Viggo Mortensen asks Peter Jackson if he could use Aragorn sword in recent film, reacts to new “Lord of the Rings” movie
"It was kind of a last-minute accident," Mortensen said.
Viggo Mortensen has revealed that he consulted the king of the Lord of the Rings franchise to request a super specific piece of hardware to use in his latest movie The Dead Don't Hurt.
The three-time Oscar-nominated performer, who portrayed the heroic Aragorn in Jackson's initial LOTR film series, told GQ that he asked his former director if he could use the character's iconic sword as a prop in the new western epic.
"Everything was right, and then I said, well, we should have a sword. And I did look and there were some good ones and I thought, well, it might be kind of good to use this one that I had because it's really good," Mortensen said of a fantasy sequence in the project, which he also directed and wrote. "But I knew I would have to ask permission because I'm sure somebody would notice it, even if you only see it for a few seconds, it's not really essential to the scene and certainly not to the movie, it's just something in passing that you either see or you don't."
Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Viggo Mortensen in 'Lord of the Rings'Mortensen said he asked Jackson "if he'd be alright with it," and he said the filmmaker asked him if having the sword would make a significant impact on the story.
"I said, 'No, it's not, actually. You hardly notice it, but somebody will, probably.' He said it was okay with him, but that I should ask the movie company," the actor continued. "So, I contacted them and they were fine with it. They realized it wasn't essential, it wasn't going to draw a lot of attention to itself. And they were very nice about it, and they gave us permission. That's why we did it, just because it seemed right. It was kind of a last-minute accident."
When asked about potentially returning to the film series in Jackson's planned continuation of the Academy Award-winning film series, Mortensen didn't close the door on the prospect.
"Sure. I don't know exactly what the story is, I haven't heard. Maybe I'll hear about it eventually. I like playing that character. I learned a lot playing the character. I enjoyed it a lot," he replied. "I would only do it if I was right for it in terms of, you know, the age I am now and so forth. I would only do it if I was right for the character. It would be silly to do it otherwise."
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Jackson — who also helmed three Hobbit films between 2012 and 2014 — will produce an additional pair of LOTR projects alongside Dame Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, with Warner Bros. on board to distribute the first film under the working title Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Andy Serkis, who played Gollum for Jackson, is also set to return.
The Dead Don't Hurt is set for release on Friday.
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