Viggo Mortensen has worked with a lot of directors and producers who have beautifully showcased his talent as an actor. Working with renowned names in the industry, he has very successfully established his career in Hollywood. Mortensen famously played Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings franchise. He has been a part of various movies and proved just how great of an actor he is.
Even after working with so many directors and producers, the actor still regrets not having worked with one director. He missed not one but two chances to work with this director and has since been wondering just how different things would be had he taken the role. This director is none other than Quentin Tarantino.
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Viggo Mortensen Had To Say No To Quentin Tarantino Because Of His Schedule
Viggo Mortensen had always wanted to work with Quentin Tarantino and the first time he got an opportunity to do so was when the auditions for Reservoir Dogs started. His audition unfortunately had not been a success. His next attempt had been for The Hateful Eight. The movie had piqued the actor’s interest and he wanted very much to be a part of the film.
“I wish [The Hateful Eight] would have worked out, but that’s what I’m talking about: You either see these films through to the end, or you don’t.”
He stated that his schedule had been extremely tight and he had already committed to two other movies before he could say yes to Tarantino. The actor had been traveling back and forth in order to promote his movies Jauja and Far From Men. His prior arrangements forced him to say no to the movie no matter how much he wanted to be a part of the experience. Just because of his commitments, he had to miss out on working with Tarantino.
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The Actor Refused To Return As Aragorn In The Lord Of The Rings Series
It was peculiar to see when Viggo Mortensen did not appear in The Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit. Fans believed that he wasn’t given a chance to return, however, that was not the case. Instead, he decided to stick to Tolkien’s story and respect the lore.
“Before they started shooting, back in 2008, one of the producers did ask if I would be interested. I said, ‘You do know, don’t you, that Aragorn isn’t in The Hobbit? That there is a 60-year gap between the books?’”
He did the math and stood by how there was no chance for his character to even exist when the story was taking place. So even if they wanted him to be a part of the movie, he refused out of sheer respect for the franchise.
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Source: Far Out