Viggo Mortensen on Not Appearing in More Franchise Films, “They’re Not Usually That Good”

Actor Viggo Mortensen is no stranger to franchises, having starred in one of the most successful film trilogies in history as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, though the quality of those films is an exception to the rule, with Mortensen admitting he hasn’t joined other franchises due to disappointing scripts. In that sense, Mortensen confessed he would be happy to join any major series regardless of its notoriety or the talent involved, so long as the script met his expectations, but that his experience is many such scripts aren’t well-written. He did joke, though, that his opinion could be swayed based on how strapped for cash he might be.

“I don’t really look for or avoid any kind of genre or any size budget. I just look for interesting stories,” Mortensen explained to The Hollywood Reporter. “It doesn’t matter to me what the genre is or what the budget is or who’s making them. I would never do a movie just because so-and-so is directing it. It has to be about the story. And if I think I’m right for the character, that always comes first.”

He added, “That goes for franchises. If somebody came to me with X movie, the third part or the ninth part, and I thought it was a great character and I wanted to play that character and I thought I had something to contribute, I’d do it. I’m not against it. But they’re not usually that good. I mean, to me, they’re not usually that well-written. They’re kind of predictable. I mean, of course there’s always the issue of if I run out of money.”

Prior to starring in Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth trilogy, Mortensen had previously starred in franchise sequels Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III and Young Guns II, but the success of his performance as Aragorn catapulted his notoriety tremendously, likely earning a number of franchise offers. While the timeline and events of Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy meant there was no need for an Aragorn appearance, Mortensen has already addressed the likelihood of appearing in the announced movie The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

“I haven’t read a script,” Mortensen confirmed to GQ last month. “So I don’t know. The script is the most important thing to me unless I’m broke, I have no money and I’m lucky to get any job. So it depends.” 

Stay tuned for updates on the future of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

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