376 Quotes by viggo mortensen

If in my twenties I’d gotten one of the two-dozen roles that I did screen tests for and almost got, I think I would have become bored with the awards circuit, the whole hype machine.

Each time I make a movie, it’s like a paid scholarship to a different university course.

I think maybe because I do other things and they mean as much to me as movie acting, it takes the onus off me. It’s not the end of the world if I can’t get a film job, or if a movie doesn’t turn out well – even though I don’t like it when that happens.

Kids are shy and they often don’t want to make eye contact or say “thank you.”

I try to research or make up for myself what happened in any character’s life. From when he was born until the first page of the script. I fill in the blanks.

If you daren’t enter the forest, or cannot find it, then perhaps you might find one tree, or a place where a tree could be, and just stop for a quiet moment to see what happens.

I take my work seriously, but it’s not the only thing that exists in the world.

It’s true that I have a wide range of interests. I like to write and paint and make music and go walking on my own and garden. In fact, gardening is probably what I enjoy doing more than anything else.

Adult characters are all the things they’ve encountered over time. But kids haven’t accumulated all the life experience, all the regrets. They tend to be more in the moment, more willing to play, to be joyful.