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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 think it's my job to like any character I play - to understand and appreciate a character, to look at the world as much as possible from their point of view. I don't look at it just technically: learn the lines, figure out what gestures I want to bring and play, and that's it. I like to learn as much as I can about the person, and see what happens.”

Thinking World Want Looks Persons I Can Play Character Happens Jobs Lines Views Figures Appreciate Point Of View Gestures

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I played Lucifer once, which is sort of a difficult character to research. I thought to myself, "We all have the potential to be selfish, to be cruel - at least to think evil thoughts, even if we don't ever act out on them. Even if we don't ever think we behave badly, we probably do more than we realize."”

Ifs Thinking Character Evil Difficult Realizing Research Selfish Behave Lucifer Being Selfish Evil Thoughts

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I think you have to be flexible above all as an actor; different characters have different demands, actors that you work with are different in their approach, or how you get along or don't get along with them.”

Thinking Different Character Actors Demand Approach Flexible Different Characters

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I think the older you get the harder it is to [lose] probably. Your metabolism slows down, whatever, but I'm a pretty active person.”

Thinking Persons Loses Harder Active Slow Down Metabolism

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“If you tell the story emotionally in a truthful way, then you start naturally looking at the landscape and thinking "Wow, we have to watch out."”

Ifs Thinking Way Stories Watches Landscape Wow Truthful

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“If I can get a day to myself, I won't answer the phone, I'll read or go for a walk. Simple, basic things. People think there's always time to do that but there isn't. Life is short.”

People Ifs Thinking I Can Life Is Simple Answers Walks Phones Life Is Short Basic Things

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“You can't really go back to where you came from. I don't think any of us can.”

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“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

“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 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

“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 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

“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

“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

“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

“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 think every family is dysfunctional, and some manage to control it better than others.”

Thinking Manage

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“To be honest, I don't really care about any pope. It's not something I think about much, to be quite honest with you.”

Thinking Care Honest Being Honest Pope

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“Life is short and the older you get, the more you feel it. Indeed, the shorter it is. People lose their capacity to walk, run, travel, think, and experience life. I realise how important it is to use the time I have.”

People Thinking Feels Important Use Running Life Is Loses Walks Capacity Realising Life Is Short

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I don't think Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell fear competition from me in their arena.”

Thinking Competition Adam Arena

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I don't think you get to be pope without making some enemies, like you do when you're president.”

Thinking President Enemy Like You Pope

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I like movies that leave you with something to think about, to discuss, to debate, you know?”

Thinking Knows Debate

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I think, on a surface level, people are surprised to see me playing such a passive role in 'Good.'”

People Thinking Levels Roles Surface Passive

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I'm optimistic about people and about the planet and about nature. I think it's resilient, like people are.”

People Thinking Planets Optimistic Resilient

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“When I land in a country and they ask for 'occupation,' I always just put 'artist.' I think that covers all of it.”

Thinking Country Artist Asks Land Occupation

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“You see people on the street yelling and think they're crazy, but maybe they're just happy and expressing what they feel at all times.”

People Thinking Feels Crazy Streets All Time Yelling

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“Every year I hear people complain that the quality of screenplays and movies is declining. In my opinion, the vast majority of scripts written - as well as most movies that are released - are not very original, well-written, or interesting. It has always been that way, and I think it always will be.”

People Thinking Way Years Wells Interesting Quality Opinion Written Originals Majority Scripts Complaining Screenplays Well Written

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I suppose a good director is like a teacher. I think that someone like David Cronenberg was very much like a teacher, because there's an openness, but a certain set of rules of behavior, and a certain conduct expected. But there's an atmosphere that's relaxed and conducive to exploration, and that is created by someone like Cronenberg.”

Thinking Certain Teacher Directors Behavior Expected Atmosphere Exploration Openness Relaxed Good Directors

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I think maybe because I do other things and they mean as much to me as movie acting, it takes the onus off me. It's not the end of the world if I can't get a film job, or if a movie doesn't turn out well - even though I don't like it when that happens.”

Ifs Thinking World Wells Mean I Can Ends Happens Jobs Film Turns Acting End Of The World

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I think that every person has many, many people inside of them. We change our personality depending on who we are talking to or what situation we are in.”

People Thinking Persons Talking Situation Personality Who We Are

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“If in my twenties I'd gotten one of the two-dozen roles that I did screen tests for and almost got, I think I would have become bored with the awards circuit, the whole hype machine.”

Ifs Thinking Two Whole Roles Tests Machines Twenties Screens Bored Awards Dozen Hype Circuits

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“In principle, I think the idea of rewarding a good effort is interesting, but movies are generally different from each other as are performances and the conditions on how the performances are given and how they're edited and so forth.”

Thinking Ideas Different Given Interesting Effort Principles Conditions Performances Edited

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I think that people who get to a certain position, and then try to ferociously defend it or build on it, it's kind of a dead-end street. You see people becoming miserable that way.”

People Thinking Way Trying Kind Ends Certain Streets Position Becoming Miserable Dead Ends

Author:Viggo Mortensen

About the Author

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

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