| | |  | Viggo Mortensen News & Gossip | | Page 1 of 2 | 1 2  | |
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| | Wow, Viggo Mortensen continues to be really problematic about 'Green Book' | | Added 5 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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I shouldn?t be surprised that in the year 2019, Hollywood is still giving awards and major nominations to extremely problematic films. Green Book was supposed to be the kind of film that Hollywood loves: a historical, somewhat biographical film centered on a childlike understanding on racism and race relations in the early 1960s. I thought that when Viggo Mortensen bungled the promotion so badly, that would be the end of the Oscar campaign. But no apparently, Viggo saying the n-word wasn?t a dealbreaker for the National Board of Review, the Hollywood Foreign Press or the SAGs, all of whom gave awards or nominations to Green Book, Viggo and/or Mahershala Ali.
I saw Green Book over the holidays, because I had an aha-moment that Hollywood really is that dumb, and of course they would give a lot of awards to it. It is, to me, this year?s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, in that it says really stupid sh-t about race and it?s utterly problematic. Add to that, the writer and director of Green Book had no problem using Don Shirley?s real name and life for their story about how a white racist dude is hero for being friendly with a famous jazz pianist. Don Shirley?s family took issue with the film?s portrayal of Shirley, and they were quite vocal about it in November and December. No one from the film said much about it then. But Viggo, Mahershala and director Peter Farrelly were in Palm Springs for the film festival, and woo, boy, did they have some sh-t to say.
?Green Book? star Viggo Mortensen has spoken out in defense of the film after family members of Dr. Don Shirley criticized its portrayal of the classical pianist.
?[Writer] Nick Vallelonga has shown admirable restraint in the face of some accusations and some claims ? including from a couple of family members ? that have been unjustified, uncorroborated and basically unfair, that have been countered by other people who knew Doc Shirley well,? Mortenson told Variety?s Marc Malkin at the Palm Springs Film Festival awards gala Thursday. ?There is evidence that there was not the connection that [the family members] claimed there was with him, and perhaps there?s some resentment.?
Previously, Dr. Shirley?s nephew, Edwin Shirley III, and brother, Maurice Shirley openly criticized the film in an interview with Shadow And Act, calling its portrayal of Dr. Don Shirley a ?Symphony of Lies.? Additionally, the family members questioned the relationship between the film?s two main characters Tony Lip (Mortensen) and Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), calling it ?an employer-employee relationship.?
On the carpet, director Peter Farrelly also defended the film, pointing to the importance of Dr. Don Shirley?s friends in the creation of the film.
?I?m very disappointed by that. I wish they were, and they have a right to their opinion, but when we went down that road, we looked into the heirs of Don Shirley, and unfortunately it wasn?t the family. The heirs were friends,? Farrelly told Variety. ?When we found out about the family, we tried to embrace them, and they?re not having it right now, and it?s very disappointing.?
?I don?t think it would have changed the movie at all,? Farrelly continued, ?This is a movie about a two month period in these men?s lives. It?s not about him and his family. It really isn?t.?
[From Variety]
What struck me about the film is that it would have worked so much better if they had just made Mahershala Ali play a fictionalized jazz pianist loosely based on Don Shirley I think the trouble was that this is Don Shirley?s first portrayal in a Hollywood film, and it?s in a supporting role to the white, racist hero?s character arc. If they wanted to make a movie about how a white dude is redeemed by his friendship with a jazz musician, just fictionalize the story and don?t use real names. But yeah, these comments from Viggo and Peter Farrelly are NOT GOOD. They?re basically talking over Don Shirley?s relatives to say that they, the white guys, have a better understanding of Don Shirley?s life. SMH.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Green Book.
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| | Will Viggo Mortensen be a major Oscar contender this year for 'Green Book?' | | Added 6 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Every so often, one of the subscription movie channels will throw Driving Miss Daisy onto their cycle, and I?ll spend a month watching ten-minute or twenty-minute increments here and there. I understand why the film isn?t regarded as one of greats, and I completely understand (and agree with) the racial criticisms lodged at the film. But can I just say? It?s still a completely enjoyable film. Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy had excellent chemistry together, and both of their performances were great.
