Peter Jackson, Viggo Mortensen, and Elijah Woods interview on "Lord of the Rings" (2002)

Filmmaker Peter Jackson joins actors Elijah Wood and Viggo Mortensen to discuss "The Two Towers," the latest installment of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
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Check out these Peter Jackson books on Amazon! "Peter Jackson and the Making of Middle-Earth": amzn.to/314rEA5 "Peter Jackson: A Filmmaker’s Journey": amzn.to/2ZJQnxg "Tolkien on Film: Essays on Peter Jackson's the Lord of the Rings": amzn.to/316SkAf Join us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/ManufacturingIntellect Donate Crypto! commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/868d67d2-1628-44a8-b8dc-8f9616d62259 Share this video! Get Two Books FREE with a Free Audible Trial: amzn.to/2LBdkZl Checking out the affiliate links above helps me bring even more high quality videos by earning me a small commission! And if you have any suggestions for future content, make sure to subscribe on the Patreon page. Thank you for your support!

[@AjaxNixon]

Gotta say...the dust has settled and Viggo was right.

[@THEDOORIZCLOSED]

YUP!!!!!

[@AWSVids]

I mean, you don’t need the dust to have settled to have known he was right at the time as well. Just need decency and a half-way functional brain.

[@verfed]

He was right for different reasons. It's good the Kurds have more autonomy, but not that Saddam was taken completely out, since he kept the radical Sunnis at bay and was a bulwark against Iran.

[@ruly8153]

25:53 And look at Viggos sly comment about Harvey Weinstein.... He’s such a rebellious bastard I love him so much

[@aristocraticrebel]

On Iraq? Yes. On every other leftist gripe? No.

[@payalgupta7776]

Viggo is fearless. His voice is soft and his words are powerful. His eyes reflect the clarity he possesses within. It comes through. In every character he plays and every interview he gives.

[@strongkaudio886]

Beautifully said Payal I agree full heatedly he is a great man!

[@blahblahblahblahbla2705]

Viggo crush.

[@dannywalsh9103]

Payal Gupta Get a room. Lol

[@GK-ym1nq]

He sounded slightly bored to me

[@kevinw712]

EDIT: aaaand I obviously very stupidly made this whole post before bothering to watch the whole video lol meanwhile think about how close we came to Viggo never having been Aragorn at all. I mean he plainly says about how he was called and literally on a plane to the other side of the world less than 48 hours later, but not WHY that happened. Though maybe back when this was still only just coming out new Pete didn't want to necessarily be that forthcoming about how they'd already been shooting an entire week with a different actor before coming to the realization they'd horribly miscast the role. I mean that was maybe known and chatted about on the most specific and hardcore of LOTR websites then, but not the larger general public (it was Stuart Townsend the original Aragorn, for the maybe 6 people who still didn't know). It really is kind of beautifully insane the idea that Viggo made a decision about the next 16 months of his every day life in the span of one day, helped immensely by the fact his young (at the time) son was a diehard LOTR fan and basically made his dad promise to say yes lol

[@reiskywalker17]

THAT escalated quickly. From Elijah Wood audition to Iraq War.

[@MimMdance]

😁

[@tylermoulton7294]

Super lame

[@pauledangerously1077]

Film actors guild

[@LMarti13]

You REALLY have to respect Viggo for getting it so RIGHT in 2002. I suspect most people don't realize how few people in 2002 were saying what he was saying, let alone going on national television and saying it.

[@antonego9581]

Yup if this was 2022 he would have been canceled so hard for this. The pro war sentiment was overwhelming at the time

[@HP-lc5vw]

That’s why no one else would’ve been a better Aragorn, the integrity of this man just shines through!

[@serenityvalley9409]

Yeah it's so awesome when celebrities get on shows to talk about the movie they were in and instead virtue signal in an attempt to bolster their career. It's so brave of him to take zero risk. Your job is to be an actot. Talk about your movie and shut up about politics.

[@abbiejo6822]

@@serenityvalley9409celebrities are humans too and have the same right to talk about their political views as everyone else has. Besides which his words were a response to the comparisons he kept hearing about his movies. What’s wrong with listening to opposing views? The interviewer didn’t seem to agree with a lot of his views but still respected him and invited further discourse when time allowed.

