happen
by Scott Thill
Morphizm 2002



Writing or acting or playing music, I need to feel like I'm connecting with something. And although acting brings me many moments like that I'm probably most relaxed sitting down at a piano. I don't read music and I've never had lessons but it's fun and I find it very relaxing. I'm okay with mistakes and people not liking what I play. I just do it.

Viggo Mortensen on Good
By Angus Fontaine
Time Out, Sydney
9 April 2009



"I think art is a recording of society, and a reflection on what's happening in the tumult and the confusion. Every once in a while a story or an object is created that makes you stop for a moment and consider more than just what you're looking at. Look inward, even," he says.

"Like a film. Or a book," I suggest.

"Yeah."

"Or a poem."

"Or a football match," he adds.

Viggo Mortensen: intellectual nourishment in a world of artery-clogging culture
By Dan Masoliver
Shortlist.com
20 December 2018



Drawings from childhood, computer experiments, canvas, cloth, photographs, rub, scratch, splash, dash. Go for it, Viggo.

Dennis Hopper
Introduction to Recent Forgeries
Smart Art Press
1998


And go for it all of you out there in Viggoland!

In these frightening times when many of us are having to isolate ourselves and fall back on our own resources, it’s good to have some life philosophy to chew on and Viggo can be quite the philosopher. Here are some quotes I’ve gathered over the years to reflect on. No matter what our situation, stay curious, stay interested, stay deep in life and stay well out there in Viggoland!



© Libertad Digital.


"Time passes, the world changes, people evolve and it’s nice to stop every now and then and not do anything. I want to imagine things that interest me, to give myself time to get excited about something."

Viggo Mortensen
"I’m a guy who sticks his nose in everything"
By Stuart Gollum
Gala Magazine
30 August 2006



"It’s the endlessly entertaining, often ridiculous, sometimes admirable, sometimes embarrassing attempts that some people make to find some meaning in their lives that make life worth living."

What I’ve learned – Viggo Mortensen
By Kal Fussman
Esquire
22 April 2015



He understands why, in dire times, you'd be tempted to "set your house on fire and never answer the phone again, but it would be better to ask yourself: How can I be most useful to this world? Not that I'm some ****ing genius."

Viggo Mortensen (free radical)
Twenty one reasons to dig Viggo Mortensen
by Allison Glock
GQ Magazine 2003



“...I know I can’t read all the books or watch all the movies in one lifetime.” Does he find that frustrating? Mortensen fixes me with his intense blue gaze. “Mostly no,” he says. “If we could run out of books and movies, then we would be bored.”

Viggo Mortensen is lord of all things
Chitra Ramaswamy
The Scotsman
24 May 2013



"When I'm out in nature it can be an inspiration. If I am going through a rough period, if I just go out for a walk, on some level everything is all right because I'm here, do you know what I mean? That's my way of dealing with stress."

Viggo Mortensen: "It's my nature to do a lot"
By covermg.com
10 July 2012



“One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master,” he tells me. “He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.”

Viggo Mortensen is lord of all things
Chitra Ramaswamy
The Scotsman
24 May 2013



“I like to write and paint and make music and go walking on my own and garden. In fact, gardening is probably what I enjoy doing more than anything else.”

Really? Anything else?

He looks at me, his gaze is quite level. “I like gardening a lot.”

Viggo Mortensen on 'A Dangerous Method'
By John Preston
Seven Magazine
The Telegraph
11 February 2012



‘I feel at home in many places, and with time, I learned that in life it is more important who you are, what you do and how you feel than where you are.’

Viggo Mortensen Under The Spotlight
Selecciones Magazine - Translated for V-W by Graciela
March 2009



"To survive in the world, we have to interpret our sense of what is happening and at times, it's important to know. People can separate artists and those that think they aren't [artists], but all of us are artists. It's something that we do all the time, interpreting signs that are given to us and other situations, imagining consequences. It's a way to get involved, to link yourself with the environment, with what surrounds you."

"We are all artists" - Viggo Mortensen
By Susana Parejas - translated by Ollie and Zoe
7 Dias
2 September 2012



"A photo, a painting, a poem or music that we use to express our experience is not the main thing, but what you are expressing. How you sense the world around you is art in its own form. To stop for one silent moment and just see what happens."

Viggo Mortensen
Margt til lista lagt article from Fréttablaðið
visir-is
Translated by Ragga
June 2008



"For a long time now, I’ve been certain of one thing: there are more things that connect me to others than there are things that divide us. We should be able to all understand each other. I’ve proved it."

I wouldn’t look the Alatristes of today in the eye
By Oskar L. Belategui, translated for V-W bu Margarita
Hoy Sociedad
3 September 2006



'Mother Nature is the first school. She makes you wise if you watch her. '

Viggo Mortensen
A Multi-talented Hero
Dominical, by J. A. - translated for V-W by NacidaLibre
27 August 2006



Q: What makes you happiest in life?

MORTENSEN: There's no one thing. I like a certain amount of solitude at times. I like feeling very free and open to the world. Any time I'm outdoors, whether it's in a desert or a sea or the forest. I like the elements - whatever the weather is, I don't feel that any moment is wasted at all.

Viggo Mortensen: "It's my nature to do a lot"
By covermg.com
10 July 2012



“Even though many people seem to be not interested in art or in things like nature or life itself, we must force ourselves to remember, we must force ourselves to be deep in life."

Viggo Mortensen, The Photographer Of Dreams
By Giovanni Valerio - translated by Cindalea
Panorama First
July 2008



"I think five minutes can be an eternity if it's well used, you know. There are periods of time that are gems, but you don't have to go into a blizzard in South Dakota or into the rain forests of New Zealand or the middle of the Sahara. You can find that just walking down the street."

Viggo Mortensen
The Rebel King
By Chris Heath
GQ magazine, 2004



"My house is the Atlas mountains or the Iceland ice, the forest, the rivers or the sea, the stars, the setting sun. If I stop one day, I die. You must make the difference between loneliness and isolation: between the two, I see a road that can take me farther than I would dare imagine. And wherever this leads me, I still want to take it!"

"You must read Camus if you're plugged in"
By Cécile Lecoultre - translated by Donna Marie
24 Heures
27 January 2015



"We are the stories we tell about ourselves, the stories we tell about others, the stories we read about everyone and every thing."

Viggo Mortensen’s heroes
Ethan Gilsdorf,
Boston Globe
3 March 2012

This week we have the third part of our look at Viggo’s work with Actor/Directors. Viggo was nominated for an Oscar for his role as Ben Cash in Matt Ross’s Captain Fantastic, taking the role a little away from Ross’s original concept but delivering a performance full of authenticity which Ross loved. An actor giving another actor space to truly create something remarkable. Not for nothing was Viggo Ross’s first and only choice.



© Eric Simkins/Bleecker Street.


I often ask actors what it's like to work with directors with an acting background but, strangely, so seldom get to ask actor-turned-directors what it's like to work with actors.

[Laughs] I think it makes them comfortable because I'm an actor. I think a lot of directors don't understand the acting process. I think they feel alienated from it. They're either overtly respectful or overtly disdainful of it, you know? It's very hard! Good acting is seamless, right? That's why everyone thinks they can do it. Good acting should look absolutely seamless. It's like ducks: the feet are really moving under the water. I think I understand the process because I've been an actor my whole life. Truthfully, I love acting and I love actors. Not all directors do.

A Conversation with Matt Ross & Viggo Mortensen
Anthem
20 May 2016



"Viggo was an easy first choice, casting him was intuitive."

Matt Ross
Film takes audience on 'Fantastic' journey
Jay Meehan,
The Park Record
21 January 2016



“Viggo was a central collaborator in terms of his ideas about the script. He had wonderful and insightful ideas about everything, including adding his own original music to the film. For me, he exemplifies a very high level of artistry and integrity. That is one of the things that made him my first choice to play Ben, Physically and temperamentally, he was absolutely right.”

Director Matt Ross
Cannes Press Kit
May 2016



‘I've been around long enough to know to know that this was one of the best things I'd read in a long time. But I have to say, when I met Matt Ross, I said, "This is a great script, a near perfect blueprint for a story, but I don't know how you can make a movie as good as the script unless you find six genius kids." He said, "Well, we will try!" I was nervous. Fortunately, he included me in the process of the final auditions for each of the kids' roles and they were all so talented.’

Viggo Mortensen on Captain Fantastic, Being Typecast, and the Long-term Benefit of Being in Lord of the Rings
Vulture
7 December 2016



…almost as soon as they began talking about the movie, Mr. Mortensen sent Mr. Ross a 10-page list of factual questions. "He was very interested in the family compound," Mr. Ross said. "He wanted to know all about the sanitation, the water source, the food supply — things like that."

