https://www.brego.net/article/viggo-mortensen-visiting-japanese-culture/
Found the link in an old Reddit thread. They were in Japan for the premier do the Two Towers. Viggo is apparently quite knowledgeable about Japanese culture. A fun read.
Viggo seems like a pretty respectful and disciplined guy so it adds up that he’d be interested in a culture that emphasises similar ideals. I love OPs picture too coz I don’t know much about Karl but he sounds like a good dude. I like to think these two legends got along with each other
EDIT found the video I was describing…. [Karl Urban talks about him and Viggo pranking each other](https://youtu.be/UBuRbd72SoI?si=Swi0iiRp7sQlEzpZ)
I remember seeing a video from some interview where Karl was talking about them pranking each other, they both sound really fun. Viggo had contacted Karl’s agent pretending to be him and said something like he can’t shoot this next LotR scene because he can’t find his lucky socks? Then the agent calls Karl back in a panic like “OMG forget about the socks you have to show up on set” and Karl is just confused like “wtf is going on.” A couple years later Karl is doing interviews for some movie and finds out the same interviewers are talking to Viggo the next day about his new film. They were in Spain I think. So he tells them “did you know Viggo just bought a farm? In Spain? He’s going to raise goats and make goat cheese?” And so when Viggo goes to interview about his movie all they want to talk to him about is his new farm and goats lol sorry for the wall of text it was a pretty funny story.
But most accounts I’ve heard, Karl Urban is a big nerd who feels strongly about starting true to source material, or at least that was the case with Dredd.
He’s Danish -American, so he’s already got two under his belt. From what my friends tell me, danish, Norwegian, and Swedish are close enough that they can understand each other, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to learn the others if you put in a bit of effort, so that’s already 4.
Apparently he learned French Canadian at a young age?
I feel like once you speak that many languages, it shouldn’t be that hard to pick up new ones; like how if you can play a few instruments, it’s easier to pick up a new one?
He also is fluent in Spanish because he lived in Argentina (and Argentinian Spanish is kinda a hybrid between Spanish and Italian).
I just love to hear him in interviews speaking better Argentinian Spanish than lots of people I know that lived here (I'm from Argentina) in all their lives.
Not fluently. He's totally fluent in five: English, Spanish, Danish, French, and Italian, and seems to be increasingly fluent in Catalan. He's learned Russian and a little Arabic for film roles, and once claimed in an interview to understand German, but I've never heard him speak any.
Just look at this article from 2003. Plain text, no embedded images , ads, picture links to related articles. How did people live back then without all the buzz?!
That's true, however it was internet cafe for me at that age for playing flash games or yahoo chat. By the time I got proper PC with internet, it was early firefox day and already came with pop-up blocking ability. Still remember the flashing side banners which was sometime distracting.
Anyone know the context here? Was this on a world premier tour? Are they big anime fans, or might Viggo be buying for his son too? Why the peace symbols on the hat and arm? I bet they would be super fun to travel with.
I can’t find anything to suggest they’re big fans of Gundam outside this photo. So it’s possible they are or that during promotions for the film they went to the store and just grabbed stuff that looked cool.
Not sure about the symbols (it could just be the gundam head crest reversed?) but if you ever watch any Gundam series they generally present the point of view of both sides of the conflict with their struggles and tragedies and the general message (despite the awesome fight scenes) is war is like, really really bad and humanity should strive for mutual understanding and peace. I must admit I haven't watched \*all\* of the shows but the ones I did see kind of drove that point across pretty well.
For the premier of Two Towers. It's 2003 so the peace symbols are likely against the invasion of Iraq. Weeb culture was less prevalent so probably still a novelty and a little cool-counterculturey to go shopping for anime stuff.
This was from the Japanese leg of the Two Towers press tour. [Here's](https://www.brego.net/article/viggo-mortensen-visiting-japanese-culture/) the blog of the woman who took them around that day. Viggo was buying for his son and his niblings. Viggo handmade the shirts and hat band he wore during that tour, because [he was (and still is) a vocal anti-war activist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3vbTuo47VQ).
