Holding a glass of red wine and laughing, Agustín Díaz Yanes asserts, "Viggo is terrifying. He sends you a handwritten letter, all decorated and painted, and when he arrives at your house for dinner he's an intolerable guy: he cleans the fish and picks up the dishes. My wife is fascinated, and she compares the two of us. Damn, what's a guy supposed to do? The bar is set very high."

The Lord of Simplicity
By Ernesto Garratt Vines - translated by Margarita
Wikén - El Mercurio
30 March 2007



In addition to his charm and normalcy, Mortensen had given t-shirts designed by himself, mate and trinkets - every day he would arrive on set with bags of caramels, gum and more - given to the members of technical and artistic crew.

Alatriste Fights in the Streets, By Rocío García
EL PAÍS 1st Aug 2005
Translated by Elessars Queen



Would be there any chance of the film being premiered next year in León?

Of course, neither Viggo nor I have any problem in this respect. We both would be pleased to have the premiere of "Alatriste" in León.......

....As for Viggo, I know he's longing for it, and wherever Viggo goes I go.

Agustín Díaz Yanes
Diario de León
By Miguel Ángel Nepomuceno, translated by Paddy
June 6th, 2005



A few days later, as evening fell, he returned to Valdeteja bringing with him an enormous bag of goodies for the town's kids who by now know that Viggo never arrives empty-handed. There, in Anabel's bar, he resembled Jesus among the children. Scores of kids cavorted around him, watching eagerly as Viggo pulled out shirts from his bag, then candies, chocolates and caramels that he distributed like Santa Claus to each child, all under the astonished and pleased gazes of the customers who by now consider the 'American friend' as one of their own.

Miguel Ángel Nepomuceno
Diario de León
20 August 2006
Translated for V-W by Margarita



He gave presents every day.....An example of what Viggo Mortensen's participation in this Spanish project has been like is explained by Unax Ugalde: "When he knew about my big childhood fondness for Sugus sweets, one day I found on the floor of my dressing room the shape of my name all made out with sugus."

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



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
By Rocío García, El País Semanal, 6 August 2006
Translated for V-W by Paddy



'I can only speak wonderfully of [Viggo]. What's more, we have become close friends. Without Viggo we wouldn't have been able to make Alatriste. He has done incredible things for the film, and the guy is a real treasure, yes, a treasure.'

Agustín Díaz Yanes
interviewed by Robert Basic
El Correo Digital, 3 November, 2005



'Perhaps that's why, after the private screening was finished the lights came on, and with a lump in my throat I looked around, I saw that some of the actors of the film who were on the contiguous seats - I'm not telling any names, let every one of them confess if they want to - remained still on their seats, crying their eyes out. Crying like babies because of their characters, because of the story. Because of the beautiful, dramatic ending. And also because no one had ever done, so far, a film like that of this wretched and damned Spain. As Captain Alatriste himself would say, in spite of God, and in spite of anyone.'

Arturo Pérez-Reverte after seeing the film
That Captain Alatriste
XL Semanal, 20 August 2006
Translation for V-W by Paddy



"Everything I learned from Tano and the others and from the character of Diego Alatriste I treasure."

Viggo Mortensen
The Lord of Simplicity
By Ernesto Garratt Vines - translated by Margarita
Wikén - El Mercurio
30 March 2007