Well, there?s a very similar kind of film coming out this awards season. It?s called Green Book. Viggo Mortensen plays an Italian-American bouncer-type who takes a job to drive around Mahershala Ali?s jazz pianist around the deep South in what seems like? maybe the early 1950s? It?s very much in the same vibe as Driving Miss Daisy, only the driver is white and passenger is black, but the ?racial healing through shared conversations and experiences? is the same. Viggo Mortensen made an appearance at the Rome Film Festival this week the photos in this post to promote the film. Where?s Mahershala?? Probably filming True Detective or something. Anyway, here?s the trailer:
Originally, I thought Viggo?s appearance in Rome was the first film festival appearance, but no the film has already been slowly making its way through the festival circuit. It?s premiered at TIFF, Zurich, the Hamptons, and the London Film Festival already. It might be the low-key antidote to A Star Is Born?s in-your-face Oscar campaign. A slow-burner campaign for a film where Viggo goes against typecast and plays a thuggish New Yorker who loves fried chicken? I mean? I?m interested. And I?ll watch anything with Mahershala. Viggo is a big fan of Mahershala too he talked up Ali?s performance in Rome, in Ali?s absence. Could it be that? Viggo is actually coming to play this Oscar season?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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| | Viggo Mortensen: 'I trust Hillary about as much as I trust Donald Trump' | | Added 8 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Here are some photos of Viggo Mortensen at the June premiere of Captain Fantastic, his latest indie film. The movie is getting good-to-great reviews, and there?s even some hope that it can become one of the indie darlings to really break through this year, and possibly get some bigger awards-season heat. To promote the film, Viggo gave an interview to the Daily Beast ? you can read the full piece here. He chats about the film, the politics of the film, and then he gets into his support of Bernie Sanders, and where he?s going now that Bernie is out. Here are some highlights from the piece:
He does full-frontal nudity in the film: ?There?s a problem with nudity in the United States? It?s not even. It?s not even. There?s the issue of violence versus nudity. We have no problem in video games or on TV shows or in movies of showing kids beheadings and massive shootings, yet you can?t swear or can?t see a male or female body. It seems odd, and doesn?t seem healthy.?
Broaden our perspectives: ?We need to broaden our perspectives and our points of view to see what other people think?to consider the arguments of people we instinctively don?t agree with?but people just stay in their camps and do research on what they already believe in. And you have politicians say things like, ?Oh, you don?t have to pay attention to those others. Just trust me, ignore them.? ?Just watch Fox? or ?just watch MSNBC.? I think this movie is striking a chord because it touches on something that?s happening in the country: on the lack of social cohesion and the communication problems we have.?
On Donald Trump & the GOP: ?He?s only saying in cruder terms what really started with Reagan, but then took flight with Gingrich in ?94: the polarizing, race-baiting rhetoric of the Republican Party for the last several decades is coming home to roost. Trump is the logical conclusion. He?s not very nuanced in his diatribes, but he?s not saying anything very different than what [Paul] Ryan, [John] Boehner, [Dick] Cheney, and [Mitch] McConnell are saying. All of these guys have been engaging in the same divisive, racist politics.?
He?s voting for Jill Stein now: ?If you want a woman then vote for Jill Stein. If you really want a woman president?if that?s what you want?vote for Jill Stein. I trust Hillary about as much as I trust Donald Trump. I think she?s dishonest, I don?t think she has the interests of working people at heart, and I think she?s shown that time and again. All the things that Bernie Sanders said about her I agree with?Yeah, I was a Bernie supporter. And I know the argument is, ?Yes, if you vote for Jill Stein you?re giving Trump a chance.? The Nader argument. But you know, at some point it?s got to change. We should have a parliamentary system. It?s really got to change.?
[From The Daily Beast]
My reaction when I encounter Bernie Bros who are in the ?Never Hillary? camp is to just walk away. Like, what possible argument is there to be made? That Bernie and Hillary basically agreed with each other about 90% of the issues? That Hillary has faced three decades of the worst kind of negative-media blitz and that blitz still affects perceptions of her to this day? But all of that will just lead to an argument that would go nowhere. I suspect that there are a lot of Bernie Bros who will throw away their votes on third-party candidates because they?re making false equivalencies between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, as in ?they both suck, I?ll vote for someone else.? And that blows my mind. Like, how do people look at Donald Trump and not want to do everything in their power to ensure that he never, ever wins the presidency? Whatever you think of Hillary ? and she?s not my favorite, but I agree with her on many things ? how are you not chilled to the bone at the idea of a President Trump?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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| | Viggo Mortensen says he was offered roles in X-Men, Man of Steel & SWATH | | Added 9 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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It?s always a good day when I get to write about Viggo Mortensen. And surprisingly, this story isn?t all about some movie I?ll never watch or about Viggo?s political views (okay, it?s not ENTIRELY about his politics). Viggo is (still) promoting his film Far From Men, which he?s been hyping at various film festivals for months now. The film got a VOD release and it will have a limited theatrical release on May 1. But really, Viggo is great because even when he?s promoting a particular film, he rarely stays on-message and ends up talking about lots of different things. Like how he was offered Wolverine in the first X-Men movie. Like what he thinks of the murder of Walter Scott. You can read the full interview here. Some highlights:
Viggo was offered Wolverine: ?I was offered Wolverine, actually, for the first movie?I guess it would?ve been for the franchise then. That was just before I got Lord of the Rings. I was flattered. I remember going to that meeting with the director, Bryan Singer, with my son who was a total comic book expert. He was about 10 at the time. Henry came, and Singer showed us all these models and storyboards, and Henry was instructing the director, saying, ?Oh, you?re going to change this thing right here.? I believe it coincided with another project, and I couldn?t do it.?
