Viggo Mortensen News @ Brego.net

Viggo Mortensen seemed a bit sleepy in his appearance on the CBS Early Show on Wednesday, Sept. 10. I really enjoyed his comments about carrying around the 8 gauge shotgun.

The first day I said to Ed, "Look, I know it's in the book; it's an important part of the character. But it's a big gun, and it's going to be a long couple of months if I've got to do this every day." But by the second day I kinda liked it. And I said I want to have it everywhere. I want to have it when I'm in bed, when I'm having dinner, when I'm walking down the street. And it is kind of intimidating. It was like my scary friend, you know. It had a psychological effect. It's like that thing that you fight sometimes—the obstacle becomes your friend. So it was all right.

Labels: Appaloosa, appearance, Early Show, interview, Viggo Mortensen

Appaloosa director and co-star Ed Harris is scheduled to be on the Early Show on CBS tomorrow morning (Tuesday, Sept. 9). Viggo Mortensen is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 10. The show starts at 7 a.m.; we're not sure of the order of appearance. See TV Guide for the other guests. For more on the film, see our Appaloosa page.

Labels: Appaloosa, Early Show, Ed Harris, interview, television, Viggo Mortensen

No, it's not new, but I hadn't seen it before. Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune is interviewing Viggo Mortensen about the nature of the violence in Eastern Promises. He makes the case that director David Cronenberg "deals with violence responsibly."

Labels: Eastern Promises, interview, video, Viggo Mortensen, violence

The June 27/July 4 special double issue of Entertainment Weekly features Viggo Mortensen on page 32, offering his top 10 "Pieces of Advice I've Heard on Movie Sets." They start with "One job at a time, and each job a success," and "Whatever you are feeling at this moment can be useful, no matter how far removed or even distracting it may seem from the scene you are playing. That is as close to 'real' as you will ever get." The last is a concise "I love you." My favorite is #6: "All you really need to play the moment is air and water."

See the entire list at EW.com.

Credit: Photo by Kurt Iswarienko.

Labels: Entertainment Weekly, interview, Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Mortensen is featured on the cover of the March 2008 issue of Men's Vogue. It's out in New York and LA this week and nationwide next week.

Written by Phoebe Eaton, the article includes an extensive interview. Synopsis:

Viggo Mortensen can swing a broadsword as Aragorn or neatly fillet a Russian mobster. But off-screen, the Oscar contender is a life-giving force, playing big brother to a band of poets, painters, and searchers like him.

Read the feature article online.

Photo ©copyright 2088 by Norman Jean Roy for Men's Vogue.

Labels: article, interview, Viggo Mortensen, Vogue

Viggo Mortensen and David Cronenberg appeared on NPR's Fresh Air from WHYY today. Host Terry Gross had a great time asking them about the making of their new film Eastern Promises. Topics included Viggo's Russian accent, the tattoos, how to best photograph blood, and of course the steam bath scene in which a naked Mortensen fights several assailants. Listen to the show online or subscribe to the Fresh Air podcast. More about the film on our Eastern Promises page.

Photograph by Peter Mountain for Focus Features.

Labels: David Cronenberg, Eastern Promises, interview, movie, Viggo Mortensen