Viggo Mortensen Goes Off the Grid With 'Captain Fantastic'
By Charles McGrath
The New York Times.
28 June 2016



What are the distinct differences you see in being directed by someone who is also an actor? Are there things Matt did as a director that made your job easier?

You don't have to be a great actor to be a good director of actors. But I haven't seen anybody do a better job of than Matt did of going the extra mile every day to make sure everybody was comfortable, and not just the kids. This was only his second full-length film. It was very ambitious. We're talking about an indie movie where we are changing locations almost every day, you have a lot of child actors who have limited working hours legally, and you are shooting outdoors a lot of the time. That would be challenging for any director, even a seasoned one. But he was great at creating the illusion. That's how good an actor he is: Inside, he was probably ready to curl up and die. [Laughs.]

Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen on Captain Fantastic, Being Typecast, and the Long-term Benefit of Being in Lord of the Rings
Vulture
7 December 2016



The director sent Mortensen a huge box of books of recommended reading, including texts by Tom Brown, the renowned naturalist and author of ‘Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Wilderness Survival; linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky; and Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist and writer Jared Diamond, all of which he felt Ben would be intimately familiar with. “I thought that was a great way to frame some of the knowledge that this family would have,” Ross says. “It turned out Viggo had read all the books already.”

Cannes Press Kit
May 2016



How different was the character from the page to what Viggo Mortensen brought to it?

Ross: I think the character as originally conceived was a little bit more… he had a bit more of a twinkle in his eye, a little more of a trickster. Not a jokester because that implies a broad comedic performance. What [the character’s] doing is so extreme and rigid, I thought one of the ways he would counter balance that is with a real ‘joie de vivre’ – a real playful, fun father. So he was constantly mocking his children and playing with them and poking at them. It was different kind of energy. More like Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. A guy that you love and want to be around. Not obnoxious but playful. But that’s just not Viggo’s energy and I never really talked to him about it. I just let him reflect and interpret [the part] as he would. I liked what he did because what he does is bring credibility and an authenticity. I thought that was just as valid of an interpretation.

Matt Ross Reveals How ‘Captain Fantastic’ Changed from the Page to the Screen
by Tommy Cook
Collider.com
7 September 2016



“...what was surprising to me about working with him is that I could never catch him acting. He doesn't have any false moments."

Matt Ross
Dr. No: Viggo Mortensen Has Made Turning Down Roles Into an Art Form
By Oliver Jones
The Observer
6 July 2016



‘…for me, I can have no better faith than in Viggo Mortensen.’

Matt Ross
Captain Fantastic: Viggo Mortensen and Matt Ross Interview
Jason Gorber
Dorkshelf.com
14 July 2016



“I’m thrilled that CAPTAIN FANTASTIC has been included among this year’s Academy nominees! Our movie has heart and brains. It entertains, inspires, and encourages honest communication in equal measures. I’m extremely proud to represent Matt Ross’ extraordinary story. It is one of the finest collective efforts I’ve ever been a part of. YES WE CAN! I wish my mother, who loved movies and taught me about them, was still here to enjoy this moment.”

Viggo’s reaction to his Oscar Nomination
Entertainment Weekly
25 January 2017



How much of Viggo Mortensen is there in the movie, since you also have a farm, make cheese...?

Viggo Mortensen: I don´t make cheese, that comes from a lie told by Karl Urban three years ago, he said I had a farm in Segovia, something I would love.

Matt Ross: He makes all his clothes and shoes. I´m going to continue making myths about you.

More on Viggo’s goat farm...
Hablamos con Viggo Mortensen y Matt Ross por el estreno de 'Captain Fantastic'
By Mikel Zorrilla
Blog de Cine
19 September 2016



Viggo Mortensen’s dedication to his craft and to the world of the story he’s telling have been an inspiration to me for years,” said Ross. “There is a depth to his art that I greatly admire. Any film he’s in is a film I want to see. He’s one of the greats. Getting to collaborate with him on Captain Fantastic is quite literally the best thing that’s happened to me since my wife asked me to marry her.”

Matt Ross
Viggo Mortensen To Star In Electric City’s ‘Captain Fantastic’
By Mike Fleming Jnr
Deadline.com
20 February 2014

This week is the second part of my look at Viggo’s work with Actor/Directors and we are revisiting The Indian Runner. It was directed by the rather volatile Sean Penn and Viggo gives one of my favourite performances of all time in the film. There was an interesting dynamic between Sean and Viggo throughout filming, stemming in part from the fact that Sean was an actor and Frank was a part that was right up his acting street. Sparks definitely flew but the result was – as we all know – completely mesmerising.



© Westmount.


Taking his cue from Bruce Springsteen's song "Highway Patrolman", Penn spins a morose tale of two brothers in late Sixties' Nebraska: one good (local cop, family man) and one bad (Vietnam veteran, petty criminal). It is easy to see Penn's furrowed brows behind Frank, the hell-raising brother who fights shy of responsibility and spits out half-chewed peas at his pregnant child bride.

Geoff Brown
The Times
November 28, 1991



“I was over at Robin [Wright]'s little house in Santa Monica Canyon, waiting for her to get dressed for a date. The television was on, sound off, and I saw a face: he was only a cameo in a movie, but I saw the face that I'd had in my head when I wrote Indian Runner. He had something, an angularity, a severity to his handsomeness that I perceived as being 'like Frank'. So I watched the movie through, and I called Don and said, 'Find out who he is.'”

Sean Penn
When Viggo Met Sean
filminfocus.com
7 Sept 2007
Excerpted from Sean Penn: His Life and Times by Richard T Kelly



'One day, during the filming of I can't remember which film, I went back to my hotel and found a message: "Sean Penn called you," with a telephone number. I asked myself which of my friends was playing a trick. And there was a spelling mistake in Sean. I call: "Sean Penn?" "Yeah," replies Sean Penn, grumpily. "It's Viggo Mortensen. What do you want?" I didn't even realise I could have been friendlier. (Laughs.) And then, he told me about "Indian Runner'. He saw me in "Fresh Horses', a TV film which I had made for HBO. I had a little scene at the end. He sent me the script and I was instantly hooked. At the start, I preferred the character which was finally played by David Morse. Mine was just described as "the baddy'. But I said to myself that, behind the slightly too obvious behaviour of Frank Roberts, there had to be a really complex reason. The filming was extremely interesting ... The more so because Sean was very involved. It was there I became friends with Dennis Hopper. After that, the offers arrived.'

Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen: The Soul of a Warrior
By Juliette Michaud
Studio Magazine
December 2002



"He was dazzlingly committed all the time. He literally brings the kitchen sink for a character," says Penn, who delighted in seeing Mortensen arrive on set each day with a "Santa Claus sack" full of various props he'd chosen. "He's an often solitary, very poetic creature, Viggo, and all of that worked [for the movie]."

History Teacher
By Missy Schwartz
Entertainment Weekly
19 August 2005



"Viggo's inherent kindness as a guy showed in a sort of languid movement. And that was a lesson for me about what parts of people express themselves without trying."

Sean Penn
When Viggo Met Sean
filminfocus.com
7 Sept 2007
Excerpted from Sean Penn: His Life and Times by Richard T. Kelly



“I had always thought of Frank as a barking dog that bites,' Penn says, 'so I asked Viggo to spend some time with a friend of mine who's a Hell's Angel who knows the world and also is a fighter - not that there's a lot of fighting in the movie, but I felt that he should know it and be able to feel that physical confidence.”

Sean Penn Bites Back
By Christopher Connelly
Premier
October 1991



“Sean had decided that Viggo and I were going to rehearse for two weeks, but we were only going to rehearse our big scene in the bar. So he had a bar set up in a gymnasium where we could shoot baskets but also really do our work. And during those two weeks, I have a feeling it was harder for Viggo, because Sean identified more with the role of Frank, and he would really try to push him to do certain things. But Viggo just kept holding back. He never really did the scene in those two weeks.... I think Sean was still a little nervous going into the bar scene. Then I remember a real struggle for what was going to happen, what the moments were going to be between the two of them. And something happened, it crystallized, and suddenly Viggo was on fire.”

David Morse
When Viggo Met Sean
filminfocus.com
7 Sept 2007
Excerpted from Sean Penn: His Life and Times by Richard T. Kelly



As moody and volatile as the problematic Frankie, "The Indian Runner" starts off with a killing and sustains a threat of possible violence throughout even its gentlest episodes. That threat is especially evident in the presence of Mr. Mortensen, a magnetic actor capable of both scary outbursts and eerie, reptilian calm. (Mr. Penn's own acting style is strongly echoed in this performance.) It is some measure of Mr. Mortensen's savage, mocking ferocity that in a final confrontation with Dennis Hopper, who plays a bartender given to in-your-face philosophizing, Mr. Hopper seems easily the tamer of the two.

