Actor Viggo Mortensen declared his support for Ukraine and criticized “Russian aggression” during red carpet interviews for his new Western film.
The Lord of the Rings star arrived at the Glasgow Film Festival wearing the symbol of the Ukrainian trident, the country’s coat of arms, on his T-shirt.
The 65-year-old said: “We support them against Russian aggression, against the people who tolerate it.” In Russia, but especially outside of Russia.
In the United States, Republicans have tried to block military aid to Ukraine in a recent partisan clash with Democrats in Congress over immigration.
However, Mortensen did not want to delve into what Western leaders should do to support the Eastern European country.
The American has a history of being politically outspoken, having regularly criticized former President Donald Trump while he was in office.
Viggo Mortensen arrived at the Glasgow Film Festival wearing the symbol of the Ukrainian trident, the country’s coat of arms, on his t-shirt
In the United States, Republicans have tried to block military aid to Ukraine in a partisan showdown with Democrats in Congress over immigration (pictured: a partially destroyed factory outside Toretsk, Ukraine).
The Lord of the Rings star declined to delve into what Western leaders should do to support Ukraine.
Ahead of the 2020 election, Mortensen said Variety: ‘If he (Trump) wins somehow, I don’t know if America will ever get back on track.
“It will do much more damage quantitatively than it has done in the last four years, not only to the United States and the environment, but to the rest of the world.”
He also expressed his strong support for US Senator Bernie Sanders being the Democratic nominee during the 2016 election.
However, once Hillary Clinton was elected, Mortensen said he would support Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party because he believed Clinton was “simply dishonest.”
Mortensen was in the Scottish capital to promote his new film The Dead Don’t Hurt, for which he is director, producer, film star and composer.
He said that much of the film was composed and recorded before filming began, and said: “It helps me find the rhythm and know how long the scene should last in some cases, and what the mood is that we hope to convey.” .
The film has been “years in the making,” Mortensen said, stating that he had grown up around westerns and horseback riding movies.
“Most Westerns are predictable and naïve, but once in a while there’s a really good story,” he said.
Those who look closely will notice an accessory that appeared in the trilogy that brought the American actor to international fame.
Mortensen was in the Scottish capital to promote his new film The Dead Don’t Hurt with his co-star Solly McLeod
At one point, a dream sequence shows a medieval knight holding a sword: it’s Anduril, the reforged weapon wielded by Mortensen’s character Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings.
Mortensen said he asked permission for the sword to reappear on the big screen, saying, “I can’t think of a better sword than that.”
“So I asked Peter Jackson and the film company that made The Lord of the Rings if they could give me permission.
‘He said, ‘What are you doing with him? How important (is it?)’
“I said you’ll be lucky if you notice it, which is true.”
He said his mother’s family had links to Scotland and he was happy to be in Glasgow.
At the film festival, Mortensen received the festival’s inaugural Cinema City Honorary Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to cinema.