Viggo Mortensen Viggo Mortensen FALL

editorial |
FALL’S GUY
Before he snagged the role of Aragorn
in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings
trilogy, you would have been hardpressed
to recognize Viggo Mortensen.
Conventionally handsome and perennially
cast in forgettable films like G.I. Jane and
28 Days, he could have been confused with
any one of a dozen other actors.
Personally, I used to mix him up with
Grant Show, a.k.a. Jake from Melrose Place.
But when Stuart Townsend (Charlize
Theron’s beau) lost the part of Aragorn
at the 11th hour (something about him
looking too young), Mortensen won the
role, simultaneously catching a first-class elevator from the bottom
of the B-list to the top of A.
So now people actually care what Viggo Mortensen does with his
career. And if you know anything about the man — he’s an artist, a
photographer and a vocal political activist — it shouldn’t surprise
you that, since LotR, he’s shied away from cheesy thrillers and sappy
love stories in favour of more complicated films.
Although last year’s historical action pic Hidalgo was tepidly
received, his next few films all have considerable promise —
Alatriste, in which he plays the title’s fascinating 17th-century
Spanish mercenary-turned-Captain, Killshot, a crime pic from
Shakespeare in Love director John Madden, and Teresa, a drama about
a real-life Spanish saint. (Did I mention he speaks fluent Spanish?)
But first up is David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence. A complex
examination of family, brutality and past transgressions, the film
lets Mortensen dive into a character that is practically drowning
in shades of grey. Famous deputy editor Ingrid Randoja spoke
with Mortensen for an in-depth piece that kicks off our
Fall, Holiday Preview (page 16).
In that preview, you’ll also find interviews with Orlando Bloom for
Cameron Crowe’s latest, Elizabethtown (page 24), Lisa Ray, the striking
Indo-Canadian actor who plays a self-sacrificing prostitute in
Deepa Mehta’s Water (page 30), and Naomi Watts, who takes on the
Fay Wray role in the new version of King Kong (page 36). Jackson,
who apparently just couldn’t stay away from the holiday blockbuster
season for more than a year, directs Kong.
And, in addition to key info on every major release between now
and New Year’s Eve, we also put the spotlight on some of the season’s
more intriguing films, like Tim Burton’s claymation Corpse Bride
(page 22), Atom Egoyan’s murder mystery Where the Truth Lies
(page 26), the coming-of-age installment of the Harry Potter series,
Goblet of Fire (page 34), and the movie that
seems to have the best chance of reigning
victorious come Christmas Break, Disney’s
extravagant The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion,
the Witch and the Wardrobe (page 38).
Remember, the last four months of the year
are usually the best for movies, with the most
creative and original pics being released in
time for Oscar consideration.
—MARNI WEISZ
famous 8 | september 2005
September 2005 volume 6 number 9
PUBLISHER SALAH BACHIR
EDITOR MARNI WEISZ
DEPUTY EDITOR INGRID RANDOJA
CREATIVE DIRECTOR DANIEL CULLEN
PRODUCTION MANAGER SHEILA GREGORY
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT ZAC VEGA
CONTRIBUTORS EARL DITTMAN
SCOTT GARDNER
SUSAN GRANGER
LIZA HERZ
DAN LIEBMAN
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