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Why Viggo Mortensen says he may not be entirely straight

Viggo Mortensen has spent decades captivating audiences with his intense performances, rugged charm, and fearless approach to acting. But beyond the roles he plays, there’s another side to the Hollywood star that has sparked curiosity.

Over the years, Mortensen has been photographed passionately kissing a certain man in his life — again and again. These moments have led to whispers, speculation, and one burning question: Is there more to the story?

Now, the actor himself is finally addressing the topic. And what he has to say may surprise you…

Viggo Mortensen, 66, needs no introduction — he’s been nominated for an Academy Award three times and won hearts worldwide as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But beyond the sword fights and Hollywood glamour, there’s another side to Mortensen — one that involves a passionate, decades-long connection with a very special man in his life.

Born in Watertown, New York, to a Danish father and an American mother, Mortensen’s childhood was anything but ordinary. He lived in Venezuela, Denmark, and Argentina before settling back in the U.S. at age 11. His path to stardom wasn’t straightforward —after graduating from St. Lawrence University, he took odd jobs in Denmark, driving trucks and selling flowers. Acting wasn’t even on the horizon.

His first scenes in his first movie was deleted

But in 1982, at 24, Mortensen returned to the U.S. to pursue his Hollywood dreams. His first film appearance in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) never saw the light of day — his scenes were cut. Yet, he persisted, slowly carving out a name for himself.

Undeterred, he steadily built a solid career, landing roles in various films without quite reaching superstar status. That all changed in 1997 when he starred alongside Demi Moore in G.I. Jane.

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With a hefty $50 million budget, G.I. Jane was Mortensen’s most high-profile project at the time. While the film itself struggled at the box office and Demi Moore faced heavy criticism for her performance, Mortensen emerged largely unscathed.

In fact, his portrayal of Command Master Chief John James ‘Jack’ Urgayle was widely praised.

After the G.I. Jane debacle, not many would have predicted that Viggo Mortensen would go on to create one of the most iconic characters in movie history. But just a few years later, he did exactly that — stepping into the role of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and making cinematic magic.

The best swordsman in Lord of the Rings

Mortensen wasn’t just playing a warrior — he became one. The film’s sword master even called him ”the best swordsman I’ve ever trained.” In fact, Mortensen was so committed to the role that he performed most of his own stunts, even when it meant getting injured. (Yes, those two broken toes? All part of the job.)

And his love for horses? That wasn’t just acting — he did all his own riding stunts in Hidalgo (2004) too.

According to the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Special Extended Edition DVD, Mortensen was actually a last-minute replacement for Stuart Townsend. He almost didn’t take the role — until his son, a huge J.R.R. Tolkien fan, convinced him to say yes.

And he got so into character that director Peter Jackson once called him ”Aragorn” for over half an hour… and Mortensen never even noticed. Now that’s dedication!

A love story in Hollywood

While Mortensen’s on-screen presence is legendary, it’s his real-life chemistry with Canadian director David Cronenberg that has fascinated fans for years.

The two first met at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, where Mortensen was celebrating The Lord of the Rings. It was instant magic and they vowed to work together one day.

That day came with A History of Violence (2005). Initially unimpressed with the script, Mortensen only agreed to the project after meeting with Cronenberg.

Toni Anne Barson/WireImage

The film was a smash hit, hailed as one of the best of the decade. Their professional bond deepened. Mortensen declared, “I don’t think I’ve ever felt more like I was on the same wavelength with a director as I am with David.”

Their connection wasn’t just artistic — it was deeply personal. At a press event in 2006, fresh off their cinematic triumph, the two men shared a lingering, affectionate kiss in front of flashing cameras. It was a moment that spoke volumes.

”My kind of actor”

Their collaborations continued — Eastern Promises (2007), A Dangerous Method (2011) — each film strengthening their unique connection.

”Viggo’s my kind of actor,” Cronenberg said, explaining that Mortensen had the rare ability to blend the presence of a leading man with the depth and versatility of a character actor.

In 2014, the duo took it a step further. At the Canadian Screen Awards, Mortensen presented Cronenberg with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

He stood on stage, full of admiration, calling him “the finest director and the sanest man I know.” Then, right there, in front of an audience of Hollywood elites, he leaned in and kissed him again.

The moment was electric, a testament to their enduring bond. Mortensen, never one to hold back, used the opportunity to criticize the film industry for overlooking Cronenberg’s genius. Despite a four-decade career as a director, the Academy Awards never once recognized Cronenberg with a nomination.