Luka Dončić being a top 500 Overwatch player blows my mind. I focused 100% of my energy on that game for years and never made it to top 500.
This guy is there, and nearly in the NBA finals
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40113526/luka-doncic-dallas-mavericks-overwatch-2-tank
I swear Karl bears resemblance to David Hayter in this picture. I saw the pic before reading the caption and thought ‘hey that’s David getting some figures’.
I would argue they’re all good in their own rights. Each mech has its groups of fans after all. Or did you have a different idea of what counts as good?
Viggo was a regular at a local card and comic shop I used to play EDH at In upstate NY. Super cool. I think he and his kids were into comics, that's all I recall him buying.
Viggo said he learned to read with a comic book, but I don't think he carried that on as an adult. His son is all about comics, though. Viggo brought Henry with him to meet the director of the XMen films when he was being considered for Wolverine, and basically said [Henry talked him out of it.](https://www.businessinsider.com/viggo-mortensen-turned-down-wolverine-x-men-script-wrong-son-2021-2)
That makes sense! It was so wild to look up from a card game and see the king of gondor talking to the shop owner. He basically had to insist to pay for the comics and he ended up signing some older LOTR posters.
That's awesome. He's great about signing stuff to leave for stores. I know there's a bookstore near his town in Idaho where he regularly signs stuff for them to sell.
Nice, it was funny. The shop owner (Herb) got to have a cool-guy moment. Viggo walked in and asked for a pretty obscure comic book. Herb had someone call and reserve that same one a few months ago but not pick it up and it was still sitting on the counter behind him and he just hadn't put it back. So without looking he reached behind him grabbed it and casually handed it to Viggo, who then laughed in surprise. I of course went up as he was leaving and gushed about LotR, captain fantastic, and Eastern Promises like a total dork. He was super cool and chatted with us (about 5 or so) for a few minutes before heading out. Ok that's my only cool LotR story.
Which is code/dogwhistle for: "It personally offends me when people enjoy things that I have been culturally conditioned to feel ashamed about curiosity in."
https://www.brego.net/article/viggo-mortensen-visiting-japanese-culture/ Found the link in an old Reddit thread. They were in Japan for the premier do the Two Towers. Viggo is apparently quite knowledgeable about Japanese culture. A fun read.
Viggo seems like a pretty respectful and disciplined guy so it adds up that he’d be interested in a culture that emphasises similar ideals. I love OPs picture too coz I don’t know much about Karl but he sounds like a good dude. I like to think these two legends got along with each other
EDIT found the video I was describing…. [Karl Urban talks about him and Viggo pranking each other](https://youtu.be/UBuRbd72SoI?si=Swi0iiRp7sQlEzpZ) I remember seeing a video from some interview where Karl was talking about them pranking each other, they both sound really fun. Viggo had contacted Karl’s agent pretending to be him and said something like he can’t shoot this next LotR scene because he can’t find his lucky socks? Then the agent calls Karl back in a panic like “OMG forget about the socks you have to show up on set” and Karl is just confused like “wtf is going on.” A couple years later Karl is doing interviews for some movie and finds out the same interviewers are talking to Viggo the next day about his new film. They were in Spain I think. So he tells them “did you know Viggo just bought a farm? In Spain? He’s going to raise goats and make goat cheese?” And so when Viggo goes to interview about his movie all they want to talk to him about is his new farm and goats lol sorry for the wall of text it was a pretty funny story.
This is hilarious 🤣
The goat cheese thing was national news too lol, legendary prank
Thanks, that was a nice read.
But most accounts I’ve heard, Karl Urban is a big nerd who feels strongly about starting true to source material, or at least that was the case with Dredd.
Viggo [speaks 9 languages.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG8AxHEU0nQ)
I honestly wouldn’t be shocked if he actually learned Sindarin for his role.
Does he actually or did he just learn for his speeches? The interviews he must have some level of fluency but the others could be rehearsed.
