Welcome to our collection of insightful and inspiring quotes by Viggo Mortensen, a versatile actor, poet, musician, and artist known for his captivating performances and profound observations. Throughout his illustrious career spanning decades, Mortensen has left an indelible mark on the world of cinema, bringing to life a diverse array of characters with depth, authenticity, and emotional resonance. From his iconic portrayal of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to his nuanced performances in films such as Eastern Promises and Green Book, Mortensen continues to captivate audiences with his unparalleled talent and dedication to his craft.
Beyond the realm of acting, Viggo Mortensen is also an accomplished poet and painter, channeling his creativity into various forms of artistic expression. His deep appreciation for literature, philosophy, and the human experience shines through in his words, both on screen and on the page. Through his unique perspective and profound insights, Mortensen offers a window into the complexities of life, love, and the human condition.
To be an artist, you don’t have to compose music or paint or be in the movies or write books. It’s just a way of living. It has to do with paying attention, remembering, filtering what you see and answering back, participating in life. Viggo Mortensen
People will like to say that ‘Eastern Promises’ is brutal, but the only reason they say that is because the scenes stick with them. They are realistic. They are in-your-face and you see the consequences. It’s not a bunch of quick editing cuts. Viggo Mortensen
It’s very rare you get a great script just handed to you, or sent to you, by someone you don’t know. Viggo Mortensen
Most movies are lucky to have one moment, one shot that you look at and you always remember that moment and that scene. Viggo Mortensen
Be kind. It’s worthwhile to make an effort to learn about other people and figure out what you might have in common with them. Viggo Mortensen
When you’re under stress as a human being, you behave oddly and your relationships with people become strained. 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. 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. Viggo Mortensen
What art does is it makes you feel alive and makes you feel like you’re connected. Viggo Mortensen
When we shot ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ we had special permission to film in wild areas of New Zealand that could be accessed only by helicopter. They would drop us off and we would work all day, and they’d pick us up and take us out again. Viggo Mortensen
The first decade of your life is really important; it’s formative. Viggo Mortensen
One of the main ways that leadership stays in power is by, in various ways, convincing people that they should just let those who are in government govern: ‘Trust us. Trust me. Just let us take care of things. Stay out of it.’ Your opinions don’t really matter. You are isolated. You are insignificant. 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. Viggo Mortensen
Sometimes a scene works and acting is the easiest thing in the world and you don’t have to do much of anything – just enjoy yourself and listen to the other actor. When it doesn’t work, then every actor has different ways of dealing with the impasse. Sometimes you use memories from the past. Whatever. It depends from job to job. Viggo Mortensen
Freud was the son of a Jewish merchant who had to move his whole family to Vienna because he couldn’t get work. He, as a boy, had to watch his father be mocked and abused on the street for being Jewish… You develop a thick skin and you develop a certain kind of wit to defend yourself. Viggo Mortensen
I like naturally occurring film grain, and what happens to film when it’s under- and over-exposed. Viggo Mortensen
Adult characters are all the things they’ve encountered over time. But kids haven’t accumulated all the life experience, all the regrets. They tend to be more in the moment, more willing to play, to be joyful. Viggo Mortensen
Be kind. It’s worthwhile to make an effort to learn about other people and figure out what you might have in common with them. If you allow yourself to be somewhat curious – and if you get into the habit of doing that – it’s the first step to being open minded and realizing that your points of view aren’t totally opposite. 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. Viggo Mortensen
I know I said I wanted to live forever and I would never be bored, but the reality is, it’s probably kind of sad to live forever if you’re the only one sticking around. Viggo Mortensen
Nobody really knows anybody completely, even if they’ve been married to ’em for 53 years, you know? 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. 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. Viggo Mortensen
Looking at acting, in the movies or the theater, and the way I like to look at it, it’s just an extension of childhood play… Kids play and imagine in a very intense fashion and they don’t need any director telling them, ‘You really have to believe in it.’ They believe in it completely. Viggo Mortensen
A lot of times, movies that are in the top 10 lists or maybe even win Baftas or Oscars, you then watch them a year later and you go, ‘Maybe it wasn’t so great.’ Viggo Mortensen
It’s amazing to me that Glenn Beck can be on the cover of ‘Time,’ and there can be a whole article about him basically saying, ‘Well, you know, he’s controversial.’ It’s like, ‘No, he’s a dangerous idiot who needs the help of a good psychiatrist!’ Viggo Mortensen
I have no idea what ‘method actor’ means. Viggo Mortensen
