Now this may seem like another April Fool’s joke, but as the date of this article will tell you, it’s not. It appears that Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen may have been watching what Joaquin Phoenix has been up to, and perhaps following in his footsteps – only taking things a bit more seriously: He might actually give up acting.
According to Africa’s News24, Mortensen has been left exhausted by his acting workload and has decided to take a break described as “indefinite.” Here’s what he had to say:
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“In the past week I’ve been from Los Angeles to Japan to Korea to Poland to the UK. It’s ridiculous and it’s not a healthy way to be. But, as it happens, I’m taking measures to change that. No more movies…”
“I haven’t said yes to one in over a year. I’ve been in all these well-received movies and it seems like I should be doing some more, but there are other things I want to do. It’s not the right time.”
Adding to that, he also revealed he has turned down many-a-major blockbuster film because he doesn’t believe in doing movies just for the money:
“They were often complete crap, all about product placement and marketing. I don’t need the money.”
And News24 reminds us that this isn’t the first time he has spoken about it, as he did so just last year:
“I’ve made a lot of interesting movies and I’ve worked with some really good people. Not in a disrespectful way, but now I could kind of take it or leave it to be honest. I’ve felt that way for a while.”
This doesn’t sound like just an off-hand remark by an actor tired after a long period of hard work – evidenced by his thoughts in the above quote from 2008, he clearly has had this one his mind for a while now. It sounds like he works very hard at what he does, particularly because of the types of physically and mentally challenging roles he takes; Eastern Promises, Lord of the Rings and A History of Violence, to name but a few.
I’m all for actors taking breaks every now and then when the job may be affecting their personal life (as should be the case with any profession), but I always hope that they would return after a few months (maybe even a couple of years, if it’s warranted). Although I’m not a huge fan of Mortensen as an actor (except for his exceptional, Oscar-nominated performance in Eastern Promises (which begs the question of how this break of his will effect the sequel which is in the works…), I do hope this isn’t him calling it quits for good.
The guy, believe or not, will be 51 years old this year, which may be one of the primary reasons why his job has been getting the better of him as of late. However, here’s hoping this “indefinite break” changes to “temporary” once he has some time to lift the pressure off his shoulders.
What do you make of Mortensen’s decision to take an indefinite break? Do you think he’ll really stay away from acting?
Source: News24
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22 Comments
nooooooooo viggo don’t do it, lol.
he’s awesome it’ll be sad to see him go. wow 51? thats amazing, he looks great for that age.
Take a year off and relax, have a vacation or two in exotic places and come back refreshed. Many actors get exhausted from the constant interviews and traveling so they take a month off or if it’s get severe maybe an entire year.
Hopefully he just takes an extended vacation somewhere nice, tahiti or some nice place. It’d be a real shame to see him leave movies for good, he’s done some excellent movies, it’d be a real loss. Whatever he decides would naturally always be best for him and his family.
wow shocking, hope this is false and just takes a break
I can see him going the Daniel Day Lewis route: becoming incredibly selective about the work he does from now on — go years between movies — that sort of thing. The guy’s earned it I guess; he certainly paid his dues starting off in flotsam like “Texas Chainsaw Massacre III”. Any actor who could come outta that dreck with his or her career intact probably actually deserves a place in heaven, much less a well-deserved nap.
Hey Viggo, whatever your up to DON’T go into hip-hop, ok? Stick with doing poems. I’ll be glad to be reading them.
Why can’t Tom Cruise retire, and go into hip hop ???
I have no problem with him taking a break but I hope he comes back to reprise his role in the second Hobbit movie if they write him in….
I thought he was amazing in Eastern Promises and A History of Violence. Why quit acting? Just take a couple years off if you need too.
@790
hahaha. I’ve enjoyed everything Viggo’s done, but the guy ought to do whatever it is that makes him happy. I’m sure he’ll be back to make another movie, like hamlet3k said, I’d bet dollars to doughnuts he’ll just become hyper selective.
“In the past week I’ve been from Los Angeles to Japan to Korea to Poland to the UK.”
This is most likely for promotional reasons rather than actual film-making, so what he needs is to tell the studios he wont do all this promoting. Perhaps that is the subtext of his complaint. It’s always struck me as the worst part of being an actor- having to travel around the world answering the same inane questions over and over.
He should go live in the woods with his beard for company and use his LOTR sword skills to kill and eat wild boars
Good for him. Talented actor, doesn’t let greed dictate his life or his roles, sets his own standards and lives by them. We should all be so lucky. Here’s to you Viggo.
Viggo does have other interest like what Darren has said about his poetry, also he is an avid photographer too.
At least finish up Eastern Promises 2 then take a lenghty break.
Or, I would say take a break from American filmmaking and stick to overseas Spanish films like the great Alatriste! That was a great swashbuckler film with Viggo, highly recommend it if you can find it!
I applaud him. Obviously I don’t know him but he seems like a genuine and honest person that has his priorities straight.
I think Viggo is awesome, I love all his performances I’ve seen and I think The Road may be his best yet.
I hope he works stuff out in his contracts that lets him get off the damn marketing bandwagon a bit and relax more, I can understand the constant travel and being away from family and stuff making you a little crazy, I hope he starts taking like a movie every few years or something and keeps up the good work, doesn’t quit but only does great movies, sparringly.
Yeah, sounds to me like the promotional stuff is the worst part for him. Can fully understand that.
I’d have no problem if he cuts back and only does movies he really wants to, like Lewis has done.
It is really aggravating to see actors of that quality so rarely and certain other halfwits in every other movie though.
His views on blockbusters puts him even higher in my eyes too.
Actors like Viggo are teh only reason I still have any respect left for the film industry. People that take their job seriously, and strive to make art-make films that are actually enjoyable, or films that enrich people who see them. Viggo would not appear in 4 Fast 4 Furious(and I’m dissapointed in Walker and Diesel for doing it. Both way underrated actors, but its hard to support them if they keep making crap). I hope it is just a vacation. I mean, rest a year in between films, especially since you’re getting older. Quality, not quantity. The world needs more Viggo’s.
I could see this coming a mile away. Viggo’s always been a multidimensional artist – he paints, photographs, acts, etc.
It was inevitable he would start wanting to do more of other things and just stay home. His life was never going to revolve completely around making movies.
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