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Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Mortensen Quotes

Actor

Viggo Mortensen, born on October 20, 1958, is an internationally renowned actor. He is known for his outstanding performances in various films, particularly for his roles in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy and the 'Matrix' series. Mortensen's acting has been highly praised by audiences and critics, and his work spans a wide range of genres from art films to action movies.

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Famous Viggo Mortensen Quotes

“I don't think special attention should be given to an actor or a singer or a baseball player or a soccer player more than anyone else, but they do have an opinion like anyone else.”

Thinking Should Actors Given Attention Opinion Player Special Baseball Singers Soccer Baseball Player Soccer Player

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“When people say that entertainers should "know your place," they might as well say the same thing about plumbers and teachers and cab drivers. We all should be able to express our views.”

People Knows Should Wells Might Able Views Teacher Drivers Entertainers Cab Plumber Cab Drivers

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“It's almost a standard tactic, really, to try to minimize any effort that people in the entertainment business or in any public occupation make to express themselves.”

People Trying Effort Standards Entertainment Occupation Tactics Entertainment Business

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“There are people that grandstand and seem to be publicly politically engaged because they like the attention, more than because they're genuinely concerned about the world. But I don't think that's the majority.”

People Thinking World Seems Attention Concerned Majority Engaged

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I don't speak up about something unless I feel strongly about it and until I've researched a subject extensively and have an informed decision about it.”

Feels Speak Decision Subjects

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I think if you don't say something it's lying by omission. I personally think it's immoral.”

Ifs Thinking Lying Immoral Omission

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“There might be people out there who wouldn't hire me because they thought I should keep my mouth shut, but I'm not aware of that. Even if I saw evidence of that, it wouldn't really concern me.”

People Ifs Should Might Saws Mouths Evidence Concern

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I take my work seriously, but it's not the only thing that exists in the world.”

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I pursue the things I do because I'm interested in them.”

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“Speaking more than one language and living in a multicultural family and environment did not seem like anything but what it was: the world I lived in.”

World Seems Language Environment Multicultural

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I now realize that I was very fortunate to have grown up in many different places, surrounded by all kinds of people, all kinds of points of view.”

People Kind Different Realizing Views Point Of View All Kinds Fortunate Different Place

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“Perhaps the itinerant upbringing my brothers and I had has something to do with my continued interest in perspectives different from my own.”

Different Interest My Own Brother Perspective My Brother Upbringing

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“My job as an artist, as I see it, is to understand and in some cases to take on various ways of thinking about people and the world that are different from my own, sometimes radically different.”

People Thinking World Way Different Sometimes Jobs Artist My Own Cases Various Way Of Thinking

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I met Cindy [Sheehan] near Crawford, Texas. I went out to personally thank her for waiting patiently by the road in front of George and Laura Bush's ranch for an answer from her President as to why and for what her son and others had been sacrificed in the unlawful invasion and occupation of Iraq.”

Waiting President Answers Fronts Son Mets Iraq Occupation Texas Invasion Laura Unlawful Cindy

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“Even the implication that The Lord of the Rings is a mythic story about Western, white supremacy - regardless of the political leanings of anyone who tries to make that case - is a load of self-justifying, destructive horseshit.”

Trying Self Stories Political White Lord Cases Western Rings Destructive Load White Supremacy Implications Supremacy

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“As [John] Tolkien himself said, the story [Lord of the Ring ] is not allegorical. He said so when people tried to make analogies to World War II and the fight against Hitler and his fascist coalition.”

People World Said War Stories Fighting Lord Rings War Of The Worlds World War Ii World War I Fascists Analogies Coalitions Lord Of The Ring

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“In December of 2002, the late Richard Corliss, a respected movie critic with a long and illustrious career, wrote an embarrassing letter of support for the invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan in the guise of a Time magazine review of Peter Jackson's The Two Towers.”