Being an actor, imitating to the point of inhabiting the lives of others, may simply be a way of continuing to do what I learned to do as a boy – to travel, mentally and physically. Viggo Mortensen
Most actors can’t make any kind of living. Viggo Mortensen
People like to pigeonhole you. It’s easier. Viggo Mortensen
I hate divers, like Cristiano Ronaldo, who might be the greatest athlete in the sport, but he’s a big baby. If things are going well he’s great, but when things are going badly it’s the ref’s fault, it’s his teammates’ fault. Viggo Mortensen
I have a publishing company of books by me and books of others. It drew people to poetry readings and photo exhibitions and painting exhibitions that I’ve been doing for years before that. Viggo Mortensen
I like movies that leave you with something to think about, to discuss, to debate, you know? Viggo Mortensen
The Holocaust movie is almost a genre in itself these days. Viggo Mortensen
I realise how important it is to use the time I have. I respect people who want to do that by watching television. I happen to want to read books. But I know I can’t read all the books or watch all the movies in one lifetime. 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. Viggo Mortensen
I have a multicultural background, so I tend to have an open mind about things, and I find other cultures interesting. Viggo Mortensen
People talk about method actors, meaning someone that’s prepared very, very well, or whatever they mean when they talk about it. But the right method is whatever works for you. And what works for me on any given day is going to be different. Viggo Mortensen
I’ve been lucky to learn by playing all kinds of roles and watching all kinds of really good cinematographers, actors, and directors for many years before people were even aware of me in terms of audience. Viggo Mortensen
Toronto Film Festival is one of those festivals where there are 400 movies, and unless you have a distributor who is super confident and puts a lot of money into it, sometimes movies can go unwatched or unnoticed. Viggo Mortensen
In a lot of places in the United States and certainly even more places around the world, the image of the cowboy has become, for some people, a negative one. The word ‘cowboy’ implies a strong, stubborn individual whose individualism depends on pulling down other people’s individualism. Viggo Mortensen
Some people who like dogs don’t like cats, but I’m not like that. Viggo Mortensen
You do need to get lucky, no matter how talented you are. Viggo Mortensen
In a movie, you’re raw material, just a hue of some color and the director makes the painting. Viggo Mortensen
You know, ‘Viggo’ is a pretty dorky name in Denmark. It’s like ‘Oswald’ or something. It’s a very old Scandinavian name, at least 1,000 years old. Viggo Mortensen
Some actors learn the habit of promoting themselves as a brand – by dressing in a certain way, by going out with a certain person – it gives them what they obviously want, which is to keep a level of fame. I’m not putting it down. Viggo Mortensen
I love rehearsing, but a lot of directors don’t, and some actors don’t. Viggo Mortensen
My goal is just to make movies, whether they’re big or small, that I’d like to see 10 years from now. Viggo Mortensen
Yes, I would agree that America, just like Spain was in the 17th Century, is the main empire of the world and they are the ones who, on the surface, are the most pushy: pushing their language, pushing their culture – or what there is of it – pushing by force their system on others. Viggo Mortensen
I was raised speaking English and Spanish. And I also speak Danish. And I can get by in French and Italian. I’ve acted in Spanish and English, but when something has to do with emotions, sometimes I feel I can get to the heart of the matter better in Spanish. Viggo Mortensen
The money I earn from films means I can help the people I want to help – you can do a lot of good if you want to. Viggo Mortensen
I would literally climb out of the cradle while my parents slept, go and crawl off. I did this a couple of times apparently. I’d cross the road and into someone’s house, wake them up banging pots and pans in the kitchen. Viggo Mortensen
Ignorance breeds antipathy. Until I got to know how computers worked, I didn’t want anything to do with them. I said, ‘Well, why do I need them? I write letters.’ Which I still do. Viggo Mortensen
Life is short and the older you get, the more you feel it. Indeed, the shorter it is. Viggo Mortensen
It’s true that I have a wide range of interests. I like to write and paint and make music and go walking on my own and garden. In fact, gardening is probably what I enjoy doing more than anything else. Viggo Mortensen
One of the most effective tools that the Cheney-Bush junta has used to marginalize dissenting or even mildly inquisitive American citizens has been the accusation of being unpatriotic. Viggo Mortensen
Each time I make a movie, it’s like a paid scholarship to a different university course. Viggo Mortensen
Saying you are a patriot does not make you one; wearing a flag pin does not in itself mean anything at all. Viggo Mortensen
I’m not a great fan of monarchy in general, but I have to say the Danish monarchy is closer to the people; it’s not as stuffy as the English one. Viggo Mortensen
On a practical level, poetry isn’t something anybody has really made a great living at. I might sell some books and, once in a while, someone might pay to hear me read. Viggo Mortensen
You know, real life doesn’t just suddenly resolve itself. You have to keep working at it. Democracy, marriage, friendship. You can’t just say, ‘She’s my best friend.’ That’s not a given, it’s a process. Viggo Mortensen
Jung viewed Freud as a mentor, but he never wanted to be anybody’s disciple. Viggo Mortensen
