CHARACTER · THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS
Aragorn
- Appears in
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
- Played by
- Viggo Mortensen
9 archived facts 3 topics
Aragorn is a character in the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), played by Viggo Mortensen.
9 Interesting Facts About Aragorn
Interesting Facts (5)
- #001
Lawrence Makoare's vision was impaired by his Lurtz make-up, so he couldn't pull his punches during the hand-to-hand fight with Aragorn. Rather than have Makoare repeat the sequence until he could control his blows, Viggo Mortensen chose to hit back just as realistically, so the physical blows were entirely real.
- #002
Many members of the Fellowship spent their free time surfing in New Zealand while the films were in production. Viggo Mortensen was among them, and one day he took a bad fall that left one side of his face bruised. Make-up artists could not hide the swelling and discoloration the next day, so Peter Jackson shot Mortensen from a single side for the whole scene. In the Mines of Moria, when the company finds the tomb, Aragorn is shown only from one side throughout.
- #003
- #004
- #005
As Billy Boyd had done earlier in the film, Viggo Mortensen wrote the melody and sang the part for the song Aragorn performs at his coronation. The Elvish words translate as "Out of the Great Sea to Middle Earth I am come. In this place I will abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world." According to the book, this is the same verse Elendil sang on first reaching Middle-earth from Númenor.
Behind the Scenes (2)
- #006
The final shot of principal photography was the newly crowned Aragorn bowing to the four Hobbits. Viggo Mortensen wasn't required on set that day but insisted on coming anyway. He had no crown (none was needed, since he wasn't being filmed), so he made one out of paper. With each take, crew members kept adding decorations, making the crown more elaborate and more ridiculous, so the four actors playing the Hobbits often struggled to hold back their laughter.
- #007
The scene of Aragorn's army gathering before the Black Gate of Mordor was filmed in a desert the Army used as a training ground. The area was still scattered with unexploded mines and bombs, so the Army had to sweep it with metal detectors to make conditions at least acceptably safe for the cast and extras.
Life & Family (1)
- #008
An accomplished horseman in his spare time, Mortensen asked that his "Rings" character Aragorn be given more saddle time than originally scripted. He also kept his on-screen horse nearby throughout principal photography so he could ride in his off-hours and strengthen his bond with the animal.
About The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and its cast (1)
- #009
All three actors were running hurt in the wide shots of Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli chasing the Orcs. Orlando Bloom had several broken ribs after falling from a horse, Viggo Mortensen had 2 broken toes from kicking a helmet in the Orc funeral pyre scene, and Brett Beattie, Gimli's stunt double, had a knee injury. Peter Jackson recalled that the three of them were deeply committed and kept shooting, often shouting "ouch" or "ow" once "cut" was called.