Janet Maslin
New York Times
20 September 1991



“I think I stimulated Viggo's temper. And, as I remember, I think I got a little bit personal. But I think he was professionally responsive, he knew where to go for what I was looking for. When you're abusive to an actor, it's one thing-when you're abusive to a character, it's another. And I think I found it was helpful to both of us to raise my own tempo a little bit, get in the same place as him, share the vibe…”

Sean Penn
When Viggo Met Sean
filminfocus.com
7 Sept 2007
Excerpted from Sean Penn: His Life and Times by Richard T. Kelly



“I was praying for such a wonderful actor. I wasn't disappointed.”

Viggo Mortensen: The magician of The Lord of the Rings
by Aurelie Raya
Paris Match
8 January 2004



Facially, Mortensen looks like a cross between Sam Shepard and echt movie villain Lance Henriksen, a suggestion enhanced by his character's myriad jailhouse tattoos (applied in hours-long makeup sessions) and the unperiodlike leather brace on his right hand and wrist, which he wears constantly and removes only immediately before shooting. Word on the set is that Mortensen busted a knuckle and sprained his wrist during rehearsals for a fight scene, but when asked about the injury, his eyes take on a demonic glint.

'Sean Penn,' he says, 'bit me.'

Sean Penn Bites Back
By Christopher Connelly
Premiere
October 1991



"I remember Sean saying to me on about the sixth week of shooting," Indian producer Phillips recalls, "'Don, Viggo's going to be a humongous star.'"

Don Phillips
The Hero Returns
By Tom Roston,
Premiere 2003

While we wait (and wait) for more Falling to fall into our laps, I’ve been thinking of the many films Viggo has made which have been directed by fellow actors. Captain Fantastic with Matt Ross, The Indian Runner with Sean Penn, Albino Alligator with Kevin Spacey (remember that one?) and, of course, Appaloosa, one of my favourite Viggo films with another of my favourite actors, Ed Harris.



© New Line Cinema/Warner Brothers.


In 2000, Ed Harris made his directorial debut with the fantastic Pollock. Hollywood pundits fawned over the film and the actor-turned-director ad nauseum. Strangely, his follow-up, the wonderful western, Appaloosa got largely lost in the shuffle. Even more irking, the always-strong Viggo Mortensen got little recognition for a nuanced supporting turn. With the moustache of the year (that should be an award), Mortensen turned a rather standard best-friend part into a quiet tour de force.

Oscar nominations 2009
Scott Taverner
martiniboys.com
January 2009



Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen, two of my favorite actors today, had the on-screen chemistry that every filmmaker dreams of. Rugged, badass and tough lawman who just flat out kicked ass through the whole film. Viggo played Everett Hitch, the faithful deputy/ sidekick and even the sometimes needed vocab checker to the infamous lawman Virgil Cole, played by Ed Harris. They were brilliant. There just isn’t much more I can say to communicate how well they were in Appaloosa.

Troy
Moviewiseguys.com
6 September 2008



Harris's first and only choice for the role of Everett Hitch was Viggo Mortensen, with whom he'd shared the screen in "A History of Violence."

"I had just finished reading Appaloosa when we shot 'A History of Violence,' and I gave it to Viggo and told him that I really wanted to make it into a film with him in it," recalls Harris. "One of the greatest things about Viggo is his sense of loyalty. He's a man of his word. Once he committed to the project, he was completely on board."

"We see eye to eye," says Mortensen of his experience working with Harris.

Appaloosa: New Western by Ed Harris
Emmanuellevy.com
August 2008



"He's got kind of a weird sense of humor I like."

Ed Harris
Mortensen Packs a Big Gun
By David Germain
Associated Press
17 September 2008



“Not only do I have a great respect for him as an actor but as a human being. He's a really decent guy. He's great on the set, treats everybody really respectfully. I just thought he'd be perfect. These were two guys who had to communicate a lot about being who they were and the knowledge of each other without really talking about it ... If Viggo couldn't have done it, I don't know if I would've made the movie”

Ed Harris
Viggo is one straight shooter
By Kevin Williamson
Toronto Sun
6th September 2008



“I figured if he wanted to do it - if he responded to the material - then he would immediately understand what this was between these guys without us having to talk about for hours on end,"

Ed Harris
Globe and Mail
22 September 2008



“ ….I like this one because it’s told in a leisurely pace. I enjoyed being in it because Ed didn’t try to reinvent the genre or appeal to younger audiences. He said, ‘This is how these stories are told, and I’m going to respect the genre.’”

Viggo Mortensen
Play It As It Lays
By Philip Berk
Filmink
April 2009



"Viggo is very detailed and he really got into the fact that Hitch had been at West Point - so he was particular about all of his gear, the saddlebags and his haircut. In the book, his character is probably a little more of a hick. But Viggo's thing was I don't want to say 'ain't.' Viggo wanted to refine Hitch a bit, to clean him up. It made sense and was a nice choice."

Ed Harris
Globe and Mail
22 September 2008



"When I first had [the 8-gauge shotgun], I said, `Do you really need it to be an eight-gauge, Ed? It's not that manageable, it's not going to be accurate at much distance. I said, `I'm not going to shoot that thing off a horse, because I'd get blown off the horse, realistically.'"

Mortensen Packs a Big Gun
By David Germain
Associated Press
17 September 2008



One area the actor always takes seriously, whether in The Lord of the Rings or Eastern Promises, is hair. For Appaloosa, Mortensen grew a thick goatee and bushy mustache while keeping his haircut military short, a reflection of Hitch's training at West Point.

"I showed up with it that way and just kind of maintained it," he says. "I based it on pictures."

As Mortensen discusses his versatile hair options, Harris, 57, chuckles. "I wish I had some versatile hair options," he says. "I actually had a (hair) piece made, and we screen-tested it. It was pretty interesting looking."

Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris gab about garb, camaraderie in Appaloosa
By Susan Wloszczyna
USA Today
2 October 2008
USA Today



“… the love of my life in the film … the beautiful Renée Zellweger.” and finally… “The REAL love of my life in the film, Viggo Mortensen”.

Ed Harris’s introductions
Appaloosa Premier at TIFF – reported by Topaz
5 September 2008



Mortensen said he was hooked by the dynamics between the two men. They love each other, said Harris, even if they might never say those exact words. It's a deep, complex friendship, though don't expect it to unravel like the one between the cowboys in Brokeback Mountain.

Said Mortensen: "They cut those scenes."

Appaloosa: TIFF press conference diaries
by Mark Medley
National Post
5 September 2008



"I'm really honoured and privileged to introduce to you a man of conviction, of compassion, intelligence, artistic integrity, a great actor and a fine citizen of the world, a man I'm proud to call my friend : Viggo Mortensen."

Ed Harris introducing Viggo at Deauville
With thanks to Dom and Ellie
13 September 2008

Viggo's Directorial and Scriptwriting debut, Falling has finally premiered at Sundance and, of course, we are hoping that this will be the start of many Festival showings and a good run out there in Cinemaland. I've gathered together a mixture of reviews and comments (I was really hoping for more reviews!) for a Falling Quotable round-up, hopefully the first of many!



© HanWay Films/Perceval Pictures.


Mortensen says that even though his father, mother, grandparents and uncle all suffered from dementia, and that the film is dedicated to his two other brothers, this is not an autobiographical story but one that sprung out of many places and it just suddenly all came to him, like a dream, on that plane. It finally became a story of a fictional family that shares traits of his own. "A few days after I got home I said I'm just going to look at this thing because I ended up writing a short story sort of. On the plane I couldn't sleep so I just kept writing and then it just became something that had nothing to do with my family but this story."

Viggo Mortensen On 'Falling' Into A New Phase Of His Career With Directing Debut Set To World Premiere At Sundance
By Pete Hammond
Deadline.com
23 January 2020



He started sculpting a story about finding common ground with someone you disagree with.

"As I was writing the screenplay, I was thinking about what's actually happening in the country," he said. "How do you deal with hate speech or with someone who just doesn't accept, won't even listen to you, doesn't want to know anything about what you perhaps stand for, what you identify as — all those kinds of things."

