1. 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."
  2. 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.”
  3. Viggo Mortensen - Sublime magazine Jun 2007

    Knightly Virtues

    "Some actors inhabit a role so perfectly that it can go on to haunt their careers – Christopher Reeve’s Superman, Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones and Sean Connery’s Bond, to take three examples. With Viggo Mortensen, it will be hard to shake his barnstorming performance as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings. He took a shadowy, unlikely hero from the pages of fairytale and created a fully formed man."
  4. Viggo Mortensen Interview

    Extensive, in-depth interview focuses on political change, from Iraq, Cindy Sheehan and Katrina to Viggo's call for impeachment of Bush and Cheney. Mortensen also talks about the role of a hero and the his recent film work. A brief excerpt: "I think most Americans will look back on this period since 1980 as a morally bleak, intellectually fraudulent period of history. There will be a certain amount of shame, a feeling we were part of something wrong. People standing outside of this country can see this because it's very obvious. It's like looking at a spoiled brat, a kid who’s totally out of control, but because the parents are really rich and because they own the school, you have to put up with it. America is an empire in decay. But we don't have to lash out and do damage on the way down. We can reverse some of the damage we’ve done. It's possible."
  5. Impeach, Remove, Jail

    Call to action from Viggo Mortensen, published on the Perceval Press home page and widely copied throughout the net. He begins, "In the often and rightly quoted words of Bill Clinton, 'There's nothing wrong with America that can't be fixed by what's right with America.' and concludes, "Please call or write your government representatives and help get the scoundrels out of government and in prison where they belong. Do not allow the subject to be changed, do not be distracted. The time to act is now. Take back your country."
  6. Small Press Is Beautiful

    Article on small independent presses includes a description of the output of Viggo Mortensen's Perceval Press and some speculation on its focus. Viggo is quoted as saying, "Perhaps the attention derived from the publication of Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation has given some people the mistaken impression that we concentrate on overtly 'political' or 'progressive' material." He goes on to state that Perceval "will remain open to publishing new and different material as well as points of view."
  7. “Life’s Too Short to Do All This Work and Not Do It Right”

    This interview mentions Miyelo and then moves into a discussion of the mission of Perceval Press and aspects of American and international politics. Viggo explains the main reason he decided to visit Cuba: "If you don't think of Cubans or Iraqis as actual human beings with jobs and day-to-day lives, if you don't see them or hear their voices, then it's easier to be against them. They're faceless." Follow the Along With the Ride link on the page for the full text of "Back to Babylon."
  8. 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."
  9. After Aragorn

    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.
  10. “Rings” actor riding horses in “Hidalgo”

    Interview about Hidalgo touches on politics and Viggo's choice of films. Excerpt: "I'm pretty long in the tooth," the 45-year-old says. "Money and fame don't seem very rewarding. Of course there is the 'iron is hot' argument. Who knows? Maybe in 10 years I'll look back and say I should have gone for the money," he adds with a grin.
  11. Interview: Viggo Mortensen for Hidalgo

    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.
  12. What Was Medved Thinking?

    Scroll down past the blinking Hollywood Jesus banner and the ads, and you will find an excellent in-depth article interview with Viggo Mortensen on the relationship of Tolkien's work to today's international situation, the artist's right to speak out politically, the great themes of the Lord of the Rings, and the translation from book to film.
  13. Actors’ politics pollute ‘Ring’

    Michael Medved criticizes Viggo Mortensen, John Rhys-Davies, and other actors who make political statements, saying that "controversial off-screen pronouncements color our on-screen perceptions of Aragorn or Gimli, and threaten the perceived—and heroic—unity of the Fellowship of the Ring." If you read this, we suggest you might also find Pastor Greg Wright's response to be of interest.
  14. Finding Viggo

    Extensive interview and article about Viggo's films, art, music, life. Great quotes from Dennis Hopper, Diane Lane, art dealer Robert Mann, and several others Viggo has worked with. Photographs (including cover) by Bruce Weber, plus several from his childhood.
  15. Lord of the Rings Star is King of the Warriors

    Topics covered in this thoughtful interview include the filming of The Lord of the Rings, Viggo's Elvish contributions to the films, and the connections between Tolkien, politics, photography and life. "What [The Lord of the Rings] is about, and what the experience of working with these people is about," he says, "is celebrating the idea of fellowship and community, celebrating the effort to find common ground and considering that we really do have a lot more in common with others than not."
  16. Jeffrey Overstreet’s Interview with Viggo Mortensen

    Round-table interview focuses on the moral aspects of Aragorn's character, on the philosophical and political implications of the Lord of the Rings, and on the need for dissent. Viggo: "You saw in the Vietnam war, where the government would say things or the media would reinforce that, [saying]: 'Let the congressmen, let the people in government judge the moral course of the country. There were placed there to judge these things. Let them do it.' That’s not what this country is about. This government is a government by the people, for the people."