Viggo Mortensen Talks About Replacing Another Actor As Aragorn

Viggo Mortensen's most well-known role is Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings series, but he wasn't originally even supposed to appear in the fantasy film. Peter Jackson started filming the movie with Irish actor Stuart Townsend in the role, but it was determined that he was too young to be believable, and Mortensen got the call to come to New Zealand and play the role that would go on to define his career.

Mortensen has now reflected on replacing Townsend and his first days on set. Speaking to The Ringer, Mortensen had nothing but praise for Townsend, celebrating his capabilities and pointing out that he has gone on to have a successful career. By the time Mortensen got to set, Townsend was already gone, but it was still awkward.

"He was too young. It was a bad casting idea because he was the same age as the actors playing the Hobbits and Aragorn needed to be a little older," he said. "So I think that was really the only issue there. I felt uncomfortable, to be honest; I hadn't had that experience of taking the place of another actor."

Mortensen said he didn't get too hung up on this because he was anxious about fitting in with the rest of the cast, some of whom had been on set and training for months.

"They'd been training. And I hadn't even read that book [The Fellowship of the Ring]. So I'm on the plane going [gestures to flipping through a book]," he said.

Mortensen was quick to embrace The Lord of the Rings, he said, as the stories are not unlike the tales he enjoyed as a child about Viking sagas and Celtic people.

Also in the interview, Mortensen shared a silly story from the early days of filming The Fellowship of the Ring. As part of his sword training, Mortensen kept his blade close to him at all times, and he even took it on a walk down the street outside of the studio. The police got calls about someone brandishing a sword and scaring people, so Mortensen had to inform them it was for a movie so he didn't get in trouble.

Mortensen is currently out on a press tour promoting his movie, Falling, which marks his directorial debut. He also stars in the movie, and he wrote the script and the music.