He was offered other big films: ?Every once in a while I?m offered something like that. I was offered two different parts in the last Superman movie they made [Man of Steel], but I wasn?t available to do that either. And The Huntsman in Snow White and the Huntsman, which isn?t a comic book but is almost like a comic book?. They changed it a lot. When they offered it to me, it was a different story and seemed more justified to be called Snow White and the Huntsman. The movie they ended up making should have been called Snow White and the Wicked Witch. The original script was a lot funnier and there was a longer apprenticeship. It was almost like The African Queen a little bit.?
On the murder of Walter Scott: ?South Carolina. Yes, I?ve been following it. That was great what happened there, that he was caught on video, but let?s see what they do. Look at what happened in Ferguson or Staten Island, where the guy was choked to death. That was all caught on a phone, but the guy wasn?t even taken to trial! Because all these things have been happening, it?s going to be hard for that police department in Charleston to let the guy get away with it.
Privacy, technology: ?What Edward Snowden has warned about is the equivalent of what George Orwell was warning about, and I think that documentary Citizenfour is equivalent to 1984 in its importance. And I think Snowden is like Winston Smith?the character who fights Big Brother. There are serious issues with it, not just the trivial, ?Get out of my face with that camera, it?s so irritating,? but it can also be good. I think young people are also learning things very fast, and if they want to, it?s good for getting out the vote and making people conscious of what?s going on, but they?re great tools to inform.?
[From The Daily Beast]
Viggo also goes on a lengthy discussion about social media, saying that it bugs him that people aren?t ?present? in the world, that they?re always checking in with social media and all of that. He says he doesn?t believe Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are the end of civilization, but they need to be used differently and people need to be able to take a break from them.
I?m surprised that Viggo is so open with discussing the films he?s passed on ? I honestly didn?t know he was up for Wolverine, or Man of Steel, or Snow White and the Huntsman. He would have made an interesting Wolverine, but I?m not sure Viggo would have stuck with the character like Hugh Jackman has. What was Viggo offered in Man of Steel? I could see him getting offers for Jor-El (Russell Crowe) or General Zod (Michael Shannon). That?s just my theory, I don?t know what he was offered. But I?m glad he refused SWATH. That would have been bad.
Photos of Viggo at a February event in Barcelona, courtesy of WENN & Fame/Flynet.
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| | Viggo Mortensen: Winning awards won't 'make you any better as an actor' | | Added 10 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Here are some photos from this past weekend?s 14th Marrakech International Film Festival. Viggo Mortensen screened his new film there, plus he was honored with a lifetime achievement award (presented by Melanie Laurent). Viggo looks good here, doesn?t he? I?m happy to see that his weird easy-breezy blonde phase is over and he?s currently doing the salt-and-pepper thing. He?s 56 years old right now.
Variety did extensive coverage of Viggo?s speech ? you can read the piece here. Apparently, he spoke in French through most of his acceptance speech, but offered some words to Arabic as well to the mostly-Arab crowd. Some highlights from his speech, plus some quotes from a press conference:
We must try to see how we?re similar: ?Different zones of the world seem to be really different, but when individuals from different backgrounds are forced to work together they often find that they?re not so different from each other. By showing this we can help people see eye-to-eye. This is particularly important in places torn by conflict, such as Israel, Syria, Libya or Egypt. It may seem to be impossible to bring people together, because of differences of religion, economics, race, class, politics or money. But if you don?t try, nothing will change. You have to try. Knowledge isn?t just about power. It?s also about freedom.?
Awards don?t make you better: ?I don?t think that awards make you any better as an actor. They don?t enable you to do the job any better. I think ?Eastern Promises? was a special case, because it struck a chord. But you never know what the audience or critical reaction will be to your films. It doesn?t change my way of acting.?
