His eyes shine when he talks about his son Henry, who is already 18. An interview with Estela Gonzalez.

Very calm, unwilling to talk about his private life, slightly shy in front of the camera, Viggo Mortensen is Alatriste, and also the opposite. If we forget that he is a mercenary in the 17th century, when he talks about his character, he seems to be talking about himself.

What is your favorite aspect of Alatriste?

Well, his resiliency, his natural nobility. Maybe not always, but almost always, he treats other people well and behaves, he takes care of his stuff, and he doesn't complain.

After he divorced from his first wife, Exene Cervenka, he has not been involved in any other love affairs.

Have you cried a lot for love?

Every now and then, every now and then.

Do you fall in love easily?

Maybe, but I am more and more careful as I get older; let's say, I am more careful now.

But if at some point his eyes shine, it is when he talks about his 18-year-old son Henry.

"I respect him a lot, the way he goes through life; and I know he respects me and he loves me. He is the most precious thing that I have, what can I tell you."

Mortensen was born in New York, but he lived part of his childhood between Argentina and Venezuela. From those days he maintains the slight accent, his passion for maté, and for tangos. The son of an American mother and a Danish father, he speaks three languages, but when it comes to talking about his feelings, he doesn't want to use any of them.

Which of the three languages would you use to seduce someone?

None of them.

None of them? How do you seduce?

Well, I don't know. It's private.

Well, how would Alatriste seduce?

I think it's also private for him. I respect him too much to give my opinion.

Mortensen is surrounded by a great cast of Spanish actors, who introduced the movie to the press today...

On the same day Gente interviewed Eduardo Noriega and this is what he had to say about Viggo:

Well, working with Viggo Mortensen is a privilege; because he is a great actor, but he is also a very down-to-earth guy, and very generous, very funny; he is always barefoot, and with his soccer shirt, and he is very "hippie", very creative.

And he goes around the different towns..., we filmed in many Spanish towns..., in each town, he would go and get cookies, dessert, cheese, chorizo, the typical stuff, and he would come with all that. And after the work for that day was over, he would go: 'Here you are," with a cheese this big (indicates size with his hands), and we would say: "But, what are you expecting us to do with this?", and he'd answer "Well, I don't have a house."

And he went to the sales, and he bought twenty tickets for a bullfight, and he came to the set, and somebody told him: "Viggo, you have purchased tickets for Sunday, and we are not going to be in Madrid on Sunday." So he started giving the tickets to the rest of the crew, but they also told him: "No, we can't go either." So he went back to sales place and started giving the tickets to the people there; and so they saw the Lord of the Rings giving out tickets for the bullfight and they thought: "Is this candid camera or what?"