Viggo should be more excited!

[Sauron the White]

Viggo Mortensen is a professional actor. He earns his living from acting in movies. He has an agent who negotiates his contracts. Do you really expect a savvy professional to wear his heart upon his sleeve and gush like the proverbial schoolgirl at the chance to be in another film? He did the right thing by announcing his willingness and now will sit back and let the principals work things out to his benefit.

He said exactly the right thing.

[Kitanna]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

Viggo Mortensen is a professional actor. He earns his living from acting in movies. He has an agent who negotiates his contracts. Do you really expect a savvy professional to wear his heart upon his sleeve and gush like the proverbial schoolgirl at the chance to be in another film? He did the right thing by announcing his willingness and now will sit back and let the principals work things out to his benefit.

He said exactly the right thing.

Not to mention he may be looking for a new and more challenging role. He's been Aragorn. Though an actor may love a role, many don't like being typecast as such.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Viggo is also a very understated guy.

Still, I can't help but think that with an Oscar nomination under his belt he might think a mass-market popcorn movie something of a step backwards...warring, of course, with a natural possessiveness of the character.

[Mithalwen]

Mortensen is also an artist/photographer, poet etc.. I don't know if he is the kind of artist whose work) commands a fortune (or if it does so more than in part due to his acting fame) and I don't think many people make much out of poetry (though Tolkien's Bombadil was an exception that proves the rule). But one way or another he surely is in the lucky position to choose the work he does and has plenty of ways to occupy his time when not acting.

And though he is clearly remarkably fit he is in his fiftieth year and will have to play his character younger, ten years later. All told, it isn't a total no-brainer that he would want to reprise the role.

[Bêthberry]

Strange as it may seem, I find myself agreeing in principle with Sauron the White's point about Mortensen's comment. Mortensen doesn't need to sell himself through his own hype, which is a refreshing tone and style in the overblown world of blockbuster actors. He's too cool a guy to gush.

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

And though he is clearly remarkably fit he is in his fiftieth year and will have to play his character younger, ten years later.

Well, there is also that tooth that he broke during a stunt for LotR, isn't there? I suppose it will have to be capped for authenticity's sake if he is to appear as a younger Aragorn, unless it is broken as part of the newly written part of Aragorn for the bridge movie, maybe in a fist fight. Imagine Arwen being solicitous about such damage.

[MatthewM]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

He's too cool a guy to gush.

So if you're not cool, you gush? I don't get it. It doesn't matter if people do not agree with me, that's fine - but just because Viggo is a "cool guy" - and I'm sure he is - doesn't mean he can't show a little excitement. I just feel this way because I love Tolkien and I can't imagine why somebody wouldn't seem a little more excited about playing such a beloved character, again. Maybe he doesn't realize how lucky he is?

Oh well, dead end convo, it's really no big deal at all, I just thought it was an interesting remark.

[Lush]

Hey MM, what's up?

This is the entertainment business, where it doesn't always pay to wear your heart on your sleeve. Sometimes, playing hard to get is in your best interest. I'm also sure that Viggo's agent would caution him against emotional displays at this point.

Imagine that he gushes about it, then they end offering the part to someone younger, then he looks like an idiot and gossip columnists bring it up for at least a week (and it goes into his file, and everyone who writes a story on him from now until doomsday may mention it).

Viggo is also... different. A friend of mine did an interview with him and the report on him is that he really is a very calm, chilled-out guy. So it makes sense.

[Boromir88]

I have to agree, Viggo's reaction isn't all that surprising. I want to add on to WCH's comment:

Still, I can't help but think that with an Oscar nomination under his belt he might think a mass-market popcorn movie something of a step backwards

It's not that Viggo is a stuck-up, full of himself actor, he reminds me of Daniel Day Lewis. To bring up another comparison, Viggo isn't going to come down with the Michael Caine syndrome. Don't get me wrong, I think Michael Caine is a accomplished, brilliant actor, and I love his stuff. However, Caine will take pretty much whatever role is offered to him. He has over-sold himself, and will take lesser roles, lesser quality films. As brilliant of an actor he is, he has accepted a lot of crap roles and been in a lot of crap hollywood films.

Going back to Mortensen and Daniel Day Lewis, because I asked why isn't DDL in more movies? He is a phenomenal actor, and one of the most desired actors in the business. But, DDL will not cave in to the hollywood pressure of becoming overused. He will give it his all in every role he accepts, but it's going to be a character DDL wants to play, and he wants to make sure it's worth all the effort. After watching Viggo in History of Violence, LOTR, Eastern Promises, I asked why isn't he in more movies? As much as I want to see Viggo (and DDL) in more movies, they are going to take a role they want to play, and make sure their efforts are worth it.

Now, I'm not saying The Hobbit is going to be a crap Hollywood film, because there is tons of potential for it. This could be a great film, just as LOTR was a great film, but as TheGreatElvenWarrior said, before Viggo gets gung-ho about playing Aragorn, he will have to know how big of a role Aragorn will be in the films. I can't blame him for that.

Chris Lee boycotted the ROTK premiere, because he found out his scenes were cut from the movie. When asked if he was going to go to the premiere, he pretty much said "No, what's the point?" And I don't blame Chris Lee for that either. He committed his time, talents, and effort into playing a role he was asked to play, only to find out his character was axed from the film. That's got to be aggravating for any actor. I can imagine Viggo wanting to know if he agrees to return as Aragorn, and he takes the time to commit himself completely to the role (as he so excellently did in the LOTR films) will he get the Chris Lee treatment? Is it going to be worth the effort? That's not any kind of snobishness from Viggo, that's just a sensible actor who wants to make to make sure the effort he puts into acting isn't wasted.

[MatthewM]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

Viggo Mortensen is a professional actor. He earns his living from acting in movies. He has an agent who negotiates his contracts. Do you really expect a savvy professional to wear his heart upon his sleeve and gush like the proverbial schoolgirl at the chance to be in another film? He did the right thing by announcing his willingness and now will sit back and let the principals work things out to his benefit.

He said exactly the right thing.

Yeah, yeah, whatever. I would be more excited to play such a character, even if it was for the second time.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by MatthewM

Yeah, yeah, whatever. I would be more excited to play such a character, even if it was for the second time.

And you also love the books too, which means that you have more of an attachment to them and the character than Viggo. Maybe viggo wants something new?