'Falling': Lance Henriksen Says Viggo Mortensen's Feature Debut Made Him Realize The World Is Changing – Sundance Studio
ByDino-Ray Ramos
Deadline.com
28 January 2020



"I would've preferred not to be in the movie, I have to say that, but to get it made one of the conditions was I had to act in it. I've been around for a long time as an actor, but if you haven't directed a movie you haven't directed a movie – I'm unproven and I'm lucky to get a chance."

Viggo Mortensen talks directing debut 'Falling'; first look at family drama
Tom Grater
Screen Daily
15 May 2019



[Falling] gives erstwhile action star Henriksen (Bishop in "Aliens") an unprecedented opportunity to actually act…It took long enough for someone to entrust a part as tricky as this to Henriksen, whose plunge pays off in Mortensen's sensitive hands.

Peter DeBruge
Variety
24 January 2020



As a director, Mortensen doesn't make things easy for himself: We figure that a film like this is headed for some kind of redemption, but Willis seems completely irredeemable for much of the film. But Mortensen is too smart to go for an easy reconciliation, instead exploring shades of resignation and acceptance, particularly in the wake of an argument that can stand as a father/son version of the one in "Marriage Story" — primal and fearsome, it goes to places so dark that all the characters can do afterwards it attempt to crawl out of the wreckage.

"Falling" is a finely drawn character drama, as you might expect from much of Mortensen's acting career, and a film that pays attention to small details that bring these people to life.

Steve Pond
The Wrap
24 January 2020



Having quietly spent years augmenting his acting work with prodigious output in music, poetry and visual arts (not to mention founding a publishing house that champions other artists' work), Viggo Mortensen finally takes the director's chair in Falling, a masterful family drama taking a compassionate view of a father whose faults are impossible to ignore…

…Falling doesn't transform its emotional landscape into a simple question of rejection or forgiveness. It's comfortable knowing that meanness and affection can exist in the same person, and that tolerance, even when it only flows in one direction, benefits both giver and recipient.

John DeFour
Hollywood Reporter
24 January 2020



"Falling" is unpretentious and perfectly accessible to mainstream audiences. Mortensen's patience, his way with actors and his trust in our intelligence are not unlike late-career Eastwood, which isn't a bad place to be so early in one's directing career.

Peter DeBruge
Variety
24 January 2020



Since discovering his sexuality, his father Willis has questioned the truthfulness of John's reality in such insensitive ways that it's hard to picture why any son would stick around to help – blood or not. But in that regard, Mortensen delivers such a defining performance that is so capable of impacting many whose experience is similar. His character's reservations is matched with a nuanced delivery of emotion that feels as passionate as it is affecting.

Part of what makes Falling work for me is its dedication to not hide the ugly truth in what could've been a story that settled for stereotypical character growth and a happy ending. But if truth be told, it's also what makes Mortensen's Falling a difficult watch.

Brittany Witherspoon
Popculture Reviews
24 January 2020



Viggo gives a beautifully understated performance here, letting Henriksen (whom it's nice to see in a really meaty role, again) carry the load and dive into Willis' damaged psyche, giving a riveting performance, which allows the supporting cast to do just that: support a pair of great actors doing what they do.

Vsmoviepodcast
28 January 2020



In Mortensen's most notable directorial flare, Falling flashes back and forth between John's childhood on the farm and his present-day life in California as a well-to-do suburban husband to his Chinese-American partner, Eric, and father to their daughter, Monica (Gabby Velis). There's nothing novel about interwoven timelines, but Mortensen's vision of how the two interact is poignant and meditative.

Luke Hicks
Film School Rejects


In many ways Falling is a tough film to watch, as we're essentially voyeurs, watching horrible family dysfunction without it ever really amounting to much, other than the fact that there's some grace to forgiveness even if its undeserved. One can't fault the craft or the acting, with Mortensen low-key as the kindly son forced to keep in his simmering rage… One thing FALLING does that's terrific is that it gives Lance Henriksen a showcase role. One of the best in the biz, Henriksen's been perennially underrated ever since the eighties, and approaching eighty he's as good as he ever was, sinking his teeth into the role with vigor…

…It's a passionate debut for Mortensen but it's not an easy watch.

Chris Bumbray
JoBlo.com
24 January 2020



It's a confident, assured directorial effort by Mortensen, who breezes through the various time periods (with Borg/McEnroe star Sverrir Gudnason as young Willis) with ease…

…Falling makes the case that it is never too late to move beyond the hurt and chart a new course. It's a passionate, heartfelt debut for Mortensen, and a film many will relate to because of how tough the material is to watch.

Travis Hopson
Punch Drunk Critics
24 January 2020



The film does a super solid job of balancing the multiple facets of John's life. Be it his gay marriage, his Mexican speaking daughter, or his time spent serving his country. Rather than belabor any one point over the other, Mortensen peppers in each of these dynamics to perfection while still delivering the importance and power of each of these attributes. That is to say, it's not a 'gay' movie, it's not a 'political' movie, it's not an 'Alzheimer's' movie. No, it's a movie about a complicated, quiet, and modern-day life… Mortensen would tell the audience at the film's closing night Q&A that "there's no shame, no matter how hard it is, in forgiving and accepting. No matter how much you might hate them. You've only got the 1, or the 2. When they are gone, they are gone."

"Falling" is both a story about a trying child/parent relationship, and it's a film that you should watch.

Toni Gonzales
Awards Circuit
11 February 2020



The ending of Falling is ambiguous enough to allow the audience to decide where Willis ends up, and I'm okay with that. Everyone will bring their own experiences, opinions, biases, and baggage into the theater. What they bring out is up to them.

VSA Staff Writer
Vsmoviepodcast
28 January 2020



"We worked really hard. It's been a long road," he said. "You never know how people are going to look at a movie. You just have to make it and be faithful to what you're seeing, and hope other people like it. As William Goldman said, 'nobody knows anything.'"

Viggo Mortensen On 'Falling' Into A New Phase Of His Career With Directing Debut Set To World Premiere At Sundance
By Pete Hammond
Deadline.com
23 January 2020

Viggo, we all know, is a man with an amazing array of different abilities. And now he’s showing the world his Directorial talents. He can do almost everything can’t he? Well – not quite and thank God otherwise we’d wonder if he was human! There are still a few areas where he’s challenged, though his motto mostly seems to be ‘just do it anyway’ because you never know what might come of it. As he says, below ‘What counts is the will, not the achievement of the goal.’



© Bleecker Street


Do you feel like a Renaissance man?

No, because even at 500 years old, I still wouldn't be able to get anything right.

Encounters - Direct Response from Viggo Mortensen
By - translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
El Mundo
21 April 2015



The Lord of the Rings star shows a full complement of skills including driving the family's bus, lighting a fire, playing guitar and rock-climbing.

"To be honest about the climbing scenes, I have a little vertigo," says Mortensen. "It gets me. I’m glad I look like I’m comfortable."

Viggo Mortensen is a marvel in 'Captain Fantastic'
Bryan Alexander
USA Today
19 May 2016



“When everyone climbed down for lunch, I was still standing up there,” he said, laughing. “The kids were like ‘Viggo come down to lunch!’ and I said ‘No, just send a sandwich up!’ I was absolutely terrified. I couldn’t look down.”

Viggo Mortensen on His Idealistic New Film "Captain Fantastic"
by Gillian Sagansky
W Magazine
8 July 2016



… you took up surfing for the first time in New Zealand. How did that go?

Let's just say I'm not as good as the hobbits.

Chairman Of The Sword
By Liane Bonin
Entertainment Weekly
10 December 2003



“I don’t play soccer well… I sing just like I play soccer! But I like it, so I do it anyway, it’s just a matter of starting, fear is useless…”

Viggo Mortensen
A Hollywood star in RSM
Argentinean TV interview with Mariana Fabbiani
11 October 2008



'...I'm surprised they let me do [the paintings in A Perfect Murder], actually. There was just a little time before we were going to start and I just asked, "What if I did this myself? I showed them a couple of small samples and they said sure if I made this bigger and I said OK. So it was one of those things where you're at a job interview and they say can you speak Chinese? Because if you can speak Chinese you've got the job. And, of course, you go, "Yeah sure. You'll water ski or whatever. Then, you just figure you'll figure out how to speak Chinese between now and next Wednesday. Well maybe it's not that extreme... I like to draw and stuff but the reason they used photography in it was because that was something that I did know and I had a certain stock pile of images I could play with. That helped!'

Viggo Mortensen on doing the paintings in A Perfect Murder
The Fire That Fuels an Artist's Heart
by Carnell,
Carpe Noctem magazine #15
1999



“I usually use the excuse that everything is abstract. That way, I can do whatever I want. And if you don’t like it, it’s because you don’t get it,” he joked.

