1. Viggo Mortensen as Tony Lip in Green Book

    Viggo Mortensen, on ‘Green Book,’ red carpets and one memorable road trip

    How the film Green Book came together, from interviews with Viggo Mortensen and others involved in the project. Several interesting anecdotes, including Viggo describing how he first met Mahershala Ali when they both sought out the same corner to take a break from yet another award-season event around the end of 2016. "I go, 'Hey, man, I love your work!' It was like we were both blurting it out at the same time," Mortensen said, chuckling at the memory. After talking, they parted, saying, "Well, it would be great if we could do something together sometime." The chance came when Peter Farrelly decided to take on Green Book.
  2. Viggo Mortensen & Mahershala Ali in Green Book

    Finally, an Oscar for Viggo? Mortensen shines a light on 1960s-era racism in ‘Green Book’

    Video and article cover a lighthearted interview in which Viggo talks about how he put on 40-50 pounds for his role as Tony Lip in Green Book—and then had to take it off afterward, the cast's research into The Green Book (travel guide) and the era, the relationship between Lip and Shirley, and the cast and crew's delight in the reception the film has received at early screenings.
  3. Viggo Mortensen (Getty Image)

    Viggo Mortensen Tells Us Why He Thinks ‘Green Book’ Is One Of The Best Stories Of The Year

    The interview summarizes: "We spoke to Viggo Mortensen about why he didn’t even want to play [Tony Lip] at first (mostly because he’s not of Italian descent), why he gets along so well with his co-star, Mahershala Ali, and why he thinks Green Book is the best screenplay of 2018. Also, on the day this interview took place, it was the day before the midterm elections, and Mortensen made sure I was voting."
  4. Mahershala Ali

    Mahershala Ali Talks New Film ‘Green Book,’ Which Takes Us On A Joyful Ride Tackling Race Along The Way

    Insightful interview with Mahershala Ali. "Don Shirley had the capacity to play extraordinarily complicated music that was deemed white music. And it’s not that he’s not good enough to play it, he’s just not white enough to play it." When asked about combating racism, Ali pointed out that "You need to be able to have diversity in conversations about race. You can have Barry Jenkins and Spike Lee, but you all need to include a story like Green Book that may play a little lighter, where people don’t realize at first that they’re being challenged, because they may be laughing."
  5. Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali at Hollywood Film Awards

    Mahershala Ali Calls Viggo Mortensen ‘An Extraordinary Teammate’ Amid N-Word Scandal

    Mahershala Ali talked about how well he and Viggo Mortensen worked together on Green Book: “Viggo was great because he’s an extraordinary teammate. He was somebody who felt supportive of me doing my best work. I believe I tried to do the exact same thing with him." After Mortensen uttered the N-word while talking about race relations in a joint interview, he apologized, and Ali "accepted his castmate’s apology in a statement ... but noted that he did not condone his use of the controversial word."
  6. Viggo Mortensen, Peter Farrelly, Mahershala Ali - The Contenders

    ‘Green Book’ Team On The Drive To Change Minds

    Interesting video interview with Viggo Mortensen, Peter Farrelly, and Mahershala Ali focuses on the true story behind Green Book and how they hope it will impact the viewers. As Ali points out, Shirley didn’t have to tour the segregated American South. “Going down through the segregated South during this time was really a choice to put himself on the front line and expose the South and that community to a man that was educated, cultured and intelligent in a manner that went beyond the stereotypical point of view of a white Southerner at that time. He was there trying to push the boundaries by his sheer presence.” Mortensen says he expects people who watch the film will be "affected by what Mahershala’s character goes through, what we go through, and the lessons my character learns on this journey."
  7. portrait of Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic

    Viggo Mortensen: ‘Do something, or get out of the kitchen.’

    The article discusses Captain Fantastic in light of Viggo Mortensen's international childhood, politics and the state of the world. "The character this versatile actor most closely resembles offscreen is the title role in his latest film, Captain Fantastic, a.k.a. Ben Cash, who pursues an alternative lifestyle with his children deep in the woods of Washington State."
  8. Viggo Mortensen, photo Suki Dhanda

    Viggo Mortensen: ‘Often people are desperate, so I do what needs to be done’

    Captivating interview with Viggo covers Jauja, his preparation and work as an actor, family, Perceval Press, and activism. Interviewer Alice Fisher concludes: "Whether he’s stumbling through a desert looking for life’s answers, bringing his own tea set to an interview or flying across the country for a 20-minute chat, the man knows what he wants.”
  9. Viggo Mortensen in The Two Faces of January

    The Two Faces of January: Viggo Mortensen and Hossein Amini interview

    Viggo Mortensen and Hossein Amini talk about the genesis of the project and how their partnership helped it come together; Viggo talks about how he has been choosing which project to take on, and his character in the film. "Mortensen was attracted to the mystery of Chester. 'As an actor, it’s nice to have a secret,' he says. 'Even when there’s no secret in the screenplay I always try to find one.'"
  10. Viggo Mortensen & Kirsten Dunst in The Two Faces of January

    Watch now: Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen in ‘The Two Faces of January’

    This brief report from the LA Film Festival quotes director Hossein Amini about his "affection for novelist Patricia Highsmith and the film's male star Viggo Mortensen -- and their ability to bring the dark side of human nature to the fore. 'I love the cruelty in her writing,' he told the audience at the festival. 'Viggo really embraces the ugly side of characters... Not a lot of stars do.'"
  11. Viggo Mortensen in The Two Faces of January

    The Two Faces of January – Viggo Mortensen interview

    Viggo Mortensen talks about playing Chester MacFarland in The Two Faces of January and why the script and the subtle nature of it provided something a little bit different from the normal thriller. He also talks about his career post-Lord of the Rings and why he goes about choosing his roles in the way that he does.
  12. Viggo Mortensen at Toronto 2007. Reuters photo by Mario Anzuoni

    Cronenberg gets down and dirty with Russian mob

    Brief interview with Cronenberg and Mortensen explores the bathhouse scene, tattoos, and the polonium poisoning that occurred nearby while they were filming. “"We hear the Russian criminals are loving the movie because of the accuracy,"” Cronenberg said. “"The moral aspect of it is not really the issue for them. The issue is are we being mocked and did we get it right? Or did we get it wrong? And so far we have passed.”"
  13. Comes a Horseman

    "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.'"
  14. On Steeds and Sonnets

    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."
  15. Horse trading up by Viggo

    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 […]
  16. Viggo Mortensen on cowboys

    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").
  17. Viggo Mortensen: 60 Second Interview

    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."