It is near impossible to imagine anyone other thanViggo Mortensenplaying the role of Aragorn in the film adaptation ofThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy based on the wildly popular fantasy novels byJ.R.R. Tolkien. Although many will argue that Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) is the beating heart of the Fellowship of the Ring, we could easily make the case that at certain times in the three films, it isAragorn who is the galvanizing emotional force behind the unlikely group of heroeson a mission to destroy the “one to rule them all” ring in the fiery pits of Mt. Doom. He is certainly the physical force that is the group’s backbone, including a wise Wizard (Ian McKellan), a skilled Elf archer (Orlando Bloom),an ambitious Troll (John Rhys-Davies), and three more key Hobbits (Sean Astin,Billy Boyd,Dominic Monaghan). So when he recently made the admission that he needed to be convinced to take director Peter Jackson up on the role that both changed the trajectory of the young actors career and is also the role he will ni doubt be remembered for long after he is gone, it came as a bit of a surprise. And it is also wild that it wasn’t Jackson, or his agent, or a significant other, it was his young son, Henry, who sold him on the part.
When and Where Did Viggo Mortensen Make the Admission
Viggo Mortensen made a rare appearanceon theLive Kelly (Ripa) and (Ryan Seacrest)show back in 2019 when Ripa brought up the fact that Mortensen needed a bit of a shove to take the part. The versatile actor playfully answered, “I’m kind of a slow starter.” Which drew a laugh from the two hosts. He continued, “I have to be talked into most roles….I hadn’t read the books,and I was a last-minute replacement (for the young Irish actorStuart Townsend). They (Jackson and his crew) were already filming, and my son said, he was 11 at the time, he says Dad, who are you playing? And I said it’s the guy, he’s with the small people in the woods.” Which drew a laugh from the audience. Mortensen continues, “Dad, that guy with the little people in the woods. He becomes the king!” So it really was his 11-year-old son Henry who was obviously much more familiar with the Tolkien source material than the man who would eventually become the king of Gondor and Arnor. Mortensen wasn’t done saying to Ripa and Seacrest, “He does? A king? Really?” To which Henry said, “You gotta do it! You gotta do it!” Viggo has his son to thank for giving him the extra shove that he needed to become Aragorn. And Mortensen is very glad he did for obvious reasons adding, “It was a great experience and gave me lots of opportunities.” It’s a terrific father-and-son Hollywood story. So how did Dad pay his son back for such an enormous favor?
Viggo Mortensen Got Henry a Cameo in ‘The Two Towers’ and ‘Return of the King’
So after Henry told his dad that he would really be missing a great opportunity if he passed on Aragorn, Mortensen needed to return the favor. And this isn’t something like a bump in allowance or a trip to a ballgame type of favor that needed to be repaid. So, Mortensen managed to get Henry a cameo role in the second film of the trilogy,Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Henry plays a young Rohan boy who can be seen preparing for the bloody battle at Helm’s Deep. Also known as the Battle of the Hornburg,Helm’s Deep is the stirring sequencewhere the Orc armies of Saruman try to siege the fortress, only to ultimately be completely destroyed by the Rohirrim. Henry also went on to play both a Gondorian soldier and a Pellenor Orc inLord of the Rings: Return of the King.
This Isn’t the First Time Something Like This Has Happened
Aside from being immortalized in one of the most iconic film trilogies of all time, Henry had a direct hand in launching Mortensen’s career into the limelight. Stories where a family member or, specifically, a child, convincing an actor to take on a role are actually not uncommon.Richard Harris, who played Albus Dumbledore inHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stoneturned down the role of Dumbledore three times (with a salary increase each time) before his granddaughter finally talked him into it. Specifically, his granddaughter Ella told him, “If you don’t play Dumbledore then I will never speak to you again.”
After the Lord of the Rings series, Mortensen went on to films likeEastern Promises,Captain Fantastic, andThe Road, gaining further acclaim and recognition. Henry “Hank” Mortensen is now 35 years old andwas Viggo’s plus-one when he attended the 2017 Oscar Awardsafter being nominated forThe Green Book. So it seems that all these years later, father and son are still pretty tight.
