‘The Lord of the Rings’ Star Viggo Mortensen Wasn’t All Too Desperate to Get Cast in Peter Jackson’s Epic Films for 1 Sole Reason

Directed by Peter Jackson, the epic fantasy adventure trilogy The Lord of the Rings is regarded as one of the biggest and most ambitious projects ever undertaken. It stars Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, and more. The Lord of the Rings over the years has had a significant impact on the audience, hence reaching a status of being one of the most influential film series ever.

Critics and audiences have appreciated the makers of the movie for being faithful to the source material, i.e., J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels of the same name. The performances of the actors have also been lauded. In an interview, Viggo Mortensen goes on to reveal the real reason behind him getting on board with the project.

Viggo Mortensen revealed the reason he said YES to The Lord of the Rings

In an archival interview (via Brego.net) with actor Viggo Mortensen, who played King Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, he was asked what excited him to get on board with the movie. He mentioned then that the makers called him one day, and he had to answer almost immediately, and it was not easy. Mortensen noted that no one knew how the film would do when they said yes to being a part of the trilogy. The actor further mentioned,

I accept the roles because of the challenge they imply because I’m going to learn something. If I have money and I can be more selective, I take some time to decide about a role, but when I don’t have enough money, well, I live like many other actors who have to take what is offered to them.

Upon asking further about his economic situation at the time, Mortensen said he could have decided not to say YES to the role, but he thought that it was interesting based on what filmmaker Peter Jackson and his son told him.

He added,

In the end, I thought that if I didn’t take it, I was going to be…I couldn’t have known what I would have done, how that would be; do you understand me?

The actor further mentioned that something that he liked about his character was the fact that it had a relation to the lack of information one faced at the time. He explained that his character Aragorn made an effort to understand other people, other countries, and other races and used his knowledge about the history and cultures of Middle Earth to understand them and didn’t act without thinking.

Mortensen added he compared Aragorn with the character of Boromir played by Sean Bean, who played the character like it’s either white or black. The actor noted that there was no space for thinking or discussing for Boromir but in the end, the character according to Mortensen did realize the situation was more complicated.

Viggo Mortensen spoke about the cast of The Lord of the Rings

During the interview, the actor was asked about working with his co-actor Sean Bean, to which he said that he is a terrific actor and a very good friend. Mortensen added that they had a good connection, which helped them to develop their roles, and their connection is visible on-screen. He further mentioned,

The rest of the team was incredible. I couldn’t talk more about one or the other because we were really good teammates. They are actors with great talent and make a full commitment. We were together for so long, we lived through such difficult times, that bonds were created we will never forget.

Viggo Mortensen also mentioned that the fame that came along with The Lord of the Rings did not affect him much, as he did not go to public places unless it was for a film promotion.

He, however, mentioned that there were more reporters asking questions compared to earlier and noted that he received letters from the parts of the world he didn’t get in the past. He shared with the publication,

I have less free time. I have to work before, during, and after the filming process, with promotions and all the stuff related. I don’t feel pressure over my private life.

Mortensen added that there were interesting obstacles in his life and with time he realized that he was lucky for being a part of The Lord of the Rings. He called working on the film a good experience.

The Lord of the Rings is available to stream on Amazon Prime.