“Mainstream movie business people, much as they might praise him from time to time, seem very reluctant to reward him officially. I can understand that because David basically is not one of them,” Mortensen said.

Is Viggo Mortensen gay?

With a relationship as affectionate and openly intimate as theirs, it’s no wonder that Mortensen has faced speculation about his sexuality. In a candid interview, he addressed the topic with his signature nonchalance: “People ask if I’m gay or straight. I guess you could say I’m not entirely straight.”

Mortensen got the question in connection with the movie Falling, which Viggo Mortensen both wrote and stars in. There, he portrays a gay man (John) who ends up caring for his racist and homophobic father.

The Lord of the Rings star was asked to respond to criticism about whether it was appropriate for him, a man who appears to be heterosexual, to play the role of John.

He replied, ”How do you know what my life is? You’re assuming that I’m completely straight. Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. And it’s frankly none of your business.”

“I want my movie to work, and I want the character of John to be effective. If I didn’t think it was a good idea I wouldn’t do it.”

Inside their professional relationship

Interestingly, David Cronenberg also has a small role in the movie Falling. The roles were actually reversed this time.

While filming Cronenberg’s scene as a proctologist, Viggo noticed that Cronenberg kept moving his gloved hand closer to the camera lens. When Viggo pointed out that this was creating an exaggerated perspective, making the hand appear unnaturally large, Cronenberg responded, “Yes, I’m quite aware of that.”

George Pimentel/WireImage for New Line Cinema

For Mortensen, love isn’t about labels — it’s about connection. And his connection with David Cronenberg? Undeniably one of the most passionate, professional and visually striking friendships Hollywood has ever seen.

“We are professionals, unbelievable as it seems, so it means  that we can say no to each other. If I offered Viggo a role, and he  really feels he’s not right for or doesn’t connect with it, he has to be  able to say no, and I am not going to be shattered and think he’s not  my friend anymore. And the reverse is true. If Viggo had a project or a  script that he wanted me to direct, I would have to say no if I really  didn’t want to do it. So there’s that respect and that professionalism  despite the tomfoolery that we enjoy,” Cronenberg says.

Viggo Mortensen girlfriend

When it comes to Viggo Mortensen’s love life, there are a few things we know:

He met singer Exene Cervenka in 1986 while working on the comedy Salvation!, and they tied the knot in 1987. A year later, they welcomed their son, Henry, who would later play Viggo’s on-screen son in Crimson Tide (1995).

Interestingly, Viggo also cast Henry in a small role in Falling. Henry impressed his father during a script read-through by showing off a perfect upstate New York accent. He even shaved his long hair and grew a mustache to better resemble a 1977 state trooper.

Viggo Mortensen and Exene Cervenka parted ways in 1992 and officially divorced in 1997. Since 2009, Viggo has been in a relationship with Spanish actress Ariadna Gil.

David Cronenberg, now 81, first married Margaret Hindson in 1972. Their seven-year marriage ended in 1979 due to personal and professional differences. They had one daughter together, Cassandra Cronenberg. His second wife was film editor Carolyn Zeifman, whom he was married to from 1979 until her passing in 2017.

J. Vespa/WireImage

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Animal lover finds squirrel with giant tooth, brings him home and gives him a new opportunity – thank you

Living on a ranch in rural Alberta, Canada, Jannet Talbott may be far away from people but is never alone as she is always surrounded by animals.

The animal lover is used to the many animals, both domestic and wild, who live on her ranch and looks out for them all.

One day she was watching a squirrel enjoying a snack from her bird feeder when she noticed something unusual on his face.

“I could see there was something on the side of his face,” Talbott told The Dodo. “I got closer and thought, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s a massive tooth growing out of his mouth.’”

Squirrels have four front teeth that never stop growing but their constant gnawing on nuts and seeds ensure most squirrels’ teeth are kept short. Somehow this had not happened with this squirrel and Jannet knew he was in danger.

The tooth was growing toward the squirrel’s eye and Jannet suspected he was living on powdered bird food as he couldn’t chew on anything.

Now she had the difficult task of trying to catch Bucky, as she named him, so she could give him the help he needed.

“One day, I saw him in the feeder. It was like divine intervention. I just had to reach in and grab him,” she said. “Once I had him in my hand, I just kept telling him, ‘I’m going to help you, Bucky. You’re going to be OK.’”

When Jannet had the canine challenged squirrel in her hands she saw that it wasn’t just one tooth that was an issue.