Long Two Careers Support Late Letters Critics Iraq Magazines Occupation Reviews Afghanistan Peter Towers Embarrassing Invasion December Guise Two Towers Time Magazine Movie Critic

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I wrote a letter to the magazine [Time magazine] pointing out that [Richard] Corliss's comparison of Christopher Lee's Saruman to Osama Bin Laden, and the vastly outnumbered defenders of Helm's Deep united against the Orcs to the "Coalition of the Willing" fighting the good fight against Muslim hordes, displayed the simplistic, xenophobic, and arrogant worldview that makes the government of the United States feared and mistrusted around the world. The editors claimed they had no space to print my brief letter, which I felt was dishonest and cowardly.”

“[Captain Fantastic] it's a great story. It's one of the better scripts I've read, ever, as far as being great from beginning to end. It handles a variety of characters. You have six children who all stand on their own, they're all individuals. And it touches on a very real issue, which is the lack of cohesion and communication in America right now.”

Children Real Ends Character Stories America Individual Issues Communication Right Now Six Scripts Handle Variety Fantastic Captains Cohesion

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I think we're on the wrong path in this country and have been for a while. People are in their camps divided by region, economic situation, race, religion, ideology. And there's a lot of just staying in your camp using technology to bolster your case without actually debating with other people, without discussing.”

People Thinking Has Beens Country Race Situation Cases Technology Path Economic Ideology Staying Regions Divided Camps Discussing Wrong Path

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“Captain Fantastic touches on that [division]. You meet this family that lives off the grid in the woods and you go, "Oh, it's some kind of liberal utopian fantasy. The enemy is gonna be all these conservative types that they'll probably run into, and that's going to be the story."”

Kind Stories Running Enemy Fantasy Type Conservative Woods Fantastic Division Captains Utopian Grids

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“Perceval Press a publishing house I founded in 2002 and it's still going strong. Strong for us means not so many books per year, but each one we very carefully design and print.”

Years Mean Stills Book House Strong Design Presses Print Publishing Going Strong Publishing House

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“One of the most recent things we did [in Perceval Press] is a reissue of a fantastic documentary about Russian prison tattoo culture by Alix Lambert called The Mark of Cain. We've done books from Twilight of Empire, that actually has forewords by Howard Zinn and Dennis Kucinich and others, to books of poetry, photography, painting - all kinds of books.”

Kind Book Done Culture Painting Photography Mark Presses Prison All Kinds Fantastic Empires Twilight Tattoo Documentaries Cain

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I campaigned for [Dennis] Kucinich in 2008. I continue to be in touch with him and I really admire him. I think he's very brave and honest - unusually so for a U.S. politician.”

Thinking Honest Politician Brave Admire

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I have to say that I think Bernie Sanders is the first politician since Dennis Kucinich that I've been truly inspired by. Where you actually are truly speaking truth to power, in a legitimate way and in an unpretentious and very straightforward way.”

Thinking Way Firsts Politician Inspired Straightforward

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I want to see what the Green Party looks like. I think if people don't start voting what they feel, if that's something other than the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, then nothing's going to change. You need more political parties that actually have a chance.”

People Ifs Thinking Want Needs Feels Looks Political Chance Party Republican Green Democratic Voting Republican Party Political Parties Democratic Party Green Party

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“In 2016 we are faced with a particularly bizarre and unappetizing choice as regards the two main political parties' presidential candidates, in my opinion.”

Two Political Choices Party Opinion Regard Presidential Candidates Bizarre Political Parties Presidential Candidate

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“That is to say, Hillary Clinton is not, in my mind, a satisfying or calming alternative to Donald Trump.”

Mind Trump Clinton Alternatives Satisfying Calming

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I trust Hillary Clinton about as far as I could throw Donald Trump.”

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“As regards Hillary C;inton's foreign policy actions and the powerful vested interests she seems gleefully beholden to, including all the biggest players in the military-industrial complex, I feel that she would be no better an actor on the world stage than Trump and whatever coalition of managers he might cobble together.”