His favorite film: Mortensen revealed that he considers Cronenberg?s ?A History of Violence? one of his best films to date. ?It?s a near perfect film noir/thriller.?
[From Variety]
Eastern Promises is such an uneven film, but he?s right about it striking a chord ? and he?s really, really good in it. The story is just weak and uneven in some parts. And yes, A History of Violence is probably one of his best films. I think his Dr. Freud in A Dangerous Method was really, really great too.
So, would you hit it? At this point, I would not. No disrespect! I would just rather have dinner with him and listen to him talk about all of his interests.
Photos courtesy of Bouknadelabdou / PixPlanete/WENN.com.
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| | Viggo Mortensen: Fox News is 'so appallingly shallow and manipulative' | | Added 10 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Here are some photos of Viggo Mortensen out and about in NYC this week. He?s been making the rounds to promote The Two Faces of January, that film he did with Kirsten Dunst and Oscar Isaac. It looks like a decent-ish movie, but for me it will be a rental. I?m also pleased to see that Viggo isn?t so Nice ?N Easy caramel blonde these days ? remember these photos?
As I said, he?s been doing the promotional rounds, which included a boring interview on The Colbert Report, a stop by Sirius Radio and a really good interview with HuffPo. You can see the video here. Viggo was asked about the media, his politics and whether he ever listens to Rush Limbaugh.
Viggo Mortensen is all for reading things you don’t agree with to get a broader sense of the world, but he just can’t tolerate Fox News.
The actor dropped by HuffPost Live on Tuesday to discuss his new film “The Two Faces Of January,” and he got to talking with host Ricky Camilleri about media. Specifically, he doesn’t get why people use today’s “constantly evolving means of communicating” to “reinforce their own point of view.” Mortensen said he enjoys indulging in an alternative take, but some of it is particularly troublesome:
“I take an interest. I do listen to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and Mike Savage, and I do watch Fox News once in a while. I can only take small doses of it because they’re so appallingly shallow and manipulative. … It’s like watching a really bad movie. It’s like watching an Ed Wood movie and going, ‘Wow.’ Well, now that’s an insult to Ed Wood, actually. But, you know, like a horror movie — just poorly made.”
That’s not to say that left-wing media outlets aren’t guilty of the same thing, but Mortensen feels conservative commentators tend to use an especially egregious method of presenting information.
“You can say that about so-called left-wing radio — it’s generally talking points as well. But I think there’s more of an effort to deal with facts, even if maybe there are sins of omissions and so forth on the left as well. It’s generally not as brazen of a form of lying as you get from Fox,” Mortensen said.
[From HuffPo]
I?m a political leftie and I tend to get most of my news from PBS, NPR, MSNBC and sometimes CNN. I have to admit, I have a love/hate relationship with MSNBC at this point. I love Rachel Maddow and Melissa Harris Perry and I?m developing a nerd-crush on Steve Kornacki, but even then? sometimes I?m like, ?OK, I get it, you?re super liberal. Move on, you guys.? Then again, I watch Morning Joe in the mornings and conservative hack Joe Scarborough makes my blood boil. Watching him, I am filled with morning rage. It?s not the best way to wake up.
Anyway, I agree with Viggo ? the left-wing media outlets have their faults, but I?d still rather get my news from the lefties than from? Limbaugh, Hannity, etc. Of course, this morning I watched BBC America because that was literally the only news show covering the Scottish independence vote.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
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| | Viggo Mortensen shows off a caramel-blonde coif in Venice: would you hit it? | | Added 10 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Here are some photos of Viggo Mortensen and Reda Kateb at the Venice Film Festival photocall for Loin des Hommes, or Far From Men. Viggo seems to be doing these somewhat odd little indie films exclusively the past few years ? I barely remember the last time he did a big studio picture (for the money). Viggo looks pretty good here, although I swear he lightened his hair. Did he use Sun-In or something? Just For Men: Caramel Blonde? He?s got light brown hair naturally and considering he?s 55 years old (!!!), he?s probably got a lot of grey. Hey, maybe the caramel blonde Aniston-hair is for another movie.