Viggo joking about his art
Viggo Mortensen Brings The Law Of Appaloosa To Madrid
By Jose Arce - translated by Graciela
La Butaca
20 November 2008



You’re a painter, a musician, a photographer, an actor, a poet and you’re a natural at swordplay. Is there anything you won’t try at least once?

You know what? I’m not so interested in skydiving. I’m not sure why anyone wants to jump out of a plane that’s working perfectly well.

The Last Word : Viggo Mortensen
Canadiens Magazine
8 December 2009



I don't read music and I've never had lessons but it's fun and I find it very relaxing. I'm okay with mistakes and people not liking what I play. I just do it.

Viggo Mortensen on Good
By Angus Fontaine
Time Out, Sydney
9 April 2009



‘When I'm awake, I dream of perfection. It's not about reaching it, I'm aware that it is not possible. My concern is to seek it, to try very hard to shoot the perfect movie, to have the perfect marriage, to paint the perfect painting – above all to know that it will never work out. What counts is the will, not the achievement of the goal.’

Viggo Mortensen
I Have A Dream
By Viggo Mortensen - translated by CoCo and Techadmin
Zeit magazine
23 July 2015



“I think I've learned more from my mistakes than from things that turned out well.”

Viggo Mortensen: "It's my nature to do a lot"
By covermg.com
10 July 2012



What are you still determined to learn to do?

What I haven’t.

ForWord magazine
17 January 2007

We know Viggo is a one-off original but it's surprising how often he's compared to the great actors of Hollywood's heyday. Most often to one of my favourite silver screen actors, Gary Cooper. I think it's a tribute to the huge range of his acting skills that he's been compared to everyone from James Dean to Robert Mitchum. Just for fun – because we know he's not really like any of them - I've pulled some of them together. It makes for rather a long Quotable and a few are quite surprising!



Two Faces of January image © StudioCanal


John Wayne and Harrison Ford

With his aqua blue eyes and chiseled jaw, he is every bit the American film hero - a Harrison Ford or a John Wayne, but with a darkness lurking beneath.....

Sasha Stone
Santa Monica Mirror
28 September 2005



Hands down, this is the best performance that Viggo Mortensen has given in a film yet. He is just breath-taking in the film......Viggo's acting here reminds me of vintage Harrison Ford, before... whatever happened to him. Think WITNESS or maybe even THE FUGITIVE. He's just very very good.

A History of Violence review
Harry
Ain't it Cool News
28 September 2005



A wonderful reflection on the evocative power of cinema. And, incidentally, the umpteenth confirmation of Viggo Mortensen´s great talent. Mustachioed , astride his horse in a cavalry uniform, sword in sheath and a splendid hat on his head, he is reminiscent of John Wayne in the early John Ford films.

Jauja review
Franck Nouchi - translated by Ollie and Zoe
Le Monde
19 May 2014


Gary Cooper

There's a scene in that film, Eastern Promises, where his character, Nikolai, stubs a cigarette out on his own tongue. At that moment, all was made clear: Mortensen was an old-fashioned star, as confident and as taciturn as Gary Cooper.

Viggo Mortensen
By David Thomson
The Guardian
10 April 2009



Mortensen, who became a hunky heartthrob as the warrior Aragorn in the "Lord of the Rings" series, carries himself like Gary Cooper here, radiating earthy charm and easy humor, as well as a quiet determination.

James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
2004



Mortensen again proves to be one of today's few actors who can evoke quiet self-sufficiency and absolute resolution, à la Gary Cooper. The odd fragility of his features—he truly looks here like a man who has been reduced by solitude and ascetic living to the barest necessary husk of self—convinces us totally that Daru is a modern anchorite as well as an ex-soldier who has known terrible times.

Loin des Hommes review
Jonathan Romney
Film Comment
1 May 2015



Mortensen has a heroic presence but he is also unafraid of conveying an almost feline grace. There are moments in this film when he reminded me of the young Gary Cooper, and of Steve McQueen, two other actors who convincingly integrated sensuality and masculinity. These are qualities he shares with Kateb, and when they are together on screen their interaction is absolutely riveting.

Loin des Hommes review
Christos Tsiolkas
The Saturday Paper
31 July 2015


De Niro and Brando


Fantastic performance from Viggo Mortensen.....he is absolutely a brilliant actor, he is the Robert de Niro of his generation, the Marlon Brando of his generation, the man is a genius.

Mark Kermode
BBC Radio Five Live
30 September 2005



Mortensen's interpretation, in Penn's film "The Indian Runner', of Frank, a Vietnam veteran who cannot adapt to civilian life, an habitual rebel, mutinous, violent, alcoholic, but at the same time vulnerable and touching, is perfect. His presence is both incandescent and dignified, recalling that of Robert de Niro in Scorcese's "Mean Streets'.

Viggo Mortensen: The magician of The Lord of the Rings
by Aurelie Raya
Paris Match
8 Jan 2004



Even acting-wise, comparisons will be made between Viggo Mortensen's quietly menacing Mafioso to that of the young Robert De Niro in "The Godfather Part II," who morphs into Marlon Brando's Don Vitto Corleone in the first chapter of the epic saga, "The Godfather" (1972)

History of Violence review
Emanuel Levy
emanuellevy.com
1 Sept 2007



'To me, there's a lack of self-consciousness to the great actors. I think the performance of Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises is brilliant: he's living the guy's life on screen and you can't take your eyes off him. It's the same with Marlon Brando. You might not know why you're drawn to him, but you are.'

Actor Richard Jenkins commenting on Viggo
Metrolife film
29 June 2008


Clint Eastwood


He's just somebody I spotted as having a kind of appeal that I don't see a lot of actors having anymore. It's just mainly from when I grew up that I'm always on the prowl for guys who could kind of play the roles Clint Eastwood played 30 years ago. And he sort of seems to be that kind - with some real serious acting chops.

Josh Olson on Viggo Mortensen
Interview with Jock Olson
by Rebecca Murray
About.com
August 2005



Viggo, speaking vintage Castillian Spanish with his own voice, dominates the film as a kind of Medieval Clint Eastwood, short on words, long on deadly action when required…

Viggo Mortensen - Heroic On And Off Screen
By Alex Deleon
Fest21
16 October 2006



He's got the cowboy drawl down pat; shoots a Colt .45 with confidence; delivers sharp one-liners like a kinder, gentler Clint Eastwood; and has a great seat on a horse. Even when the movie gets a little slow--and it does, a 3000-mile desert race will do that to a movie--Mortensen's onscreen appeal saves the day.

Hidalgo
Leigh Johnson
Hollywood.com


James Dean


I was looking for a young James Dean. Then, Viggo Mortensen walked into the room. I knew almost instantly that he was the one. There was such a charisma about him.

Review Fix Exclusive: Q & A With "Prison" Director Renny Harlin
Patrick Hickey Jr.
Review Fix
14 February 2013



If Jack Kerouac looked like a matinee idol - who in fact turned out to be a really good actor - he'd be a lot like Viggo Mortensen. But if James Dean wrote poetry and took pictures, he'd be closer.

Vim and Viggo
By Merle Ginsberg
W
September 1997



Great things have been predicted for Mortensen: his good friend Michael Blake, who wrote Dances With Wolves, has called him 'the new James Dean'.

Sean Penn Bites Back
By Christopher Connelly
Premier
October 1991


Robert Mitchum and William Holden


"He is methodical, exacting in his work, he carries out meticulous labors to do something that looks true, and projects it. He is like Robert Mitchum or William Holden, the class of actors whose work seems effortless."

Ray Loriga
Chiaroscuro: Viggo, Light And Dark
By Rocio Garcia - translated by Graciela, Remolina, Sage and Zooey
El Pais
26 June 2009



Mortensen tends to play listeners – whether the laconic adventurer-king Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, or Nikolai, his Russian mobster in David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises.

It's part of what makes the 55-year-old Danish-American star an old-fashioned sort of movie idol. He's cut from the same chiselled, masculine material as Robert Mitchum, with whom he shares a dimpled chin and a taste for complex heroes.

The Two Faces of January
By Tim Robey
The Telegraph
15 May 2014


And what does Viggo think?


HP: Does it mean anything to you when large movie magazines compare you with Clint Eastwood, John Wayne and James Stewart? And say that you have the same "uugrundelige", under the surface madness?

VM: That's something, but you need to be lucky. If it happens you say "thank you", but you can never count on it.

Go'Aften Danmark Interview
TV2
By - transcribed/translated by Rosen
23 September 2007



"I just think John Wayne was wonderful, and I'm not looking at him as just this icon," said the chisel-jawed actor, a study in seriousness behind innocent blue eyes.

