A History of Fantasy
Viggo Mortensen captured my imagination in The Lord of the Rings, as he did many others. I’d seen him in G.I Jane and A Perfect Murder before, but not given him a lot of thought. But once I saw The Fellowship of the Ring, I was hooked. I loved his portrayal of the hero Aragorn. He was the right balance of quiet reflection and man of action. Though he was fearful, he triumphed over his enemies. Though once a loner, he became a great leader.
Later, he went on to star in Hidalgo, A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. These roles reflected a man who was rough around the edges—dark. Yet, someone with heart. He portrayed tough men, but each character was still quite sympathetic. This is much a reflection of Viggo Mortensen himself
I think. I read in an interview how he was driving with son and they saw a dead animal or hit an animal with the car. So, they stopped, built a fire and cooked the animal to eat. When I read that I was like, “Wow, that is kinda wild and cool.”
Anyway, in 2006 I had a couple of dreams about Viggo. They were both very passionate dreams that surprised me. I hadn’t consciously fantasized about him, but obviously I was very attracted to him. There is definitely some connection there, though I am not sure exactly what it is. Maybe it because he is a cowboy-poet?
It wasn’t until later that I discovered that he took the money he made in The Lord of the Rings and started his own published company—Perceval Press. He is not only an actor, but a writer, poet, painter, photographer and musician. His creativity has many outlets! When I read that, I thought, “I knew there was a reason I liked him!”
I haven’t gotten a chance to read his books, as they are not in wide circulation. If I had the money, I would most certainly order them directly from Perceval Press. And if Perceval Press was taking submissions, I would have submitted some of my work to it. However, they are closed for submissions right now.
Honestly, I don’t know a whole lot about the man, but I would like to know more. He has duel citizenship in Denmark and the USA. He is well traveled and speaks several languages. He is fluent in English, Spanish and Danish. He can also understands French, Italian, Norwegian and Swedish! And he has a son and follows soccer. Viggo is quiet and shy in interviews, yet obviously very intelligent with a lot to say.
So, if I had the chance to meet Viggo Mortensen, I most certainly would. We could meet at his place in the country and ride horses before having a great conversation over dinner. After a couple glasses of wine, he’d show me his photos, poems and other works of art. Then, who knows what would happen….
carilynn27 