Actor, poet, painter, publisher - Viggo Mortensen has never been one to be typecast. Now, he has turned his back on Hollywood blockbusters for a haunting screen version of Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel, The Road. He talks to Ali Jaafar about life and identity.
Viggo Mortensen picks at a sandwich with one hand while flicking his shoulder-length hair with the other as a cigarette burns close by. He is in London to promote his latest film, director John Hillcoat's haunting adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic masterpiece The Road in which he plays "the man". His T-shirt, emblazoned with the words "Make Art, Not War", is a fitting summation of Mortensen, even if the 51-year-old defies easy classification. An actor, poet, painter, photographer, musician - in recent years he's even dabbled as a publisher - Mortensen has carved a unique position for himself.
Blessed with sinewy, chiselled good looks, and having starred in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, some of the highest-grossing films in the history of cinema, Mortensen could easily have built a career playing classic Hollywood leading men. Instead, he has frequently chosen more challenging roles, often playing characters on some kind of existential journey in search of redemption.
"Generally, those characters are in good stories," he says. "Those stories where there is some kind of journey, there is also a learning experience. It's the same with making movies. Every movie, whether it turns out well or not, is a journey where you make friends and learn something about yourself." The same is true of his character in The Road. McCarthy's novel, written in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in the United States, follows a father and son - known only as "the man" and "the boy" - as they walk alone through a desolate, scorched America inhabited by gangs of cannibals. As they travel through the wasteland - filmed partly in Pennsylvania and New Orleans - towards the coast in search of an idealised promised land to escape from the horrors around them, we see the two characters gradually taking on each other's responsibilities; the son becomes father to the man and vice versa. Mortensen masterfully captures his character's disintegration from gun-toting survivalist to grief-stricken wounded soul struggling to find hope in the barren landscape. In many ways, the role is tailor-made for Mortensen's ability to veer between the muscular physical action he displayed in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy and his more insular, character studies in the likes of Sean Penn's The Indian Runner and David Cronenberg's The History of Violence.
"For some actors it might be a stretch that they're so tender and sensitive to a child and yet be able to physically do what he has to do in the film," says Hillcoat. "Viggo's very intense and wound up, and that is what the father is all about. He's so haunted by the suicide of his wife and yet he has this incredible protective relationship with his son. It's a love story and in such a challenging and extreme survival world, he has to do things that have to be credible."
Mortensen's background is as exotic as any of the characters he has portrayed on the screen. Born in New York's Lower East Side to a Danish father and an American mother, he was raised on cattle and chicken ranches in Venezuela and Argentina. After his parents divorced, Mortensen moved with his mother and two brothers to live in upstate New York.
By the time he was 11, he could already speak four languages. As a young man he worked in flower markets and as a trucker in Denmark, before returning to New York where he worked as a waiter and barman. It was there that he enrolled in the Warren Robertson Theatre Workshop to try his luck as an actor.
A series of supporting roles in the mid-1990s, notably opposite Al Pacino in Carlito's Way and Denzel Washington in Crimson Tide as well as a scene-stealing performance in Sean Penn's directorial debut The Indian Runner raised his profile in Hollywood before he landed the plum role of Aragorn in Peter Jackson's epic adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings.
Regardless of the size of the productions he works on, though, he makes a point of dedicating himself entirely to the role at hand. In 1995's The Passion Of Darkly Noon, for example, where his character was a mute, the actor refused to speak for the entire four-week shoot.
"Whether it's a tiny movie you shoot in a week, or a 10-minute short or a big epic adventure, it doesn't make any difference to me," he says. "Whether a film like The Lord Of The Rings or The Road, it still remains all about what's going on with the relationships of the characters. The scale of a project doesn't make a huge difference. When everything's going well with shooting you don't notice anything. When it's going badly, though, that's when you suddenly notice everything, you start feeling under pressure and it gets distracting. That's when you want to erase everything and start again."
That notion of starting again is a recurring motif throughout Mortensen's work, most recently in The Road but also in films such as David Cronenberg's The History of Violence where he plays a cold-blooded gangster reinventing himself in small-town America. That transient theme of identity is something Mortensen has transposed to his life. As well as being an actor, he has also developed fruitful sidelines as a poet, photographer and musician. In 2002, using some of the money he earned from his roles in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, he launched his own publishing house, Perceval Press, specialising in Latin American writers.
