Movie Talk Viggo Mortensen
Description
Viggo Mortensen discusses his film A Life Never- directed by Ana Piterbarg which is set in the Argentina Delta. It was purposefully shot during wintertime for the backdrop to look very grey and forbidding. Mortensen grew up in Argentina where he learnt to speak Spanish and English. He always wanted to make a film set in Argentina because of his personal connection and it has a good reputation when it comes to acting, directors and theatre. Witness was his first film is 1985 where he had a small role but got to experience the harmonious set the director Peter Weir created. Shot in Pennsylvania in America. The Indian Runner 1991 Sean Penn personally called him to star in the film he was directing, he played a wild & fierce war veteran filmed in Nebraska. A Perfect Murder 1998 starring Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow is briefly mentioned and a clip is shown. Lord of the Rings 2002 Mortensen plays Aragorn who he describes as a very traditional Nordic hero. The process of making the film was important but the friendships he made along the way were more so. Mortensen says that nobody knew it would be such an economic success like it was. He counts himself to be very lucky that David Cronenberg cast him in History of Violence 2005 and then in Eastern Promises 2007 where Mortensen learnt to speak Russian and was nominated for various awards including an Academy Award best Actor in a leading role. Good 2008 Mortensen discusses his role as a German literary professor who becomes a German Nazi Soldier in the Second World War. He hated wearing the uniform because of what it stood for. After his success in Lord of the Rings he had more of a choice in terms of what kind of films he could make, he chose to go with more interesting scripts over blockbusters, he has nothing against them but the more the movie costs the less original it will be. The Road 2009( clip is then shown.) The last film discussed is A Dangerous Mind 2011 another David Cronenberg film where Mortensen plays Sigmund Freud. He talks of his easy going relationship and friendship with Cronenberg, he gives you a lot of freedom as an actor but expects you to be very prepared.