I have a work ethic. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it. Viggo Mortensen
Travel is one of the best anti-war weapons that there are. I’ve been to Iran, and if you’re there you see little kids, cops, old people, cemeteries. Once you see that, you can’t say, ‘Oh, Iran, let’s bomb them.’ Viggo Mortensen
I’m not afraid of death, but I resent it. I think it’s unfair and irritating. Viggo Mortensen
I try to avoid conflict. I don’t want people to be unhappy. Viggo Mortensen
‘The Road’ is about that fear that all parents can have – ‘What’s going to happen to your child if you’re not around?’ Viggo Mortensen
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. There are other things I enjoy doing, and I involve myself in them. 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. Viggo Mortensen
Like most people I can be lazy, so it’s nice to have a goal or deadline or reason to work out. I feel better when I get to exercise, or when I’m outdoors. I like to hike, swim and run, and I love to play soccer. 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. Viggo Mortensen
You can’t really divorce yourself and your life from the world you live in. Viggo Mortensen
In the end, the actor’s main power is the power to say, ‘No.’ Viggo Mortensen
I’m optimistic about people and about the planet and about nature. I think it’s resilient, like people are. Viggo Mortensen
At the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century in Austria, there was a lot of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism in Austria was much more pervasive than in Germany. And Austrians took to Nazi ideas and anti-Semitism much more readily than Germans did, really. Viggo Mortensen
Anyone can identify with those moments in life where circumstances or people inform us that we’ve strayed from the path of our better nature and intentions. We know what that’s like, and we resist it – so as not to feel like we’re bad people. Viggo Mortensen
Pinochet and Barack Obama both have the same primary goal, and that’s to be president and stay president as long as allowed. Viggo Mortensen
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. Viggo Mortensen
I’ve never been conscious of having any real career plan, and I do not have a wish-list of actors, directors, screenwriters, or cameramen I’m hoping to work with. Life, I feel, has a way of leading us to the right situations and people, or at least to interesting ones. Viggo Mortensen
I like a twisted sense of humour. On ‘A History of Violence,’ David Cronenberg and I would be doing the grimmest scenes and laugh a lot. Viggo Mortensen
I prefer the smaller acting than big histrionics. It’s about reacting and looks, which is often underestimated. 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. Viggo Mortensen
When I have a day off, I won’t spend it at a Hollywood party. I’d rather be at home with paints and a blank canvas. Viggo Mortensen
I’ve never played a Dane in a movie. I’ve had offers to be in Danish movies, including for some good directors, but I either had a job at the time or, when I was available, the movie just didn’t happen. Hopefully someday I’ll do one. Viggo Mortensen
There’s no sense in doing something, especially if it’s a hard job, if you can’t have a little fun. Viggo Mortensen
I try to research or make up for myself what happened in any character’s life. From when he was born until the first page of the script. I fill in the blanks. Viggo Mortensen
I like stories that leave you wanting more, leave you wondering, but don’t tell you everything. Viggo Mortensen
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from traveling, it’s that it is definitely more important how you are than where you are. You can say, ‘Oh, I hate X city, I hate that country, or I prefer this city,’ but it’s a little bit up to you to find some kind of happiness. Viggo Mortensen
You know, Freud accepted his lot very stoically and very well and with a sense of humor. He aged and died gracefully, and there’s a lot to be said for that. Viggo Mortensen
In a way, editing is not unlike the movies. The best books, just like the best movies, are a collaboration. They’re only as good as the compromise made between the artists involved. Viggo Mortensen
Sometimes you look at a movie and you can see that the actor or actress said, ‘I’m taking this onboard because I’m making a ton of money, and not because it’s going to be something special.’ Viggo Mortensen
I don’t like the ‘must’, the ‘always’, and the ‘never’ words. I don’t like ‘no’ either. Viggo Mortensen
It doesn’t take that many years for a kid to realise that they’re going to die. It’s always there in the back of their mind the rest of their lives. Viggo Mortensen
I’m just looking as always for something that’s stimulating and I hope to find a good story that’s a challenge, whether it’s big or small. Or that it finds me. I don’t have like a career plan. Maybe I should, but I don’t. Viggo Mortensen
I don’t like people who get into fights about football – or anything else. Viggo Mortensen
I don’t think you get to be pope without making some enemies, like you do when you’re president. Viggo Mortensen
I mean, any movie or story that makes you accept and be grateful for something about your life is doing something right. Viggo Mortensen
A little recognition is not a bad thing because it means people appreciate your work. The only problem is when you can’t walk down the street or have a meal without people looking at you. I want to be the one looking at people. 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. Viggo Mortensen
I’m not that involved in personal grooming. But I try not to be offensive to people. Viggo Mortensen