The strange moment Viggo Mortensen was asked to be in ‘The Hobbit’
As far as the undoubted brilliance of Viggo Mortensen goes, it’s hard to look beyond his truly iconic performance as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, based on the original fantasy books by J.R.R. Tolkien and adapted into genuine cinematic masterpieces by Peter Jackson in the early 2000s.
Mortensen delivered his Aragorn with the perfect blend of strength and vulnerability, fulfilling the archetypal reluctant hero. He’s capable of giving a performance of physicality but equally adept in giving Aragorn a well-worn appearance and a gaze that pierces the camera, showing his internal battles.
Where The Lord of the Rings remains some of the greatest fantasy cinema of all time (indeed, perhaps the best ever), less can be said about the subsequent The Hobbit trilogy, which began in 2012 with An Unexpected Journey and was completed by 2013’s The Desolation of Smaug and 2014’s The Battle of the Five Armies.
In an interview with The Guardian, Mortensen was questioned whether he was asked to take part in The Hobbit. He replied, “Before they started shooting, back in 2008, one of the producers did ask if I would be interested. I said, ‘You do know, don’t you, that Aragorn isn’t in The Hobbit? That there is a 60-year gap between the books?'”
Evidently, this producer in question did not have quite the understanding of the works of Tolkien that were required. The Hobbit takes place far before the events of The Lord of the Rings, and we see Bilbo Baggins acquire the One Ring that he gives to Frodo many years later.
Aragorn is believed to have been around nine years old during The Hobbit, so unless there was a seriously strange de-ageing process in the film version, in which Mortenson appeared as a child, then his inclusion was never likely.
At the time of the interview, Mortenson admitted that he hadn’t seen The Hobbit but expressed his desire to do so. “I’m interested in seeing that world again and seeing what Peter Jackson’s done,” the actor said, “how he’s made use of the improvements in special effects and cameras and the different way of shooting, which will probably enhance the visual aspect of the experience.”
He added, “The sound also. And I’m interested in seeing how he’s managed to make three movies out of a relatively slim volume… Jackson is a clever person – I’m sure he’ll have done something really interesting with it.”