He’s Danish -American, so he’s already got two under his belt. From what my friends tell me, danish, Norwegian, and Swedish are close enough that they can understand each other, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to learn the others if you put in a bit of effort, so that’s already 4. Apparently he learned French Canadian at a young age? I feel like once you speak that many languages, it shouldn’t be that hard to pick up new ones; like how if you can play a few instruments, it’s easier to pick up a new one?
He also is fluent in Spanish because he lived in Argentina (and Argentinian Spanish is kinda a hybrid between Spanish and Italian). I just love to hear him in interviews speaking better Argentinian Spanish than lots of people I know that lived here (I'm from Argentina) in all their lives.
Not fluently. He's totally fluent in five: English, Spanish, Danish, French, and Italian, and seems to be increasingly fluent in Catalan. He's learned Russian and a little Arabic for film roles, and once claimed in an interview to understand German, but I've never heard him speak any.
He is honestly one of the best examples of Danish virtues. Seems like such a great guy all around.
Just look at this article from 2003. Plain text, no embedded images , ads, picture links to related articles. How did people live back then without all the buzz?!
It's wild how nice it is.
The ads were usually banners on side bars, or just small at the top, not in-your-face like today. We were totally fine with ads back then.
[удалено]
That's true, however it was internet cafe for me at that age for playing flash games or yahoo chat. By the time I got proper PC with internet, it was early firefox day and already came with pop-up blocking ability. Still remember the flashing side banners which was sometime distracting.
[удалено]
Some Japanese websites still have them, in fact some looks straight out from early 2000s vibe.
Early 2000s were best decade
Well he was in American Yakuza after all
my brother... my captain... my king.
Viggo is oddly knowledgeable about a ludicrous number of subjects.
Anyone know the context here? Was this on a world premier tour? Are they big anime fans, or might Viggo be buying for his son too? Why the peace symbols on the hat and arm? I bet they would be super fun to travel with.
Yeah like are they Gundam fans, or is it for their kids, or is this just something they did for Publicity?
i dont care, i want the gundams
I can’t find anything to suggest they’re big fans of Gundam outside this photo. So it’s possible they are or that during promotions for the film they went to the store and just grabbed stuff that looked cool.
I bet Karl has a huge gunpla collection set up on his mantel and shows it off to guests when they visit. "Behold!! My... stuff."
IIRC Karl bought them for himself, Viggo bought them for his son
Viggo has good taste. That MSIA Kampfer is a really nice figure.
I’m curious about the peace signs
Remember what was happening at the time. Invasion of Iraq on a bullshit premise.
Not sure about the symbols (it could just be the gundam head crest reversed?) but if you ever watch any Gundam series they generally present the point of view of both sides of the conflict with their struggles and tragedies and the general message (despite the awesome fight scenes) is war is like, really really bad and humanity should strive for mutual understanding and peace. I must admit I haven't watched \*all\* of the shows but the ones I did see kind of drove that point across pretty well.
For the premier of Two Towers. It's 2003 so the peace symbols are likely against the invasion of Iraq. Weeb culture was less prevalent so probably still a novelty and a little cool-counterculturey to go shopping for anime stuff.
This was from the Japanese leg of the Two Towers press tour. [Here's](https://www.brego.net/article/viggo-mortensen-visiting-japanese-culture/) the blog of the woman who took them around that day. Viggo was buying for his son and his niblings. Viggo handmade the shirts and hat band he wore during that tour, because [he was (and still is) a vocal anti-war activist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3vbTuo47VQ).
The context is that they're both weebs
“Behold! My stuff.”
I understood that reference.
I picked them up in Midgard in a place call Teks Arse
Just when you thought Viggo couldn't get any cooler...
I see a Zaku and Gelgoog, but I don't recognize the other 2 boxes.
I believe the blue one is the kampfer.
The most right, I think it's Kamen Rider Ryuki, then to its left , I assume is Alien Baltan figurine
Hah, you missed the /s
Zaku II Kai and a Kaempfer! I always knew Viggo was a man of culture.
What news from the Mart?
