Article Category: Movies

Reviewer focuses on how A History of Violence explores the nature of violence, observing that "the uncomfortable mix of humor and violence is meant to make people think." Includes quotes from Viggo Mortensen and David Cronenberg.

Brief article compares Viggo Mortensen's role in Alatriste with that of Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. Illustrated with two nice shipboard photos from the filming.

Description of the filming of Alatriste on the Beach of Valdevaqueros in Spain, with information about the upcoming shooting schedule. Original article in Spanish; translation at Brego.net.

An expansion of the print version in Sandpoint Magazine's 2005 Winter Edition, this story includes talk of Viggo's connections with North Idaho, Lord of the Rings, Hidalgo, his love for horses (and especially TJ), and future plans.

"The Critic" explains that he rented The Passion of Darkly Noon because considered The Reflecting Skin to be an "amazingly good film." Unfortunately, his opinion of PoDN is rather less. He goes into some detail about the inconsistencies and nonsense that he sees in the film. "In one short film, Philip Ridley managed to completely undermine his reputation—at least for me."

Hidalgo junket interview focuses on the controversy around the legend of Frank Hopkins. The interviewer also decides that "someone should make Viggo Mortensen an honorary Canadian," based on his passion for the Montreal hockey team.

"The heroic action star follows up the Lord of the Rings saga with another epic that calls upon his equestrian skills. John Millar finds out just why Hidalgo became his best friend in the desert. 'It's not only an epic adventure story but it is moving and transcends national boundaries and points of view.'"

Interview with Viggo Mortensen about Hidalgo, horses, poetry, the ephemeral nature of fame, and kindness. Excerpt: "Be kind. It’s worthwhile to make an effort to learn about other people and figure out what you might have in common with them."

After devoting three years of his life to playing Aragorn in the Oscar-laden The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Viggo Mortensen was looking forward to a long rest and then taking a part in a movie that would be totally different from the Tolkien epic. The movie business rarely runs according to plan, however. Another […]

Interview in a German magazine. Topics include mate ("terribly bitter"), hippies ("if you equate closeness to nature and a certain openness with being a hippie, then I was a hippie and I still am."), becoming older, riding, goat families, the truth or fiction behind Reynolds' story, and cowboys ("a cowboy is knightly").

The interview quickly turns from Hidalgo and the cost of fame into ordeals (including the interview itself) and politics. "In accepting that [all life is sorrowful] and realising you can't change it, you can also change your attitude towards it and celebrate it in a sense by making the most of life, valuing people who have gone rather than forgetting and never paying attention. If George W Bush had read anything about Churchill's involvement in Iraq in the 1920s, maybe he wouldn't have done things quite the same way."

Interview addresses Hidalgo, Viggo Mortensen's films, and his other pursuits: "As a kid, you wonder about all the adventures you are going to have and you imagine exploring the world," he says, in his soft, deliberate manner. "Most people, after a while, sort of repress that desire and instead live in a box and never attempt it but I wanted adventure, still do, and so I try a lot of things."

Excellent interview with Viggo Mortensen about the Hidalgo, his version of "method" acting, and how painting, writing, and fishing can take the place of resting between takes. "People talk about Method actors... The right method is whatever works for you. And what works for me on any given day is going to be different."

Is there life after The Lord of the Rings? Viggo Mortensen thinks so. Having played Aragorn, the reluctant king-to-be in all three movies, Mortensen is switching horses (literally) and genres–from fantasy to history. In his new movie, Hidalgo, Mortensen plays Frank T. Hopkins, a real-life 19th-century cowboy and endurance rider who’s invited by a sheik […]

The subject is Hidalgo; the interviewer focuses on Viggo Mortensen's modest manner. "Mortensen is a bit like Aragorn, the Lord of the Rings character he imbued with warrior grace and more than a bit of ambivalence. He seems primed for a kingdom. Yet Mortensen doesn't appear to need the glory. He's happy forming alliances. He's comfortable doing the work. He's not quite as at ease promoting the work, or rather himself."

The king is fidgety. In an elegant, dimly lit ballroom in Dallas’ Adolphus Hotel, the light from a single heavily draped window illuminates Viggo Mortensen, star of multi-Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and the newly released Hidalgo. But he seems more interested in chatting about his book of photographs, […]

Interview about Hidalgo touches on mythology and philosophy of life. When asked about whether it troubles him that the facts behind the film are in question, he points out that "our identity as a nation is largely based on myth, on storytelling, making up stories, exaggerating the accomplishments of extraordinary individuals," and goes on to talk about the themes of tests and ordeals in the film.

In his broken-in gray warm-up jacket, green flannel shirt and bare feet, he looks laid-back and easy-going. He sips a thick blend of green tea from a small, egg-shaped wooden cup through a silver straw. He speaks surprisingly softly and smiles easily and frequently. But then you remember that this is the same actor who […]

Reviewer likes Viggo's performance more than he likes the film: "As an action hero, Mortensen is an acolyte of the Clint Eastwood/Kurt Russell school of stoic minimalism. His quietly virtuous über-cowboy speaks—in a steely rasp, of course—only when he needs to, and even then, he says only as much as he needs to say. Mortensen nicely underplays his role, offhandedly tossing off one-liners and making the script's sometimes purple dialogue sound a little less cheesy, but the rest of the film often lurches into hammy overdrive."

Viggo talks about Hidalgo as a story that appeals to his love of mythology and the hero's journey. "I like the big stories and the big landscapes. I guess I am interested in ordeals, whether you are in the Sahara desert or you're in New Zealand or wherever, but I also like small stories that can take place in a room, in a kitchen sink drama.... Any ordeal clears and purifies your vision of yourself and how you fit in or don't fit into the world. Those are the stories I am drawn to." Other topics include Frank Hopkins, mustangs, history, politics, and the Middle East. In other words, just a typical Viggo Mortensen interview.