“The story of how Viggo kissed me”: Despite Starring in the Most Epic Trilogy of All Time, Billy Boyd’s “Favorite” Memory From ‘Lord of the Rings’ Happened Off-Screen
- Billy Boyd starred alongside Viggo Mortensen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
- Mortensen kissed Boyd on the lips off-screen and it became the latter's favorite moment.
- Boyd momentarily fell in love with Mortensen after their passionate kiss.
Billy Boyd kickstarted his acting career in 1996 with the Scottish TV series Taggart. But his most notable role came in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, released between 2001 and 2003. He famously portrayed the character Peregrin ‘Pippin’ Took.
The trilogy was a hit and continues to hold a special place in the hearts of millions of people worldwide even though it has been more than two decades since the last film of the franchise was released.
It goes without saying that the cast of the franchise also must have some rather fond memories from the time that they spent working on the films. However, it might surprise some that kissing his castmate Viggo Mortensen behind-the-scenes is Boyd’s favorite memory.
Billy Boyd’s “favorite” The Lord of the Rings Memory Is That of Kissing Viggo Mortensen Off-screen
The Lord of the Rings, adapted from J. R. R. Tolkien’s eponymous novel, is a series of three fantasy adventure movies directed by Peter Jackson. The films featured an ensemble cast including Orland Bloom, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Christopher Lee, Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, and Billy Boyd.
Actors like Wood, Mortensen, Bloom and Boyd not only became household names but also gained international recognition thanks to their roles in the film trilogy. While Boyd appeared as Pippin, Mortensen played the role of Aragorn.
During an interview at the Wizard World Comic Con (via YouTube), Boyd claimed that his off-camera kiss with Mortensen is his “favorite” memory from The Lord of the Rings. He began recounting the incident, saying:
The story of how Viggo kissed me in the mouth. Chapter one.
During the heartwarming wedding of Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) and Rosie Cotton (Sarah McLeod) in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Mortensen got bored as he watched Astin trying to get comfortable with kissing his co-star.
The Academy Award-nominated actor went to woke up Boyd and dragged him to the set so that they could pretend to be the guests of the wedding from behind the camera. When McLeod’s Rosie threw her bridal bouquet towards Boyd and went in for a kiss with Astin’s Samwise, Mortensen decided that the mood could be further elevated and passionately kissed Boyd on the lips.
One Kiss Was All It Took For Billy Boyd to Fall in Love with Viggo Mortensen Momentarily
The behind-the-scenes footage and other such anecdotes are as evergreen as the franchise itself. Mortensen and Boyd’s sponataneous kiss is one such incident which is not only etched in the memories of the fans, but also that of Boyd’s who claimed to have fallen in love with his co-star momentarily.
In another YouTube video from years ago, Boyd made a candid confession regarding how he felt about the kiss.
I mean like I’ve never been kissed by a man or woman. By God. I saw stars and I think I fell in love for a split second. And then I felt a bit sick. I think… I’m not saying, but I think I felt the tongue.
In the same video, Mortensen admitted that he had been secretly wanting to kiss Boyd. There is no telling if he said that for fun or if he actually meant it, but the kiss certainly helped Astin and McLeod’s wedding take.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is available for streaming on Max.