A New John Wayne: Viggo Mortensen Saddles Up for Hidalgo
By Peter Howell
Toronto Star
5 March 2004



Joe Johnson said that you reminded him of a matinee idol of a bygone era, such as Gary Cooper, how does that make you feel?

Very flattered, because they are very good actors. What they were good at, beyond what they looked like, or whatever their presence, is the same thing that I admire in Omar Sharif, which is a kind of acting that is often under-rated and under-valued.

Hidalgo - Viggo Mortensen Q&A
Indie London
By Jack Foley
2004

As I’ve had a very music-orientated few weeks I thought another music Quotable was in order. We all know how important it is in Viggo’s life. As well as releasing many albums, often with a mix of collaborators including Buckethead, music has featured in Captain Fantastic as the creative glue that bonded the Cash family together and in Good where it acted as a metaphor for Halder’s increasingly guilty conscience. In Jauja, Viggo’s musical creativity bonded with his acting when his own work with Buckethead, ‘Moonset’, became the only music featuring in a largely silent film, arriving near the end when Dinesen’s journey is becoming increasingly surreal and inward. Music frames our lives and intensifies our emotions and I love Viggo’s comment, below, that ‘rain is the universal music’.



Image Wilson Webb.
© Bleecker Street.


He's a musician, but not in the way many actors dabble in music—he's released 17 albums, including some collaborations with some outstanding musicians.

Viggo Mortensen and the Art of Deliberate Living
By Michael Dunaway
Paste Magazine
3 August 2016



…a prolific discography which boasts more album releases than your average full-time musician.

An Unconventional Method: Viggo Mortensen
Clash
8 March 2015



‘...music is when we all would get together. That was at least once a day we'd get together, all of us. We really were jamming and laughing and talking. We'd have something to eat. Okay, let's go! And then we'd start playing. The feeling there was, There's no such thing as making a mistake. We're just playing together. We got better and better and more comfortable with each other...I thought the music was important as an initial bonding thing.’

Viggo Mortensen
'Captain Fantastic': Matt Ross, Viggo Mortensen and the perils of off-the-grid fatherhood
by Michelle Lanz
The Frame
7 July 2016



“...[Lisandro] said that we didn’t have any budget at all to go find what he was thinking about, so he needed somebody to propose something. And I said there is a guitar player named Buckethead whom I’ve known for years, I’ve done lots of records with him. A lot of the music is kinda strange, but some of it is pretty lyrical. It has a sort of circular quality that would suit the story. I sent Lisandro ten songs, and he picked the one you hear and I thought “great choice.” I wouldn’t have thought of it, but he could see that. It was one of those things that happen.”

Viggo discussing the music in Jauja
Viggo Mortensen on ‘Jauja,’ Producing, Protecting Directors’ Visions
John Hopewell
Variety
25 November 2014



It's the opening night of Viggo's photo exhibition and the room is packed with his friends and associates. They're all here to see the debut of his haunting, abstract images, the ones shot during the making of "Hidalgo", Disney's upcoming $90 million epic in which Mortensen stars as the first American to race across the Sahara Desert on horseback.

More to the point, everyone's also here to see the man himself, yet no one seems to know where he is.

As it turns out, the reluctant "The Lord of the Rings" star is out back with six or seven spiky-haired youths in the parking lot. He's the tall one in the center looking uncharacteristically polished in a charcoal suit and black leather shoes. At the moment, everyone's huddled around his dirty blue Toyota Prius, listening to some loud, swampy, guitar noise pumping out of his dashboard.

"Is that Buckethead?" asks the guy in baggy jeans, the one standing next to Elijah Wood.

"Yeah, that's him," says Mortensen, referring to a certain guitar wail. "I'm not sure about the mix, though. What do you think? Should it be brighter?"

This is vintage Viggo. While crowds of people are anxiously waiting inside to talk to him about one thing, he's already on to the next, in this case his next album with the Japanese [sic] experimental guitar legend known simply as Buckethead.


The Other Side of Viggo Mortensen
By Paul Young
Variety Life
October 2003



One listen to The Other Parade, his rereleased 1998 album with Buckethead, ex-wife Exene Cervenka, and a host of others, reveals total artistic fearlessness...

Holding Court with the King: Viggo Mortensen heralds the return of the renaissance man
by Gregory Weinkauf
East Bay Express, 2003



"....for Good.....I play a professor who has music as his refuge. I also placed myself in the situation of having Mahler's music in my head. I felt the need to play the piano. Each night after filming, I played a bit, a way of leaving myself inspired for the scene the next day. Each time, something different came from my imagination. When I returned home I recorded what I had composed to save a trace, and it became an album!"

Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen the Insatiable
by Sophie Benamon, Studio Magazine
November 2007



'I like to play with music. But I would not define myself as a musician, but as a sound modulator. I love to be with musicians and play, to see what comes out from the mess that we do together.’

Viggo Mortensen
The Painter Hero
By Giulia D'Agnolo Vallan
CIAK
March 2002



As an oblivious world walked by - including hordes of media types attending TIFF - actor Viggo Mortensen sat openly in the lobby of the Sutton Place, gently tickling the ivories of a baby grand piano…. Following his impromptu recital, the soft-spoken taciturn actor said, "I just made it up."

Asked to comment on whether the piano was properly tuned, he replied: "More or less."

His response to the question, "I didn't know you played:"

"I didn't either," followed by a loud, horsy laugh.

Viggo Mortensen plays piano at Sutton Place
Bruce Demara
TheStar.com
8 September 2008



Listening to Viggo Mortensen and Buckethead's renditions of Viggo's works on ‘This That And The Other’ is to be brought back to the direct immediacy of art and to be given the opportunity to experience a creation firsthand from its creator.

Review: This That And The Other
By Richard Marcus
blogcritics.org
March 20, 2007



And in music, what are your essentials?

I don't know if I have essentials; the selection depends on the moment. This morning I've been listening to Ray Barretto, The Ramones, Andrés Calamaro and Janis Joplin.

Viggo Mortensen: "If I'm lost, it's because that's how I want it."
By Juan Luis Álvarez - translated by Ollie, Rio and Zoe
La Vanguardia
9 September 2012



Rain is the universal music - along with the contribution of the wind through a forest or punishing an open window, the roar of the rivers, the sea.

Viggo Mortensen
If The Rain Gets Here
By Viggo Mortensen and Fabián Casas - translated by Ollie and Zoe
Sobrevueloscuervos.com
9 October 2014



Is there anything you regret not having even attempted?

Yes, many things. But it’s never too late. I wish I had learned music at a younger age, but I did many things and I was very lucky about the people and places that I got to know in my travels, the experiences I had, the people I loved and the ones that loved me. I cannot complain.
Viggo Mortensen Under The Spotlight
Selecciones Magazine
March 2009
Translated for V-W by Graciela

The Oscar nominations are out and – as often the case – I read them and think ‘Viggo really should have got an Oscar for The Road’. How on earth did he not even get nominated? It is, IMHO, one of the great oversights in the Academy’s history. It was a very demanding role and the film took a huge toll on him and Kodi Smit-McPhee, both physically and emotionally. And no one else could have brought to The Man the depth of sensitivity and courage that Viggo did. OK… getting down off my soap box now!



Image Macall Polay. © 2929/Dimension Films.


"Viggo has the perfect qualities as a man and as an actor to do this part. He’s got incredible depth of soul.”

Nick Wechsler
Interview with Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Contender
Emmanuellevy.com
3 September 2009



Before accepting the role, he was coming out of two solid years of non-stop intense work and had sworn to take a rest. He had arranged a series of exhibitions of his photography, but as soon as Hillcoat got him to read the script of The Road, he understood that he could not refuse the role.

Premier Magazine
By Gérard Delorme - Translated by Chrissiejane
June 2008



Mortensen felt drained after reading both the book and script in the same day. “Yeah, I was worthless that day,” admitted Mortensen. “I was at my mother’s house, actually, visiting her and she said, ‘So, what do you want to do for dinner?’ ‘Dinner?’ I said, ‘How can I eat now?’”

Viggo Mortensen Talks About ‘The Road’
Rebecca Murray
About.com
23 November 2009



“I was trying to think of an everyman, yet someone you could really buy as credible in making that journey,” Hillcoat said. “Actors come with baggage, as well. Sometimes that baggage can help, like Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. His baggage was part of the performance. With Viggo, there’s something slightly elusive about him, and he has quite a wide range, and yet, also, there’s this real physicality about him. And there’s this tenderness.

