Viggo Mortensen: Cannes Didn’t Fully Give David Cronenberg “His Right”

It’s been 17 years since he arrived at Cannes in collaboration with his acclaimed first David Cronenberg. history of violenceIn which he played a city canteen owner whose mafia past comes back to him, Viggo Mortensen returns to the palace with a room.

Since 2007 oriental promises (Like a heavily tattooed Russian gangster) and 2011 dangerous method (Much like Sigmund Freud), the latest record of a thriving creative partnership appears to be something else entirely, returning Cronenberg to his early horror roots. It has its world premiere as part of an official competition, crimes of the future Located in a not too distant future, where the human species began to adapt to its synthetic environment, to the rhythm of transformation and development of the body’s organs. Mortensen stars as Saul, a famous avant-garde performance artist who, along with his partner Capri (Lea Seidu), publicly displays – and removes – his own advanced biological mutations.

According to the actor, while crimes of the future It can be really shocking, it’s also a movie that should leave the viewer with questions and conversational thoughts (even if it’s from someone “what the hell was that?”).

Talking hollywood reporterMortensen explains why working with Kronenberg is like being on set with someone who has just graduated from film school, and describes how bold and controversial the director is. Accident “Head and Shoulders” Leads Last Year’s Provocative Palm Winner Titanium and confess your love Lord of the Rings Almost two decades after its completion.

However, he doesn’t seem to have paid much attention to recent big-budget moves in Near Earth, despite his ancestors’ involvement.

crimes of the future This is his fourth collaboration with David Cronenberg. Do you still read the scripts completely if he only says “yes” when he calls?

Oh yeah. Although David is the director I’ve worked with the most, we have a common transcript and sense of humor, that always applies to the script for me. I need to understand what the story is and what I can contribute in any case.

Even by its own standards, this movie sounds pretty wild. How would you rate based on Cronenberg’s madness?

I think in some ways this is a return to the stories he told and the images that existed early in his career before working with him. But now the difference is that he has much more experience and the technology has improved. I think he’s more confident as a filmmaker in terms of the types and number of takes and how to write them in terms of the story. He is a person who continues to challenge himself and improve more and more. When you’re on set with him, and it’s the same in all four of my movies, including crimes of the futureIt feels like you’re dealing with an incredibly talented director in terms of enthusiasm. He is very cautious with technology and equipment.

Can you provide us with any specific information about prostheses or kits?

There are several prostheses. Everything you see in the movie, you couldn’t do that to a person in real life! But it’s convincing. But it’s not just about the physical nature of the story. As always in David’s films, it’s suggestive, a little ahead of its time, to deal with censorship and what you do with your own body. It’s about the damage we do to our environment and how it affects us physically and mentally and how the body evolves to survive.

His character is a performance artist who shows the metamorphosis of human organs. I think he’s a little bigger than Kevin Costner, who has mesh legs and cheeks. ᲬThe world of the throat?

Yes. This is more of an internal issue than an external one. In the story, Lea Seidu is my partner and my creative partner, and she’s a very wild and uncompromising artist and probably pushes the boundaries of my character.

Palm owner last year Titanium You could say it was the biggest WTF moment for the skin. Do you think people will leave the palace with similar responses? crimes of the future?

Ე can be. But that was many years ago Accident Which caused a big scandal. And in my opinion, no insults to the director. TitaniumBut Accident The head and shoulders of this film stood out as it wasn’t just the surface shock value and unconventional imagery. Below was a story in which the discovery of real characters Accidentmuch more than inside Titanium, I think. Who knows what will happen, each jury is different. but definitely inside crimes of the futureI like Accident, You will meet the characters, they are fully aware and motivated. There’s a secret to them, but they’re really characters. It doesn’t feel like a long video clip. I imagine crimes of the future It might cause controversy, but I think it’ll get you thinking, arguing, and going home. You might wake up the next day and still think, “What the hell was that all about?” But at the same time, you probably think of the world as it is now. It’s impossible to say. The skin can be unpredictable. [Cronenberg’s] It has been many times. But I don’t think he got credit for it. but if people like Titanium And I liked the challenges he presented, I can’t understand why they wouldn’t be equally, if more interested in this movie.

A few years ago you made your directorial debut autumn, which seems to have been very well received. Are you planning to go back behind the camera?

I was literally invited to Cannes in 2020 to participate in the competition, but obviously that didn’t happen that year. But I’m proud of this movie and it seems like a lot of people liked it. But yeah, now I’m starting to work on a movie and exploring locations in Mexico and a little bit of Canada and I hope to shoot another movie later this year.

Can you say something about them?

I don’t want to curse them. But these are two scripts that I wrote in 2020 at closing time and found both producers. Both are very different. A Danish story. But the first thing they paid me was Western.

Almost 20 years have passed since then The return of the king. they are Lord of the Rings Are movies very close to your heart?

absolutely. I met people who had seen it many times and young children who had seen it for the first time. I sat down with the kids for the first time and watched this movie and it’s so much fun. And I made a lot of friends through that experience and I keep in touch with some of them.

How do you feel new? Lord of the Rings Breakthrough is coming. Are you planning to see him?

What is that? tv box? Is it with Apple or something?

This is Amazon. It is considered the most expensive television series.

Correct. Yes, I’m seeing this. But do you know what source material they use? What were they allowed to use?

I’m not sure, but it was installed thousands of years ago. Lord of the Rings. And it’s all done with Tolkien’s heritage. His ancestors are in it. I think Isildur is one of the main characters.

Cool! Yes, it would be nice to see you.