“It’s more than just ‘I love Legolas.’ OK, in some cases maybe it’s only that,” jokes Viggo Mortensen on the popularity of The Lord of the Rings. “There’s something very profound about those stories.”
Then he continues, “They could have used some editing, but you know, so could the Bible. And who’s going to be the person who edits the Bible?”
On The Hobbit, he says, “I never heard from Peter [Jackson]… I’m looking forward to seeing how they’ve adapted The Hobbit.”
On the importance of art house movie theaters like the Coolidge: “It’s not just about going to see a movie. There’s something to it that has to do with community.” These places, he adds, “really need to be preserved and encouraged.”
I was fortunate to have a one-on-one interview with Mortensen [Begin reading the three-part interview here]. When he was in Boston to receive the Coolidge Award from the Coolidge Corner Theatre, he sat for 45 minutes to answer questions from the press. I’m not transcribing that Q&A, sorry. But here’s the footage from that event. Enjoy.