”And his face also reminded me of Grapes of Wrath, the Dorothea Lange photos of the Great Depression, Midwest people struggling with the collapse of the environment and the economy.”

On The Road with Viggo and Kodi:
By Jay Stone
Canada.com
18 November 2009



“A lot of times I take on roles because they scare me.” That, he explained, was what brought him to The Road. Viggo had read the book and was afraid. Afraid of a role he thought might be the most physically and emotionally demanding performance of his career.

Viggo Mortensen
AFI Fest: Viggo and The Road
The Bloggomist: The Local Boy
Evil Monito Magazine
17 November 2009



…the role requires not only physical verisimilitude, but the ability to show tenderness and inner strength. "For some actors it might be a stretch that they’re so tender and sensitive to a child and yet be able to physically do what he has to do. Viggo’s very intense and very wound up, and that is what the father is all about."

John Hillcoat
Interview with Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Contender
Emmanuellevy.com
3 September 2009



"Viggo emptied himself out, always. He’d be exhausted at the end of a hard day. He gives everything."

Javier Aguirresarobe
Diary of The Road's Shooting
By Javier Aguirresarobe - translated by Ollie, Remolina, Rio, Sage and Zooey
Esquire (Spain)
January 2010



"It was a hell of a thing for him to undertake, because there’s nowhere to hide. He’s in every single frame almost, throughout every scene, and every emotion he has to delve into, every emotion. The journey is very extreme, so it’s a lot to ask of someone.”

John Hillcoat
John Hillcoat Hits The Road
By Edward Douglas
Comingsoon.net
19 November 2009



“…the book was my constant companion. It’s pretty well-worn. The interior life of the characters are so beautifully written, so poetic that it was what I kept going back to. But this movie is about man’s humanity, this flower that blooms in a desert between two people.”

Viggo Mortensen
After “The Road” Viggo Mortensen Looks on the Bright Side: “You Could Always Be Dead”
By Jeffrey Podolsky
Wall Street Journal
17 November 2009



Luckily for Smit-McPhee, one of our greatest actors shares every scene with him. Viggo Mortensen is perfectly cast. Was anyone even surprised when he was announced as The Man? It’s a challenging role for any actor, but one can’t help but see it as something as a culmination of the excellent work he’s been doing since appearing in that little fantasy film a few years ago.

Brian Kinsley
Incontention.com
September 2nd, 2008



"It’s true that when you’re traveling through these suffering landscapes, these devastating landscapes, it’s so real, and it was definitely cold, and we were definitely wet. Everything was so real visually and physically for us that we could not be anywhere else other than at that level. We had to reach that somehow in terms of our emotions and our relationship. It had to be credible, and I think it was a great help to us."

Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Hits The Road
By Roger Durling
Santa Barbara Independent
22 November 2009



...when an actor like Viggo Mortensen is in front of the camera, it's best to just let the camera run and let him be. Mortensen gives a brilliant, genius performance. His character's every breath is not just his own, but a breath for his son, a breath for hope, and Mortensen conveys that with harrowing accuracy.

Brandon Lee Tenney
FirstShowing.net
25 November 2009



Mortensen captures the wounded man’s pain in his wonderfully expressive eyes, and despite being faced with death all around him, he is a life force for whom survival is paramount.

John Foote
Screenrant
14 September 2009



“When I looked at the movie for the first time, [Kodi and I] were sitting next to each other in Venice, I was shocked sometimes. It’s beyond the makeup; there’s something in our faces that’s more lean, more suffering, beyond what I thought was happening. And I think that has to do with committing mentally and emotionally to the material.”

Viggo Mortensen sets the record straight about his acting career, ‘The Road’ and ‘The Hobbit’
By Carla Hay
Examiner.com
25 November 2009



‘My favourite line of the film happens to be in voiceover, where [my character] says that by the end, the boy has helped him accept his fate and accept the way things are and appreciate life. He says, “If I were God, I would make the world just so, and no different.”’

Viggo Mortensen
Against all odds
Melora Koepke
Hour.ca
12 November 2009

A while back we looked at Viggo’s strong connections with Spain. This week I thought we’d take a look at his Danish heritage and the deep affection he has for Denmark. In their 2008 interview with him, Men’s Vogue titled him the’ Great Dane’ (something that still makes me giggle). In the past, Viggo has described Denmark as a ‘fixed-point’ for him, his inner ‘home. With strong family ties there I’m sure, as he says below, that his heart will always ‘beat heavily for Denmark’.



Jauja Magical Mystery Tour - Samso
Image Jens Oster-Mortensen.
© SN.dk.


He has a Danish passport and is a Danish citizen… Viggo Mortensen lives most of the time in Madrid, but he has often Denmark or Argentina in mind.

"I think of the family. The landscape. Just as I think of Argentina. If, for example, in December, and I am in Madrid, I will call my aunt Tulle and ask if there is snow in Denmark. So she says maybe it is raining, as it often is, and then I can see it for myself. The forests, I see very clearly. "

Viggo Danish Interview
Translation by Colette Hera
Berlingske Media
11 May 2015



“There is no doubt that my heart beats heavily for Denmark and, during my current visit to Denmark, the first thing I did was visit my aunt Tulle in Ringsted to have 'Biksemad'," says Viggo Mortensen.

My Heart Beats For Denmark
By Kim Kastrup - translated by Rosen
Ekstra Bladet
25 September 2007



What do you think of when you think of Denmark?

'I think about a beautiful landscape, I think of a country where I can be myself and meet my family, where my cousin's think of me as Viggo from Ringsted and tease me as they tease everybody else - and teasing is obviously a Danish way to express friendship. In that way Denmark means incredible much to me.'

Viggo from Hollywood
By Poul Hoi
M/S (Danish magazine)
August 2001



'In Denmark, I discovered the sense of family and a certain work ethic. I am very close to my uncles, aunts, cousins and I am emotionally very open with them. I am a strange mixture of very methodical North and more chaotic South.'

Viggo Mortensen - The Anti-star
translated by Kaijamin
Paris Match
2 October 2008



"...I met someone last night who showed me a picture of a baby, and they had named the kid Viggo. You know, Viggo is a pretty dorky name in Denmark. It's like Oswald or something. It's a very old Scandinavian name, at least 1,000 years old."

Q&A Viggo Mortensen
By Sora Song
People
10 October 2005



‘...the Danish that I spoke with my daughter in [Jauja], being quite a simple man, a man from the countryside of Denmark, I chose to speak it like my Danish grandfather who was a guy from the country, intelligent, but who had quite a simple and formal way of speaking, in a very correct way.’

Viggo Mortensen
We speak in Cannes with Viggo Mortensen about Jauja, his second Argentinian experience
By I. J. - translated by Ollie and Zoe
Noticine.com
21 May 2014



"I very strongly feel that I share a common past with my family in Denmark. And feel connected to the Scandinavian mythology, when I walk in the forest at Jystrup, where there are many tales told of what has happened. The Danish woods look like Tolkien's, they are the kind that doesn't look dangerous, but if you walk alone by night in the forests of Denmark, you can feel the energies of the past. I felt that already as a child, back then when I played with swords there outside my uncle's farm, played and felt like a Viking.”

Viggo Mortensen
The American Dane
By Susanne Johansson - Translation by Majken
Berlingske Tidende
28 November 2001



Could you ever consider settling down here in Denmark to live?

"Yes, I might but it would be on Samsø. There you are still allowed to walk around in peace, especially in winter. If they don't build that dreadful bridge to Samsø, that they might build. I am very much opposed to that bridge," says Viggo Mortensen.

"[Denmark] is a country where I feel at home. I have lots of family here and I feel safe here in Mid-Zealand.”

Viggo Wants To Live On Samsø
By Kim Kastrup - translated by Estel
Ekstra Bladet
16 October 2008



“…slowly his trailer starts to get all this character. It was the World Cup at the time, so he’s a massive football fan, so all these flags started going in his trailer. He had a picture of the Queen of Denmark up.”

Michael Fassbender on meeting Viggo
Michael Fassbender Explores A Dangerous Method with Movie Fanatic
by Joel D Amos
Moviefanatic.com
25 November 2011



A Danish journalist once asked me what I would do if Denmark and Argentina were facing each other in a World Cup. I said I would make a shirt, half and half, from the two teams' colors. The following year a gentleman gave me one like that. I'll use it someday, and amuse myself by rooting for both teams. Although I wish the U.S. National Team luck when they play, I would never be able to support them against Argentina or Denmark. Absurd things from my upbringing and the personal ties that I have with these countries, although I was born in New York.