[@yokengz]

@SerenityValley9 bolster career? zero risk? 🤣 you my friend are living in your own world if you belive that

[@ImVeryOriginal]

Mad respect for Viggo for making the statement on air and calmly explaining his doubts about what the US was doing. Props for Charlie for letting him talk about that too.

[@justmoritz]

Although he had a hard time accepting what he was hearing, clearly.

[@MultiTwentyseven]

@@justmoritz its way more complicated than people give it credit and people have different stances. but he could have just cut it out from the segment or cut the conversation short, but he didnt and that deserves respect

[@justmoritz]

@@MultiTwentyseven Absolutely.

[@donlad]

Charlie usually tries to offer media bias counterpoints to statements just to save the actors trouble down the line with being misunderstood

[@serenityvalley9409]

Yeah it's so awesome when celebrities get on shows to talk about the movie they were in and instead virtue signal in an attempt to bolster their career. It's so brave of him to take zero risk. Your job is to be an actot. Talk about your movie and shut up about politics.

[@silverIining]

Viggo was a perfect cast for Aragorn. He genuinely cares about doing what's right, and can express his beliefs in a calm, fearless, and powerful way that you can't help but agree with. He IS Aragorn.

[@GraceCanadaful]

This is why Hollywood did not like him too too much. He found more fullfilling life in Europe.

[@cyisamoomintroll7285]

Viggo fits his character so well, he fights for what he believes and speaks great truth.

[@lucypeterson2231]

I am absolutely overjoyed to see so many people showing Viggo so much love in the comments. What an incredible man.

[@martineden7075]

Absolute golden character and personality

[@antonego9581]

Man viggo spoke well and history has proven him right

[@emeri5157]

I was expecting to hear about LOTR but I got something better. Viggo Mortensen is such a wise, kind, and fearless man! We need more people like him in this world.

[@MimMdance]

Viggo for president!

[@jonhahn6557]

I disagree. I came to hear about Lord of the rings not someone's opinion

[@WasephWastar]

@@jonhahn6557 I mean, they were talking about the 2 towers after the 2 real towers fell.

[@saskk2290]

​@@jonhahn6557 It's an interview. There is nought but opinions

[@twinkthatloveslotrtrilogy7676]

He should be president

[@annofbigbeach]

Viggo is so right - and years ahead of his time in this interview!

[@hardluck8732]

If he was so ahead of his time he would have not talked about oil and talked about the real reason why we attacked Iraq.....for Israel.

[@ZarkowsWorld]

@@hardluck8732 That wasn't the reason, moron.

[@Daneelro]

He was ahead of his time in the context of US mainstream public opinion, but any European would have told you the same back then. We were all terrified imagining the consequences of the US push for war in Iraq, and knew the WMD excuse is hogwash, because we didn't have the patriotic brainwashing from childhood and our media back then was more objective.

[@leadzeppbelly]

I think he would agree with you tbh. It’s both I think. For oil and because America has its head firmly in Israel’ ass

[@evenstar1608]

He is right. Bec the interview happened at the height of the aftermath of the tragic 911.

[@MDkid1]

Thank God for Viggo's freedom of speech. Good on him!

[@aristocraticrebel]

Where's that freedom of speech now?

[@aristocraticrebel]

@NZ StarWarsNOOB What?

[@mariapena1965]

When the GREAT actors of our time are mentioned Viggo is never included. He should be. He deserves to be. And not only for his superb acting ability, but also for his GREAT intellect and humanity.

[@markw110]

I think his most interesting stuff was done post LOTR...Eastern Promises being his best/coolest performance. I liked him in the latest Cronenberg too

[@JacksonKillroy]

@@markw110 eastern promises is so damn good

[@trequor]

He didnt play ball, obviouslt

[@Quest4truth23]

Once a young Iraqi kid here, I mean what can I say? I clicked for LOTR but got reminded of my darkest memories. Mad respect for Viggo. he is one of my favorite actor and I had no idea about this interview or his views, but damn I'm glad to see that someone actually stood up for little me. The parallels he made is accurate. its been 20 years since 2003, since I was 7 not a day pass without thinking about the day Sauron's army showed up at my house. Even now, while watching a random YT interview. I cannot escape it. However, what this guy said, brings me some peace and reminds me that LOVE is the answer.

