The Lord of the Rings actor shared in a recent interview with Vanity Fair what exactly it is he looks for when deciding to take on a new role.
The three-time Oscar nominee known famously for his role as Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy revealed what makes a role intriguing to him.
The iconic fantasy-adventure trilogy spanned from 2001 to 2003, accumulating a multitude of awards spanning across each film.
“It doesn’t matter to me what the genre is or what the budget is or who’s making them,” he said.
“I would never do a movie just because so-and-so is directing it.”
He added: “It has to be about the story.”
“And if I think I’m right for the character, that always comes first.”
Mortensen shared that his same views apply to franchises also, no matter what installment it may be.
“If somebody came to me with X movie, the third part or the ninth part, and I thought it was a great character and I wanted to play that character and I thought I had something to contribute, I’d do it. I’m not against it.”
The 65-year old did however continue to mention the fact that he would take any role if he became “broke.”
“But they’re [franchises] not usually that good. I mean, to me, they’re not usually that well-written. They’re kind of predictable. I mean, of course there’s always the issue of if I run out of money.”
Following the news that Jackson will be reviving his infamous franchise with the upcoming 2026 film Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, Mortensen commented how he was unsure if he would be reprising the role.
“I haven’t read a script,” he said.
“So I don’t know.”
He added: “The script is the most important thing to me unless I’m broke, I have no money and I’m lucky to get any job.”
“So it depends,” he concluded.
