Lights, camera, action! Picture this: Viggo Mortensen, the rugged Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, reveling in the glory of epic battle scenes but never actually watching one of his standout moments. Yep, you read that right! Mortensen has confessed he’s never seen some of the best footage he shot, deeming it ‘redundant’ for the movies.
Imagine the king of Gondor himself skipping out on viewing his own cinematic gold. Despite his enjoyment during filming, he left it to the fans to bask in those unseen moments. So, while we’re here eagerly devouring every frame, Mortensen’s off in his own realm, blissfully unaware of the footage that had us all spellbound.
Viggo Mortensen Unveils Cut Lord of the Rings Scene and Shares Thoughts on New Series
Viggo Mortensen, known for his iconic role as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, has revealed a fascinating tidbit about an unseen scene involving his character and Liv Tyler’s Arwen. Mortensen, chatting with NME (via Gamesradar), spilled the beans about a deleted flashback sequence that was cut from the films.
The actor recalled, describing the scene set in a ‘flowery meadow’ where he was made to look as young as possible, sporting different hair and dressed like an elf. Despite the scene being beautifully shot, Mortensen admits he’s never seen the footage, and it didn’t make it into the Extended Editions either.
It was a scene from the book where they’re walking in this flowery meadow. It was a beautiful sequence but obviously it wasn’t needed for the movie. I’ve never seen it but I enjoyed shooting that scene. It’d be nice to see it actually, it’s not in the Extended Editions either.
As fans anticipate the upcoming Amazon Prime Video Lord of the Rings series, Mortensen addressed concerns about the show potentially mimicking Game of Thrones with excessive violence. He expressed confidence in the series, noting that it benefits from J.A. Bayona’s direction and the legacy of Peter Jackson’s influence.
Mortensen also shared a personal anecdote about buying two of Aragorn’s horses, as well as Arwen’s horse from The Fellowship of the Ring. The latter was a gift to a stuntwoman he befriended. While the new 4K editions of the films have just been released, it seems the missing Aragorn-Arwen scene remains a hidden treasure for now.
Viggo Mortensen: Why He Ditches Franchises for Storytelling
In a franchise-crazy world, Viggo Mortensen stands out with his unique choices. Despite his legendary role as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, he’s largely avoided big franchises since. Mortensen told Vanity Fair he’s up for franchise roles, but only if they come with great stories and well-written characters.
I don’t really look for or avoid any kind of genre or any size budget. I just look for interesting stories. 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.
The actor’s also voiced frustration with streaming overshadowing theaters, noting how Thirteen Lives ended up on Amazon after MGM’s deal. For him, it’s all about quality over quantity, proving that stories matter more than franchises.
Watch Lord of The Rings on Amazon Prime & Apple TV.