[@thehh5118]

Viggo, what a man. Respect.

[@AIVlogs__]

Clicked to see an interview with Peter Jackson concerning the Two Towers. Got an inspirational speech by Viggo Mortensen concerning the US.

[@thebacons5943]

This 😂

[@LB-qs3bt]

Nice one Viggo for keeping so collected when that interviewer got TETCHY over him speaking the truth.

[@xpatzy]

Tetchy 😂

[@simonfivez2947]

I truely admire Viggo's shirt!! "no more blood for oil", beautiful!

[@thehh5118]

Zachary Rose Zionists

[@pTnKenshin]

@Bryan birdchest Callen he must be a jew

[@Darlene312]

No more wars for Israel.

[@noahmarietta7346]

I love you all, keep spreading the truth.

[@cruiseaid3484]

No more lands for arabs lol

[@josemoreno8865]

That’s the king of Gondor speaking. You owe him your allegiance...!

[@derekweinerttv4163]

The becon's are lit!!!

[@beyondthecamera333]

The fact that the entire comment section is about Viggo, makes me very happy.

[@lounamana]

So sad nothing has changed to present day. Thank you viggo for some freaking common sense

[@justmoritz]

This! He's not even some great visionary who knew things before his time like everyone else seems to think. He's literally just speaking sense.

[@aliciafigueroa9874]

Viggo seems so intelligent. His voice is so captivating.

[@Redeemer216]

Holy shit viggo. I love you. This interview went on a giant tangent though.

[@hansenbee123]

Imagine making 3 movies in 18 months of ur life....and it all ends up being 3 of the greatest movies ever made, by far the best trilogy ever made in my opinion, and see that people love ur work so much they see the movies 1-2 or even 3 times each year... Damn that must be satisfying.

[@IonaJonas]

wow different times, the fact that Charlie Rose doesn't change the subject and just listens to Viggo when it's clear that he doesn't agree is greatly appreciated. We've lost that

[@gabrieljohnson7997]

I don't think he necessarily *does* disagree, he's giving Viggo a chance to defend his claims against the strongest and most obvious criticisms.

[@asad5067]

viggo really is the king

[@noraauwigotner763]

Viggo was pretty quiet throughout the interview but when he did say something it was so deep and thought-provoking! And I love how being patriotic for him doesn`t mean ignoring all the mistakes his country is making. And how he also points out the view from the other side: if you don`t come from the USA or Europe, you don`t exist. It has always been like this in the past and and sadly hasn`t changed too much until the present day.

[@nzstarwarsn00b]

Love how Jackson just sits there and listens to Viggo. Shows how good Peter was regarding people allowing them to speak and have space.

[@yamnayaseed356]

This is an example of a movie where evrything went perfect. The energy, the spirit, the passion all the intangible stuff was there!

[@rickybindahoose6193]

And one of the most important, the music!

[@magnuswiesener9588]

I like how this is one of the only comments about the actual movie lol

[@DC-zi6se]

The leader was chosen correctly!

Viggo is wise beyond his years. And Hidalgo was awesome.

[@DavidArriola]

I had goosebumps listening to Viggo here. I already knew he is an amazing human being and I have heard him saying moral/social/politic truths for years.. but again.. woah, every word he says.. absolutely right. I admire him.

[@feveraeroelder]

I will never get over the fact that the guy who speaks so softly and wisely in real life is the same guy who gave that fuckin speech at the Black Gates of Mordor. I've tried to act in theatre and voice is always a great challenge for me because I also tend to talk in a calm and low voice. I always think about Viggo when I'm pratcticing voice.

[@henryb3066]

This made me respect Viggo so much, the courage to do a political thing like this is actually pretty admirable. The fact that the interviewer wouldn’t back down speaks volumes of the public opinion at the time.

[@antonego9581]

and then to come back into the interview and fully participate, viggo is the man

[@elainecowell2819]

Viggo Mortensen, what a lovely man.

