Viggo Mortensen Hasn’t Acted in a Hollywood Franchise After ‘Lord of the Rings’ Because ‘They’re Not Usually Well-Written’ and ‘Kind of Predictable’

©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection

Viggo Mortensen was recently asked in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine why he never made another Hollywood franchise film after starring as Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s iconic “Lord of the Rings” trilogy between 2001 and 2003. The Oscar nominee said he’s got nothing against franchise fare, although he admitted that such films in Hollywood just often aren’t well-written enough to capture his attention.

“I don’t really look for or avoid any kind of genre or any size budget. I just look for interesting stories,” Mortensen said. “It doesn’t matter to me what the genre is or what the budget is or who’s making them. I would never do a movie just because so-and-so is directing it. It has to be about the story. And if I think I’m right for the character, that always comes first.”

“That goes for franchises,” he added. “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. But they’re 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.”

Mortensen’s three “Lord of the Rings” franchise films will always loom large over his career. Peter Jackson is currently gearing up to return to Middle-Earth as the producer of a new “Rings” movie that is going to be directed by Gollum actor Andy Serkis. The movie, “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” is being eyed for a 2026 theatrical release. Mortensen told GQ UK magazine earlier this year that he’s not opposed to reprising Aragorn in the film, but the story would have to make sense.

“I don’t know exactly what the story is, I haven’t heard,” he said. “Maybe I’ll hear about it eventually. I like playing that character. I learned a lot playing the character. I enjoyed it a lot. I would only do it if I was right for it in terms of, you know, the age I am now and so forth. I would only do it if I was right for the character. It would be silly to do it otherwise.”

Head over to Vanity Fair’s website to read Mortensen’s latest profile in its entirety.