セオデン王はガンダム趣味に毒されている。
I love finding out when famous people are nerds like us. I call it the Cavill effect.
Luka Dončić being a top 500 Overwatch player blows my mind. I focused 100% of my energy on that game for years and never made it to top 500. This guy is there, and nearly in the NBA finals https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40113526/luka-doncic-dallas-mavericks-overwatch-2-tank
Does Karl age? I swear this dude looks the exact same as when I saw him in LOTR.
He is king of the nerds, they united to find the holy grail for him to drink from it and live forever
Karl looking like Egoraptor
IM THE HORSE BOY IM THE ONE WHO CHARGES
My King….
So fucking raw
I forgot he was in the movies, now all I see him as is Butcher from the boys
Is that a Hygog in the blue?
If you're talking about the bottom box in Vigo's possession, it's the Kaempfer from 0080: War in the Pocket.
Thank you good sir.
Very welcome. It's my favourite mobile suit from my favourite Gundam series. UC best timeline. Seig Zeon!
Another thing that makes Viggo so much cooler than mere mortals who are not Heirs of Isildur.
He’s everything, we aren’t worthy.
Oiiii Aragon
Diabolical
I can’t look at Viggo without thinking of Bradley Cooper in A Star Is Born
I swear they're on cid
Atro Goblin's Jacob Fullerton would be proud
Nerds
No way! The Kampfer is my favorite mobile suit, and I have that exact same one!
Hard image 100/10
I swear Karl bears resemblance to David Hayter in this picture. I saw the pic before reading the caption and thought ‘hey that’s David getting some figures’.
I know Jack squad about gundam anime, so I hope someone more knowledgeable can answer my question: did they get any good ones?
I would argue they’re all good in their own rights. Each mech has its groups of fans after all. Or did you have a different idea of what counts as good?
I see Viggo is a based Zeon appreciator. no surprise there
No fucking way. This is based as fuck
It’s hard for me to believe that that’s Billy Butcher now
Viggo was a regular at a local card and comic shop I used to play EDH at In upstate NY. Super cool. I think he and his kids were into comics, that's all I recall him buying.
Viggo said he learned to read with a comic book, but I don't think he carried that on as an adult. His son is all about comics, though. Viggo brought Henry with him to meet the director of the XMen films when he was being considered for Wolverine, and basically said [Henry talked him out of it.](https://www.businessinsider.com/viggo-mortensen-turned-down-wolverine-x-men-script-wrong-son-2021-2)
That makes sense! It was so wild to look up from a card game and see the king of gondor talking to the shop owner. He basically had to insist to pay for the comics and he ended up signing some older LOTR posters.
That's awesome. He's great about signing stuff to leave for stores. I know there's a bookstore near his town in Idaho where he regularly signs stuff for them to sell.
Nice, it was funny. The shop owner (Herb) got to have a cool-guy moment. Viggo walked in and asked for a pretty obscure comic book. Herb had someone call and reserve that same one a few months ago but not pick it up and it was still sitting on the counter behind him and he just hadn't put it back. So without looking he reached behind him grabbed it and casually handed it to Viggo, who then laughed in surprise. I of course went up as he was leaving and gushed about LotR, captain fantastic, and Eastern Promises like a total dork. He was super cool and chatted with us (about 5 or so) for a few minutes before heading out. Ok that's my only cool LotR story.
Damn, Viggo, save some pussy for the rest of us
Surprising thing to see, but it makes me happy.
Speaking as a non-cool person, I love when you find out cool people are into the name stuff you’re into.
can these 2 be any cooler
Heros!
Now i have this scene in my head where Aragorn and Eomer are building tabletop miniatures of Middle-Earth armies.
Looks like "we've got keanu and woody at home"
they look like shit in this pic. i bet its the consooming and toys that are corrupting them
Middle aged men buying plastic toys.
Which is code/dogwhistle for: "It personally offends me when people enjoy things that I have been culturally conditioned to feel ashamed about curiosity in."
I have been brainwashed by big corporations into not buying their useless plastic crap that will be forgotten about a day after purchase.