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.
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“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.
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“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.
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“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.