[@tesiseficaz9052]

My capitan, my king....

[@maagu-_-]

Viggo has earned a tremendous amount of respect from me. Brilliant man!

[@ashjcoronado]

Totally agree with Viggo!

[@bonnymcdermott1240]

Viggo was absolutely right on with this observation. Kudos to him for seeing it for what it actually ended up being.

[@lucyarque2946]

This is so fucking awesome, he made a really clear point and then held to his stance despite the intense opposition

[@lucyarque2946]

extremely inspiring indeed to know that there are others out there that are willing to question the status quo.

[@evangeline5748]

Wow well done Virgo it was so taboo back in the early 2000s to talk against the war on terror or the war on oil. Well done!

[@irishelk3]

Haha its Viggo!. Hahaha Virgo.

[@hardluck8732]

@@Darlene312 You beat me to it.

[@hardluck8732]

Not really. Every actor at the time was talking about that war. I don't see how it was so taboo.

[@chainlink2348]

the us didnt get any oil from that war lmao. it was fought for our greatest ally

[@PittsburghSonido]

Viggo is very much a good man.

[@rosecunliffe5478]

So awesome Viggo. Crazy how that perspective has shone through so intensely into our current situation

[@Rockblue01]

Goodness...that's a long time ago. Viggo really aimed for the highest level of moral responsibility with much reflexivity and critical thinking back then at a time when the US claimed to be the moral hero of history, he wanted its political actions to line up with that claim. There was a high degree of altruism in that call for questioning, since lessening in political discussion.

[@marmitaa8619]

NO MORE BLOOD FOR OIL. Respect for Viggo, he believes in the truth.

[@paulstaker8861]

Viggo is the real life Aragorn. That's that.

[@himynamelscolin]

viggo is truly remarkable, an inspiration to be sure and completely spot on regarding the "war" on terrorism

[@PhillCurtis]

Im so proud of viggo for standing up for what he believes to be right. Some painful truths for people to hear. For both the US and the UK

[@murtazawi.ch1]

Viggo! A man of honour and respect, Kind heart and wise, exposing the truth.

[@blowtorchacurlyfry1]

Viggo, always well spoken, quietly speaking his truth, a true man of fortitude.

[@NavasGonzalo]

A true king allways speaks wisdom

[@igorjajic6898]

amen to that

[@priscillachung-hacker5923]

Much respect Viggo! I admire you so much. Besides being a fantastic actor you are an honourable gentleman who is not afraid to stand behind your convictions.

[@philosophers0077]

I knew Viggo Mortensen was well spoken but god damnn he is goood. this guy has a fantastic vocabulary and speaks 7-9 languages

[@MrLizardLab]

Viggo: "Bombing innocents is not right." Interviewer: "Yes, ... but 9/11."

[@MimMdance]

I liked when he said "Not only oil though" as if saiying "Hey! We gotta get our oil somehow, what's the problem?"

[@1987-8]

Evil killing innocent people doesn't mean killing other innocent people is good, it's still evil ...

[@jonathan.palfrey]

Neither are right. So?

[@satanbrony9235]

@@jonathan.palfrey Viggo:"Killing innocent people is a bad thing". If he is wrong, then do you think that killing innocent people is a good thing to do in your opinion?

[@jonathan.palfrey]

@@satanbrony9235: Did you not understand what I wrote? I was disagreeing with the interviewer, not with Viggo Mortensen. Killing innocents is always wrong. To try to clarify, I didn't mean that neither person was right; I meant that neither act of killing innocents was right.

[@felixmeyer899]

Dude Viggo is a legend coming on television in that time where few people shared his opinion and guess what what he said is completely true 😂

[@bobby4tw]

Imagine if he said that today. Omg the headlines

[@JoshAlsabti]

Respect viggo

[@brianschmeichell]

That's my king speaking there

[@BeccaBrodtman]

Viggo is so intelligent, his words speak volumes and his words are sadly accurate. I’m so glad I found this interview

[@LinkTheCoward]

I didn't know this interview, Viggo was talking sense back then, much respect to him. Charlie Rose tried to defend like the typical establishment hack. It's weird to even draw parallels between Iraq/Afghanistan and LotR in the first place..

