FROM:Revista Noticias March 2nd 2001

"Argentina is in a coma..it's impossible to live this way."

This is not a phrase from the mouth of a local activist. It was said by, and with a Buenosairean accent, Viggo Mortensen (43), co-protagonist of "Lord Of The Rings".

"I was born in New York, but I lived until the age of 11 inbetween Buenos Aires & el Chaco. That's why it saddenes me so much what is happening their even though I no longer live there."

In a gesture of solidarity with his second homeland, Mortensen recently posed with traditional "gaucho postmodern" dress (gentlemen cowboy) for a production of the magazine 'Vanity Fair".

Viggo Mortensen:"I identify greatly with some aspects of your culture. I listen to argentinean rock & am fascinated by the Tango. And literature too. Since I was a kid I read the book "Martín Fierro" in school & I still remember some of the passages of the story, which by the way is much like "Lord Of The Rings". "

Interviewer: In what sense? " Mortensen: Both are based on universal questions. He is a solitary man, who must face extreme situations and make life altering decisions... I speak of Argentina & I am compelled to return. I hope to retun at the end of the year to the premier of "The Two Towers" and to show the country to my son.

Interviewer: Are you a single father? Mortensen:" I know it sounds like a strange dream, but yes, I'm a single father and it's a pleasure to raise Henry (14). We consult each other on everything we do & we give each other advice mutually. He convinced me to do the movie: he had read the book & loved Aragorn, the character I interpit. I had my doubts because they offered me the part after filming had begun and the other actor chosen had backed out at the last second. "

Interviewer: Why? Mortensen: " He was scared by what the character entailed & by the movie in general. The work was very hard, to live a year and a half in New Zealand, learn to ride wild horses, and to speak "elvish" a complex language created by Tolkien and only used by the story's characters. In the end I accepted the role and read the book on the plane to New zealand. " Interviewer: In the cinematic Trilogy of Tolkien's classical Mortensen plays aragorn, a hero & worrier among the humans, amoung the "fellowship" there are other races like hobbits, elves and dwarves, formed to protect the ring. Mortensen:" Aragorn can survive in nature, live in it, understand signs, and live happily without anyone. I lived a year and a half under his skin and that brought me closer to my danish roots. "

Interviewer: Why is your face continue to remain unrecognized to the general public?

Mortensen:"I don't know. I've been co-protagonist with Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Sandra Bullock, but I'm not like then. Hollywood is a place where people are more preoccupied with results than with the process itself in making movies. Everyone wants to have an Oscar and make a lot of money, and that is what compels them to action. That's why I still don't expect to become a superstar because of this movie. I don't waste time thinking about fame. "

Interviewer: In hollywood they say they your a bit obsessive

Mortensen:"I love to create my characters history to the smallest detail. I really enjoy doing that, and sometimes I do things others see as obsessive but that to me are completely normal."

Interviewer: Why did you sleep in your Aragorn costume?

Mortensen:"During the filming I had no free time, so it was more comfortable to walk around in the same clothing all day. I don't regret it because it served me further penetrate my character, like when I lost a tooth during a dangerous scene: I would never accept that a double do my dangerous scenes. Sorry, do you know if the film in Argentina is dubed?"

Interviewer: I think that there is a dubbed version fr the kids & a another in the original language.

Mortensen: "If there is something that I can't stand is bad dubbing. And in general they are very bad. Once I had a huge disagreement with a distributor from Spain. Over there all movies are dubbed & the result is terrible. So I offered myself to dub my own character (his character from the movie Gimlet), but when I finally convinced them, they didn't like the result. they said I have a spanish accent that is "not spanish". I was furious: my Argentinean accent is as much spanish as the Castilian spanish. "

Interviewer: What do Middle Earth, the setting of the films and the Argentina of today have in common?

Mortensen: "It's a strange era that Argentinieans are living, but it's not a problem that only affects Argentina. It's also a strange time for the world. The United States against Afghanistan, Israel against Palestine. Prejudice & intolerance seems fundamental in all of this. It's not the first time this has happened. When Tolkien wrote his story, WW2 had just ended. Everything pointed to a possible end to such problems. That's why I think when you see the film you'll notice that instead of trying to escape from their problems, the characters involve themselves more in finding viable solutions. All the representaives of Middle Earth's races (the Fellowship) have personal demons and one common goal: to rebuild a society destroyed by individualism gone too far. I hope we too can achieve such a solution. "