Saturday, June 03, 2023
Radio
Sundays 8pm to 11pm on Radio 2
New Episodes at CBC Music
Need more Strombo Show? Head over to our page on CBC Music for new episodes, playlists and video extras.
If there were ever any doubts Viggo Mortensen was leading man material, 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy put 'em to bed. As Lord Aragorn, Viggo won over the sci-fi fans and ladies alike. And to think, he almost didn't take the part. His son had to convince him to do it.
Something else you might not know about Viggo - he's an accomplished artist and poet, too. But back to Viggo, the actor. He grew up in Denmark and Argentina, and eventually landed in New York - where he tended bar. But in 1985 - a breakthrough. Viggo made it to the big screen in 'Witness.'
From there, he started a family, and took a few roles just to pay the bills. Case in point - 'Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III'. It got better, though. Critics called Viggo the best thing in 'The Indian Runner.' He was in 'Crimson Tide', and yeah, that's him as a sadistic jerk in 'GI Jane'. He was a hunky hippie in 'A Walk on the Moon.' And a guy with a dark past in David Cronenberg's 'A History of Violence.'
He showed off his dark side again in Cronenberg's 'Eastern Promises', plus a little more - remember that sauna scene? Viggo's latest film is 'The Road,' based on the amazing - and amazingly depressing - novel by Cormac McCarthy.
@TheStromboShow