Movie News

Mortensen thanks Tolkien

Fri 26 Oct 5:20 PM

Actor Viggo Mortensen has attributed his successful film career to his starring role in The Lord Of The Rings.

Ever since he played the noble Aragorn in the blockbuster film trilogy, adapted from JRR Tolkien's epic books, Mortensen hasn't been short of decent movie roles. His most recent is London-set gangster thriller Eastern Promises, which has been making headlines because of its controversially violent scenes.

Mortensen, 48, said: "If Aragon hadn't become well known and I hadn't got the visibility in Lord Of The Rings, there's no way that any production company would have let me play Nikolai in Eastern Promises or Tom Stall in A History Of Violence, or star in [Spanish movie] Alatriste. I simply wouldn't have got that chance."

Meanwhile, Mortensen has already started filming his next movie, Ed Harris-directed western Appaloosa, in which he co-stars with Renee Zellweger and Harris himself.