Mortensen's own writing also plays with the fragility of love and life. In 1993 he published his first collection of poetry Ten Last Night. That was followed with Recent Forgeries in 1998, which included examples of his photography and music. Other multimedia publications include Errant Vine, a limited-edition booklet of an exhibit of his work held at the Roger Mann Gallery, Hole In The Sun, a collection of colour and black and white photographs he had taken of someone's swimming pool, and Coincidence Of Memory, published in 2002, which collected a variety of his musings over two decades dating back to 1978.
One poem from Recent Forgeries collection sees the peripatetic traveller in a particularly wistful mood.
She told me she was in love, and that she just wanted to enjoy it for as long as it lasted.
That she didn't want to judge the feeling, compare it to other times with other partners.
There was nothing gained from analysing, she said - all it did was rob you of time better spent in those new arms.
There wasn't anything for me to say.
"He's a lovely guy and is more of an artist than simply an actor. He could almost be a yogi," says Omar Sharif, who co-starred with Mortensen in Hidalgo in 2003. "He was doing all these interviews for The Two Towers while we were shooting together wearing a T-shirt which read 'No Blood for Oil.' It was around the time that the war in Iraq was about to start and the producers were worried it might cause resentment in America. He's just a very simple guy with simple tastes. I would try to get him to have a decent meal and he would just sit there nibbling on a piece of lettuce, which upset me no end."
While Mortensen has never shied away from voicing his political opinions, his anti-establishment streak has never got in the way of his primary interest, namely artistic exploration. He reportedly refused to wear an academic gown at his commencement from St Lawrence University in New York, where he had studied Spanish, because they had been produced in a sweatshop.
In person, Mortensen is a similarly curious mix of reticence and openness. His personal life, though obviously a substantial influence on his career and choice of rules, remains largely off limits. He has been married before, to Exene Cervanka, a singer with the punk group X. Although now divorced, Mortensen remains close to her. The couple have a 22-year-old son, Henry Blake Mortensen, who has worked with his father on his various cultural endeavours, including performing poetry recitals with him. But along with this serious side, Mortensen is prone to amusing digressions and flashes of humour. When asked about his next project, he quips, "We're doing The Road Part 2: The Resurrection."
He is also consciously attentive to those around him. Throughout our interview, he makes a concerted effort to check on the welfare of Kodi Smit-McPhee, his young co-star in The Road. The film stands or falls on the chemistry between their two characters, and Mortensen developed a close relationship with 13-year-old Smit-McPhee. In one particularly affecting scene, the pair bathe in an icy lake.
In reality, the jarring coldness of the water left Smit-McPhee in tears of pain. Rather than ending the scene, however, Mortensen cradled the young boy in his arms as the two wept together.
"It's our job to look that tired and hungry but looking that cold wasn't too difficult," says Mortensen. "It was one of those moments that actually could have gone different ways, but when I pulled Kodi's head out of the water on the second take he was almost in shock. I didn't realise how much it had upset him until I looked right into his eyes, right in the middle of the take. He called me Papa and he's crying for real but he played the scene. That day, it was almost like something broke and expanded inside him as an actor. It really cemented our relationship."
And with that, Mortensen is off to another set of interviews. He has repeatedly threatened to give up making films so he can concentrate on his stage work and publishing. He had been set to perform in the Ariel Dorfman play Purgotario in Madrid, but pulled out two weeks ago because of his mother's ill health. He is also due to release a new book of poems. In the meantime, he has to do the awards season publicity circuit for The Road.
Despite an Academy Award nomination for Cronenberg's Eastern Promises, in which he famously bared all during a vicious, nude fight scene, the actor's mantelpiece is still relatively bare of awards. There has been awards buzz over his performance in The Road, though Mortensen is a deft hand at playing down the hype.
"I used to be much more nervous about all this stuff but I've had some practice at it now," he says. "The key is just to be honest and be yourself."
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
More coverage from the Future Forum
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Biog
Age: 50
Known as the UAE’s strongest man
Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”
Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry
Favourite car: Any classic car
Favourite superhero: The Hulk original
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
SERIES INFO
Schedule:
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
1st ODI, Wed Apr 10
2nd ODI, Fri Apr 12
3rd ODI, Sun Apr 14
4th ODI, Sun Apr 16
UAE squad
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Zimbabwe squad
Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
Astroworld
Travis Scott
Grand Hustle/Epic/Cactus Jack