June 28, 2001
Interview with Sean Bean
and Viggo Mortensen
Staff Reporter
Interview with Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) and Sean Bean
(Boromir)
Interviewer: What has the relationship between the actors been like?
Viggo Mortensen: I will always feel something very special for my friends in the
cast. I will not be able to forget their small eccentricities, already you know... stories
of what has been happening. The relationships have been much closer than that I have had
with other casts in previous projects. I like to work with actors and get acquainted, but
perhaps the fact that we have spent so much time together has caused a much deeper
friendship. Also for our own story that we lived, I don't know, I believe that we do not
have to forget that, for some reason, we all understood each other. Peter Jackson had much
to do with this; he created between us a very particular form of relationship. I'm sure
that Peter not only chose each of us because we fitted with the character, but that he
also looked for people who were compatible, who could form a true "community" of
actors. Everyone's personal experiences, their good and bad events, were shared. There
were good days and bad days, and always there was somebody ready to lend a hand when the
day was bad.
Interviewer: Was the shoot difficult?
Viggo Mortensen: Yes, it was difficult, I missed my family. Not that I don't like
to get to know new places, I enjoy discovering wild places, in the United States, Canada,
Europe or New Zealand. New Zealand is really incredible, it has been a great chance to
travel to the depths of the country, to reach the most remote and inaccessible sites. But
this has meant travel in a helicopter for more than half an hour and required work in the
hardest of conditions.
Interviewer: A great experience, I imagine...
Viggo Mortensen: It was an enriching experience for an actor, because of learning
how to feel at home anywhere. And that was indeed where we were working, the essence of
history. To learn to live with what you have, to be tolerant, really to commit oneself and
much more, fighting against evil. Evil is always watching the weak one and the Community
knows it. Others are protected and they don't allow anyone to succumb to the dark of
Sauron.
Interviewer: Sean, what can you tell us about your character?
Sean Bean: Well, I'm the only one of the Community that, somehow, is corrupted by
the ring. In fact it also happens to Frodo and whoever enters the surroundings of the
ring. And, I don't know, I can understand why it doesn't have to be used to fight against
the forces of evil, why we must corner it and look after it outside our surroundings. But
as time passes, I realize that all this is not as simple as was thought. My character has
more layers, he's more prudent than it seems in the beginning. There are other forces
which are involved, it's not only a question of brute force and ability.