As for this film? it looks sort of interesting. It?s based on a story by Albert Camus about a teacher (played by Viggo) tasked with helping an Algerian villager get to safety because the villager (played by Reda Kateb) killed his own cousin. It?s set in 1954, with the backdrop of the French-Algerian War. Viggo speaks French throughout the entire film too, which makes him one of the most multilingual actors working today. Variety points out that Viggo has done films in English, Danish, Spanish, Lakota and Elvish already. Here?s a trailer for Frenchie Viggo in Far From Men:
It looks decent and poignant but it also looks? I don?t know, like it?s probably not for me. I doubt I?m the target audience. Sigh? I guess I?ll just look at photos of Viggo?s Aniston Hair.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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| | Viggo Mortensen shows off his longer hair & a goatee in Paris: would you hit it? | | Added 10 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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You know I run new Viggo Mortensen photos whenever we get them in. And this is only the second sighting of Viggo so far this year!! Viggo was in Paris yesterday for a screening of his new film, Two Faces of January. That?s the film costarring Kirsten Dunst, who just this week said she thinks 1950s gender roles are the only way to make a relationship work. I can?t even imagine what Kiki and Viggo would have to say to each other, but sure.
We last saw Viggo when he was in Berlin promoting this same film. Back then (February), Viggo was clean-shaven and he looked a bit tired. In these photos, he?s grown a goatee which has some salt-and-pepper, and his hair is longer too. I?m not sure how I feel about this look. I generally like a little bit of scruff on a man, so I?m okay with the goatee. But he needs to do something different with his hair. It looks limp and thinning.
But what am I saying? Most of you would still bang it sideways. He?s 55 years old, by the way. So, would I hit it? He would have to be on his back, so I would have to look at his stupid hair falling across his forehead. But otherwise, sure. I?d tap that.
PS… You know who tapped that more than a decade ago? Gwyneth Paltrow! They rather famously (allegedly!) had an affair while working together on A Perfect Murder. I will give someone $50 to ask Viggo about Gwyneth’s divorce.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
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| | Viggo Mortensen, 55, wears jeans at the Berlin Film Festival: would you hit it? | | Added 10 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Yay, we so rarely have new photos of Viggo Mortensen. It?s always an event when he shows up somewhere! These are photos of Viggo at the photocall for The Two Faces of January, his new film starring Kirsten Dunst and Oscar Isaac. Neither Kirsten nor Oscar were in Berlin for this though, which is weird because this doesn?t look like a film either should be ashamed of. Oscar Isaac is everywhere these days, just on the verge of becoming a big star, and Kirsten is slowly coming back to Hollywood relevance. That being said, I just watched the trailer and I?ve already figured out the weak link:
Viggo clean-shaven and in period clothes? YES. Oscar Isaac turning in another solid performance? Sure. Kiki as Viggo?s wife-on-the-run? Eh. I guess I don?t really buy Kiki as Viggo?s wife in any possible film though.
As for these photos of Viggo? mm? he?s looking good. As he?s aging, he?s reminding me a bit of Sam Shepard. Right? They both seem like cowboys, more comfortable on a ranch than at a film festival photocall.
PS? Do you realize that Viggo is 5 years older than Johnny Depp? And Viggo manages to still look rather bohemian without all the scarves and rings.
Oh, and here are some pics from the Berlinale premiere. The girl on his arm is Daisy Bevan, his costar. She’s also Joely Richardson’s daughter!
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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| | Viggo Mortensen spends time in Madrid with his girlfriend: would you still hit it? | | Added 11 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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We haven?t had any new photos of Viggo Mortensen since last September, when he was promoting a film at the Toronto International Film Festival. It?s been too long without some Viggo!! So here are some photos of Viggo and his longtime lover Ariadna Gil in Madrid last Thursday. The photos came in later in the day on Friday, that?s why I?m only getting to them now, but the important thing is that I eventually got to them, right? Because everybody loves some Viggo.
Since we last saw Viggo, he?s gained some unfortunate facial hair. I?m not saying this creeping mustache/Fu Manchu is a dealbreaker, but he does look better with either an all-or-nothing facial hair deal. Either give me a full-on beard or go clean shaven ? nothing in between!
Viggo is currently promoting his new film, Everybody Has a Plan, in which he plays twins (he?s playing both characters, obviously) and people are comparing it to David Cronenberg?s Dead Ringers (which I?ve never seen). Viggo has done some interviews recently? let?s see. This one at Vulture has been getting wide play, probably because he gives some quotes about the new pope (they both love the same soccer team), playing Sigmund Freud (he wasn?t sure he could pull it off) and how he saw The Hobbit on opening day. Viggo also did this interesting interview where he discusses how weird it is that Spanish-language films aren?t shown more love by the studios. I hope this movie gets a premiere. I hope he shaves for the premiere. I hope we get more photos of Viggo!
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
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