Sobrevuelos
People And Field
By Viggo Mortensen and Fabián Casas - translated by Ollie, Rio, Sage and Zoe
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro
30 July 2011



The poetry works because Mortensen is Scandinavian (Danish father, American mother), says Manhire, "and there is this Scandinavian myth about how poetry is a mixture of blood and honey - his poetry has that mixture."

Bill Manhire, Victoria University, NZ
"I'm a poet" - Rings star Mortensen
by Josie McNaught
Sunday Star-Times
2003



You have been described as the Robert De Niro of your generation, what are your views on that? And how much are you looking forward to becoming a Lego figure?

I already am a Lego figure! Very proud to be a part of Danish industry in that way. I'm not sure that Robert De Niro is a Lego figure yet, so he's got some catching up to do.

Empire On-line Web Chat
31 January 2012



'I have travelled a lot my entire life. As a child I lived in five-six different countries - from Denmark to USA, from Argentine to Egypt - and as a grown up I have travelled half around the globe myself. The movie business is a very vagrant business. The last two years I've spent in NewZealand filming 'Lord of the Rings' and sometimes I'm in five cities in a week. Someplace, in the back of your mind, you need to have a fix point, a place you call home, and Denmark is that to me'.

Viggo Mortensen
Viggo from Hollywood
By Poul Hoi
M/S
2001

Viggo’s interaction with journalists is always fascinating. Years of magazine and newspaper articles have given us a motley picture of interviews taking place in greasy spoon cafés and coffee shops, spilling over into hotel lobbies, car parks... traffic light stops... phone calls... In fact journalists discover that an interview with Viggo is hardly ever over when they think it is. Along the way there are gifts and a glimpse that the artist in him is clearly never switched off.



© Benoit Sauvage.


Viggo Mortensen is, besides a great actor, an inexhaustible conversationalist, so full of curiosity that he doesn’t hesitate to occasionally take the role of the interviewer.

The Dark Side Of The Hero
By Walder & Castro - translated by Graciela, Remolina and Zooey
Marie Claire (Spain)
June 2009



The voice on the phone is husky, familiar, and just a little menacing. “I was told to call this number,” the speaker says. I give a little shudder before realising it’s Viggo Mortensen, calling as planned to talk about his new film, The Two Faces of January. Phew.

The many faces of Viggo Mortensen
By Karl Quinn
Sydney Morning Herald
5 June 1014



In conversation, Mortensen doesn’t indulge in niceties. Doesn’t do small talk. But get him going on football, or his about-to-be published Spanish-language poetry collection, or indeed Green Book, and you can easily lose 10 minutes to his enthusiastic observations and tangential musings. Attempts to redirect his thoughts are about as effective as trying to stem the flow of a raging river using an ironing board.

These verbal deluges don’t derive from a feeling of self-importance, or of high-mindedness, but of generosity. He is trying to answer my questions as fully and considerately as he can – to a fault.

Viggo Mortensen: intellectual nourishment in a world of artery-clogging culture
By Dan Masoliver
Shortlist.com
20 December 2018



Viggo Mortensen is pressing me to eat a croissant from a large basket sitting on a table in front of him. It is certainly the right hour for them – most actors would draw the line at 8.30am interviews – but whoever imagined that arthouse cinema's most visibly rugged outdoors man would start his day with effete French pastries? This is the man whose chosen set souvenir from Lord of the Rings was his horse! He looks relieved when I take one; nobody need now be embarrassed.

Viggo Mortensen gets dirty to play a 'wolf dad' in Captain Fantastic
By Stephanie Bunbury
Sydney Morning Herald
2 September 2016



He might have trouble receiving praise, or dishing it out to himself. He's proud of having worked on Gus Van Sant's 1998 remake of Psycho, but when I tell him I adored the film, he seems unsure.

"You did?" he says suspiciously.

It becomes clear precisely how much Mortensen values his work when I leave - or rather, after I have left. I'm crossing the hotel lobby when he appears out of nowhere, still barefoot, still nursing his pot of maté on its tiny saucer.

"I was looking for you," he says intently, drawing me to one side. What has caused him to race down from his suite, probably giving several PR assistants heart attacks in the process, is the urge to impress upon me that one director has inspired him more than any other he has worked with - Philip Ridley, the British film-maker who cast Mortensen in his Lynchian adult fairy-tales, The Reflecting Skin (1990) and The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995).

"That man will never sell out," he enthuses, "because his vision is unique."

Viggo Mortensen: A Method Actor in Middle-Earth
By Ryan Gilbey
14 December 2001
The Independent



Out in the parking lot, he stops at his truck - a black pickup he's borrowed from one of his brothers - to retrieve a final present: a red rubber bracelet memorialising fallen firefighters. He hands it to me, then says goodbye.

I'm right behind him, waiting to pull into traffic, when he jumps out and motions for me to roll down my window. There's something interesting on the radio, he says, urging me to turn it on. I can hear it coming from his speakers. It's AM talk, and it's playing loud.

The Appealingly Weird World of Viggo Mortensen
By Amy Wallace
Esquire
March 2006



It was a relaxed, almost flower-powered, Viggo Mortensen, complete with bare feet and decorated wrist bands, that strolled into his top-floor apartment at a high up Melbourne hotel.

Put it down to his personality - though softly-spoken, it's immediately obvious, since he makes a point to check your tape recorder is recording properly before speaking, that he's one heck of a nice guy...

Interview: Viggo Mortensen
By Clint Morris
Moviehole
8 March 2006



When I called him in July to interview him for The Progressive, he had returned from four months' shooting the forthcoming Spanish historical epic, Alatriste. He sounded exhausted, as though he could barely hold the phone, but when we started talking about the war in Iraq, the Bush Administration, and the role of actors and artists in mainstream political discourse, he didn't feel like sleeping. Eventually, I had to tell him I was tired.

Two days later, he called back. He wanted to clarify a few things he'd said and to answer more questions. And he tried me a few times after that. We spoke one final time in the wake of Katrina. I might have flattered myself to think one of the best-looking Hollywood leading men liked the sound of my voice. But that clearly wasn't the case, since he did most of the talking.

Viggo Mortensen Interview
By Nina Siegal
The Progressive
November 2005



...we met at Callahan's - a small greasy spoon perfectly suited to the artist's genuine unpretentiousness - on a sunny day in Santa Monica....During our conversation, oblivious to the flustered waitress tripping over herself, Mortensen makes obvious his obsession with the ordinary as he breaks to explain, for example, why the green countertop reflecting fluorescent light onto the cherry-red Coke machine in the background would make the perfect picture. "I'd take it right now if I had my camera," he lamented.

Things Are Weird Enough
By Shana Nys Dambrot
Juxtapoz magazine #19
1999



It somehow seems ironic that Viggo Mortensen, virtuoso bad boy, wants to meet at the Snow White Coffee Shop, and now sits beneath a looming portrait of Prince Charming.

The Virtuoso Bad Boy Takes a Gentlemanly Turn in The Portrait of a Lady
By Jodie Burke
UK Premiere Magazine
1997



We meet at a coffee house in Santa Monica, where he's already upstairs with a glass of iced coffee and a notebook. Beside him rests a box, overflowing with sheets of rumpled paper and picture frames, much like one would find in an attic, or on the neglected shelves of Christmas decorations (his manager had asked me if he could make a contribution to the magazine, to which I gave an unqualified 'yes').

'I don't know what you're looking for,' he says, 'but I brought a few things to show you.'

Viggo's Box
By Craig Clevenger
Fond Affexxions #5, Winter Thaw 1995



The first thing Viggo Mortensen does after shaking my hand is to press a CD into it. Time Waits for Everyone, it's called; 18 tracks of Mortensen's moody compositions for solo piano.

In addition to acting in back-to-back films by David Cronenberg, Mortensen is a published poet, a painter and photographer with exhibitions next year in Iceland and Denmark, the founder of a small publishing house, Perceval Press, and (after listening to the disc, I find) a decent musician.

When I ask how he keeps all these interests going along with his acting career, he answers: "Sometimes it's tricky; I just barely meet deadlines."

No wonder the press loves this guy.

Multi-talented Mortensen Prepares For Worst, Hopes For Best
By Chris Knight
9 September 2007
CanWest News Service



In the diner, he asks for the time. (He doesn't wear a watch he says. Ninety minutes later, we pull up to the departure gates at the airport. I begin to say goodbye. But no, Mortensen is coming in with me. Way earlier in the day, in our first ten minutes together, I mentioned that I forgot my driver's license and that some drama ensued at LaGuardia Airport. He's coming in with me to make sure I get on my flight.

Why Viggo Mortensen Is Off the Grid
By Lisa DePaulo
Esquire
25 May 2016