“If you're not optimistic on some level, then you've given up.”

Ifs Given Levels Optimistic Given Up

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“It's easy to get depressed and think, "Well, what's the point?" But it's the same as, "Well, we're all going to die, so what's the point in brushing my teeth or even saying hello to anyone or obeying traffic lights." You can do that, but that's certainly not going to take you anywhere.”

Thinking Wells Light Dies Easy Can Do Teeth Traffic Hello Easy To Get Obeying Brushing Saying Hello Traffic Light

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“To strive for something better - at least there's a chance.”

Chance Strive Something Better

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“Here's where we are, this is what's happening. So do something, or get out of the kitchen.”

Happenings Kitchen

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“As Aragorn said at Helm's Deep, "There is always hope."”

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“Bernie Sanders has inspired millions of people in this country.”

People Country Millions Inspired

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“The Black Lives Matter movement, the various Occupy movements in Spain and the rest of Europe, in this country, and elsewhere serve as an example of what can be done, and how strong the voices for positive change and truly democratic progress can be.”

Country Matter Done Strong Black Voice Progress Example Movement Europe Democratic Various Elsewhere Spain Black Lives Matter Positive Change Black Lives Occupy Movement

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“The efforts of Black Lives Matter to bring attention to the all-too-frequent instances of unjustified violence being used by policemen may not be paying off as quickly as some might hope.”

May Matter Might Used Black Effort Attention Violence Instance Black Lives Matter Policemen Black Lives Unjustified

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“It is important to keep protesting, to keep forcing a conversation in the public arena. In any case, when you know what the right thing to do is, or that something must be said, it can be immoral and dangerous not to act.”

Knows Said Important Cases Dangerous Conversation Things To Do Right Thing Immoral Arena

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“As Martin Luther King said, "Passively to participate in an unjust system is to accept that system and to participate in its evil."”

Said Evil Accepting Kings Unjust Luther

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“There's no excuse to be bored. Sad, yes. Angry, yes. Depressed, yes. Crazy, yes. But there's no excuse for boredom, ever.”

“If you're trying to please everyone, then you're not going to make anything that is honestly yours, I don't think, in the long run.”

Ifs Thinking Trying Long Running Honest Please Honestly Long Runs Trying To Please Everyone

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“It's hard not to get depressed when you pay attention to the world and how strangely and corrupt the people in it sometimes behave.”

People World Sometimes Hard Pay Attention Pay Attention Behave

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren't enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.”

Ifs Thinking Done Enough Hours Pieces Advice Masters Horse Stress Get It Done Hours In The Day Less Stress

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I'm not afraid of death, but I resent it. I think it's unfair and irritating.”

Thinking Not Afraid Unfair Resent Irritating Afraid Of Death Not Afraid Of Death

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I'm not afraid of death, but I resent it. I think it's unfair and irritating. Every time I see something beautiful, I not only want to return to it, but it makes me want to see other beautiful things. I know I'm not going to get to all the places I want to go.”

Thinking Knows Want Beautiful Return Not Afraid Unfair Beautiful Things Resent Irritating Something Beautiful Afraid Of Death Not Afraid Of Death

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I have a multicultural background, so I tend to have an open mind about things, and I find other cultures interesting.”

Mind Culture Interesting Backgrounds Open Mind Multicultural Other Cultures

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“When you're under stress as a human being, you behave oddly and your relationships with people become strained.”

People Humans Human Beings Stress Behave Under Stress

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“If you don't find some way to discuss what's going on inside you, it can come out in other ways that are self-destructive.”

Ifs Way Self Destructive Self Destructive

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“Life is short and the older you get, the more you feel it. Indeed, the shorter it is.”

Feels Life Is Life Is Short Short Life

Author:Viggo Mortensen

About the Author

Born: October 20, 1958
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 222

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