Viggo Mortensen is surprised at how many fans he has in Japan. “They turn up at my movie premieres, photo exhibitions and poetry readings all over the world, even in places as faraway as Iceland. It makes me so happy,” said the 50-year-old star during a visit to Japan this month to promote his new film, “Alatriste.”
Born in New York to a Danish father and American mother, Mortensen spent much of his childhood living in Venezuela and Argentina. Completing his education in the U.S., Mortensen started writing poetry and short stories and took acting classes before making his movie debut in “Witness” (1985). Among his other film credits are “The Indian Runner,” “Carlito’s Way,” “Crimson Tide,” “G.I. Jane,” “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “A History of Violence” and “Eastern Promise.”
“Alatriste” proved to be Mortensen’s biggest challenge to date because it is all in Spanish. Based on five of Arturo Perez-Reverte’s novels, “Alatriste” tells the story of soldier-turned-mercenary Capt Alatriste, a heroic figure from the country’s 17th century imperial wars. It covers 20 years of his life, from the wars in Flanders in 1623 to those against France in 1643, when Spain, under King Philip IV, fell from its position as the world's dominating superpower.
“The golden age of Spain has never really been told by Spanish filmmakers before,” said Mortensen. “There have been countless books and some Hollywood and English productions, told from their point of view and self-promotion. The Spanish have never been big on promoting themselves after their empire. So everybody in Spain had high expectations for the film. I thought they’d be out for my scalp. But I’m certain this movie will grow as a classic film from Spanish cinema.”
Mortensen said he felt comfortable making a movie in Spanish. “Sometimes, I can express my feelings and access my emotions much better in Spanish than I can in English,” he said. “The challenge was not the Spanish dialogue. Having been raised in South America, I’m fluent in Spanish. The challenge was to learn the different dialect of another time and place. I was never familiar with words and phrases from the 17th century. It was an interesting anthropological project.”
Mortensen thinks “Alatriste” will appeal to Japanese audiences because of its similarity to Japan’s samurai era. “There are many parallels to Japan, including (legendary swordsman) Miyamoto Musashi and his code of ethics,” he said. “The themes of friendship and pride are universal.”
Next up for the actor will be a stint in the Spanish theater. “It’s been 20 years since I last did stage work. There’s no take 2, no escape. You either remember your lines or you don’t. It’ll be a good challenge.”
© Japan Today
14 Comments
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daisan
I guess it took them 2 years to translate this movie.
smartacus
Hard to believe Viggo is 50.
pointofview
He was excellent in the "Rings" trilogy. Didn`t know he could speak Spanish. Good on him...
rjd_jr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLSABfGvfzs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP7j_fgAHtI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA1hyo97NuE
nath
He can speak Spanish and Quenya!
rondh69
He plays a good/convincing OC gangster type as in "A History of Violence" and "Eastern Promises"...
zurcronium
He is the man!
Was incredible in Eastern Promise as a rusky yak and then played a cool role with Ed Harris in Appaloosa. Incredible talent.
Azrael
He spent his childhood in Argentina. It was a surprise during a LOTR interview, he greeted his fans in Spanish and sent a message to the fans of his favorite soccer team from Argentina. His Spanish is very good and yes, his Quenya is, too! ^0^!
Alatriste is not all that new, I bought the DVD in June this year... It's about a veteran soldier who moonlights as a mercenary, his dealings with (rather miserable) courtiers and how he manages to stay true to himself despite the corruption and decay around him (at the time the Spaniard Empire is falling). It's a good movie.
meanmutha
yep, probs he would be a sick Bond.
antizombie
He is a great intelligent actor! I watched this movie two years ago maybe.
BlackFlag
yeah LOTR was good but his performances in The Indian Runner and History of Violence were something else.
Ninjazilla
Has-been.
JoiceRojo
Interesting, it is the first time that I read he can speak Spanish... I will have to watch the movie, let's see how good his Spanish is...
Spanishwoman
Wow, I am Spanish and I can tell his Spanish is perfect, no grammar mistakes, proper vocabulary, elegant speech... He has an Argentinian accent, but I can not judge that. Now some from Argentina please give an opinion on his accent :)