[@yasminmont.6067]

LinkTheCoward Well said

[@kevinw712]

@Australiantatious well, but part of the nuance of the books was the difference between when something as extreme as war is truly necessary and when it's not. Tolkien had his most formative years coming up on and then living thru WW1 (or as it was known then simply The Great War), which brought such devastation (including him losing many friends) given it was ridiculous it had to take place to begin with. But of course WW2 was absolutely inevitable, that had to happen.

[@ishmaelforester9825]

@Alexander Supertramp the book is universally symbolic. is the us government sauron and the pentagon baradur? well not exactly

[@THEDOORIZCLOSED]

This was all of us. You arent alone

[@TCCHClips7]

Elijah summed it up perfectly - LOTR is not pro war. *Cautionary tale*

[@matthewrileymcleanwilkinson]

"Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you." - Attributed to Pericles

[@NandoRestrepo]

The interviewer thought Viggo was some airhead actor who was liberal just because, when Viggo put weight behind his position, he was quick to deflect and stop asking questions before Viggo made him look like a total tool.

[@CVRogers17]

Don't think he would have made him look like a tool lol. Both guys seem smart. I think the interviewer was just having him divulge on his position to see if he was serious. Once he realized how serious he was about the issue he simply didn't need to ask anymore questions. Also they needed to get back on topic.

[@isuriadireja91]

did u spot how viggo look at him, as peter summing up the movie. he was clearly UNIMPRESSED by charlie's LACK of research of the movies. that, or...he already sensed the CREEP quality in rose.

[@CVRogers17]

@@isuriadireja91 I saw what you were talking about and I still think that you are misreading the situation. If Peter wanted to talk politics, he would have said way more. Peter Jackson may agree with Viggo but even he realizes that a press tour interview isn't a great place to talk about politics. They need to focus on the movie. It's as simple as Peter Jackson being uncomfortable in the situation. It's like he wanted to get back on the topic of the movie. However out of respect for Viggo, he did not want to interrupt his super passionate political thoughts. So he was kind of just stuck.

[@isuriadireja91]

@@CVRogers17 i wasn't talking about Peter AT ALL. How did u get all that outta my comment? I just sensed how Viggo seemed annoyed even earlier on by Rose's lack of knowledge of the movies he's about to talk about on his show. NOTHING about Peter. and I don't doubt Peter WOULD definitely have spoken his mind if he was asked about those things, but, I think he knew Viggo would be more passionate about those issues and more outspoken.

[@precoius]

John Spartan-117 I agree! The interviewer seemed pretty respectful and polite, even thanking Viggo for his candor. But how could you NOT ask him about that shirt? Lol

[@leadzeppbelly]

Viggo was spot on about US foreign policy. Also I liked his little dig at Weinstein’s slice of the pie so to speak

[@jacobrogers2906]

We spent 8 trillion on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. If those wars were fought to steal oil that's the worst economics I've ever heard of.

[@zookytar]

⁠@@jacobrogers2906The wars were to funnel tax money to the Bush administration's friends. And to enrich oil companies while spending our money to do it. It's why I'll never vote for a Republican... they claim to be financially responsible while bankrupting the country. Clinton balanced the budget, with a surplus. Bush destroyed it, huge debt. Obama got us back to a sane amount of debt, which Trump destroyed with his rich-people-favoring tax cuts.

[@natures_neighbor]

Vigo Mortensen, so much class

[@mereanawi6194]

Go Viggo! What he was saying were not merely his beliefs but reality! How they respond to terrorism says everything about a nation. Great point. The innocent Iraqi victims were dehumanized and this is common knowledge now.

[@saskk2290]

You would love Howard Zinn. I can't credit him entirely but I think was Viggo's inspiration. They collaborated several times on oral readings from history. They are both great humans

[@primus7776]

Well Done Mr Mortenson. Free Speech at its finest !

[@rinowx5]

Viggo is so on point here and eloquent.

[@hussaindewan9365]

Vigo was way ahead of his time. His opinions then was regarded as being unpatriotic but today it’s regarded as 100% correct and valid.

[@buggyboogle9]

Thanks Viggo. Quietly and respectful following your conscience when it's not popular to do so - he could be hurting his career, but he continues. If they're not American, they're invisible.

[@michellemaesimplicio3412]

Viggo is Captain Fantastic ever since!

[@msjkelmolol123]

Movies can impact the public consciousness immensely. I’m glad these actors can recognize that.

[@catsforhire9116]

I got a good laugh when Peter said his next movies would be "smaller" because I don't think any movie production will ever be bigger than the LOTR trilogy.

[@barbarabrant3565]

The Lord of the Rings videos are my all-time favorites!!!

[@tkinsey3]

Yes, Viggo! A genuinely heroic individual.

[@ocelot1598]

Viggo is dropping Conscious Knowledge. Thanks for being true

[@atanuchakravarty486]

My captain My king

[@ame8710]

Wow. No wonder a lot of people admire him. Viggo is a good king.

[@andrewpequita6569]

Viggo is such a great human. Watching the Apendices shows so much of the character of everyone involved, Viggo stood out especially.

[@jeromesullivan4015]

I saw each film as it came out in the Theatre, I ordered each Extended Edition as it came available.. I still watch them to this day.. masterpieces that even with slight flaws, is so far the best I’ve seen.

[@joshcalvert9290]

Viggo is a true king

[@Joshuagilchrist55]

Watching Viggo say these things in 2022 is scary how right he was wayyy back then! It just goes to show. This Sherrard has been going on for decades!

[@emlmm88]

I love Viggo Mortensen. What an incredible dude.

[@marinamimbela4938]

Viggo, a Renaissance man

[@thehh5118]

14:38 Peter Jackson's just there thinking, "damn this interviewer, talk about my fucking movie!" 😂

[@StellaAdler_]

Viggo has the same beautiful energy and presence as Jim Caviezel - it’s a very specific way they are., i cant explain it… very pure. the movies are phenomenal

[@GatsuKS]

Viggo, Aragorn in real life, huge respect.

[@primus7776]

Awesome Mr Mortenson. Words of Truth and Wisdom.

[@myfriendisaac]

19:43 THE SPIRIT of the trilogy sets it apart from other films, especially in 2022. Viggo perfectly states why *LOTR* will remain timeless 💍🌋🎬🍿

[@janescot]

Wow - brave Viggo; all credit to him for calling out then what we know now to be true and interacting so calmly with that awful interviewer

[@WillyMacShow]

I don’t love when actors use the promotion of their movies to relate it to their political beliefs, but Viggo ended up getting it right. Damn.

[@cyndiaraujo1687]

LORD OF THE RINGS - AMAZING TRILOGY ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES EVER MADE OF ALL TIME IN MY OPINION.

[@stingfan16ify]

THE best!!!

[@resington]

I love Viggo. He is very well said.

[@yespls4184]

Viggo is true badass for speaking out against US invasions in the Middle East

[@grimvester324]

For some reason I've never seen this particular interview and my respect for Viggo sky rocketed. I've loved him since I was what, 8-9 and I saw the first film and now I'm almost 30 and I still love him with my whole heart.

[@makershakerwaker9754]

Lol you dont see such a calm interview anymore...

[@c-eagle]

Even after 20 years, the trailer still gets me hyped for The Two Towers... watching both trilogies at least 4 times a year. Need even more extended editions. Or even totally uncut versions. :D

[@friedbones8227]

What's missing in Viggo's description of deciding to take the role, was his son. His son was a massive fan of Lord of the Rings and was basically telling his dad, "you can't NOT do this part."

[@nicolasdiazloaiza2688]

Viggo is great, what he said was so true and needed

[@tomscullin]

Great interview. The camaraderie and fellowship between them is very palpable.

[@kevindoc84]

thank you Peter Jackson

[@BekirSai]

So much respect, love and pray for Viggo from Turkey!

[@royw-g3120]

Maybe the biggest deviation from the books is in TTT when the elves show up at Helms Deep. All these years later I still could not construct a PA system powerful enough to blast “I don’t care” loud enough. It was brilliantly cinematic , and just like Arwen replacing Glorfindel in the 1st movie made the elves more relevant in the narrative.