“His mouth was an absolute mess. His upper incisors were curled around and growing inside his mouth,” she said. “When he ate, his teeth were rubbing on his face. He was so horrific.”

She worried that if she took Bucky to a vet they may not be able to do anything for him and the journey would stress him out too much so she grabbed her cuticle trimmers and attempted the job herself.

After watching some instructional videos on YouTube, Jannet swaddled Bucky and covered his eyes; he instantly became calm which was lucky for this talented rancher as the job took ten minutes.

Squirrels have no feeling in their teeth and even after she had finished trimming, the squirrel was in “no hurry to get away,” Jannet said, as per CBC Canada.

“I took him outside, and he ran to a branch and started rubbing his little cheeks. It was like he couldn’t believe those teeth were gone. He just kept rubbing his face,” she said.

“The next day, I saw him back in the feeder — and he had the most amazing little squirrel smile on his face. He was just so happy.”

Now Jannet hopes to inspire others to help a needy animal.

“I really feel a deep connection to animals, and they always seem to come to me when they need help,” she added.

“I’m always happy to help them, and I think if we all did a little, it would end up being a lot.”


I cannot imagine how nervous Jannet must have been attempting dentistry on this creature in distress but thank goodness she did as he may have starved to death had she not been brave that day.

Help us thank this animal hero by sharing this story.

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Jane Fonda ‘calls out Donald Trump’ during SAG award speech

Jane Fonda's speech. Credit / Getty Images
Jane Fonda’s speech. Credit / Getty Images

Jane Fonda’s hardly been a stranger to political controversy over the course of her long and storied career. Once dubbed “Hanoi Jane” after being photographed sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun in 1972, it’s fair to say she’s had her fair share of public chastisement.

The actress was also an opinion-splitting figure as far back as the 1960s, when she actively supported the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panthers to the chagrin of certain sections of society.

This past weekend, Fonda was awarded the Screen Actors’ Guild (SAG) Life Achievement Award, and used part of her speech to throw shade in the direction of President Donald Trump.

With the current political climate in the US testy to say the least, it’s hardly a wonder that many of the country’s biggest celebrities are making their voices heard.

For 87-year-old Fonda, Sunday’s SAG Awards provided the perfect platform to make a statement.

“Thank you SAG AFTRA. Your enthusiasm makes this seem less like a late twilight of my life, and more like a go girl, kick a**. Which is good because I’m not done.” Fonda said.

Though she didn’t directly namedrop President Trump, Fonda referenced Sebastian Stan’s portrayal of him in 2024’s The Apprentice.

Jane Fonda’s speech

“Though you may hate the behavior of your character, you have to understand and empathize with the traumatized person you’re playing,” she said.

The actress proceeded to then defend ‘wokeness’, stating: “Empathy is not weak or ‘woke.’ And, by the way, ‘woke’ just means you give a damn about other people.

“A whole lot of people are going to be hurt by what’s happening, by what’s coming our way,” she continued.”‘We are going to need a big tent to resist what’s coming at us.”

“And even if they are of a different political persuasion, we need to call upon our empathy and not judge, but listen from our hearts, and welcome them into our tent. Because we are gonna need a big tent to resist successfully what’s coming at us.”

Fonda’s comments come in the wake of some turbulent weeks in US politics. Many had anticipated that Trump’s second term in office would mean chaos, but few could have predicted just how fast the apple cart might be tipped upside down.

Amid a slew of executive orders and typically boisterous claims – many of which have questionable ties to reality – Trump has wasted no time at all in trying to enforce large-scale changes, for better or for worse.

His newly-founded Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, has come in for particular criticism in recent days, while Trump’s apparent siding with despot Vladimir Putin in an attempt to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine has caused concern on the international stage.

What did you make of Jane Fonda’s statement? Let us know in the comments.

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A Black baby was born to my wife, and I was by her side forever

There was an almost electric sense of expectancy in the delivery room. Emma, my wife, was lying on the hospital bed with her fingers clenched around mine and a look of excitement mixed with fatigue. A dreamlike atmosphere was created by the quiet voices of the nurses, the regular beeping of the monitors, and the doctor’s gentle words of encouragement.

It was this. The time we had been anticipating. Choosing baby clothes, experiencing small kicks in the middle of the night, and nine months of delight. We spent nine months wondering if our unborn child would have Emma’s golden hair. My angular cheekbones? The dimples that were inherited? Everything else in the room was broken by a piercing wail. The baby was here.

I looked over and saw the doctor gently lifting our baby, her face wrinkled up as she drew her first breaths, her tiny limbs wriggling. My eyes pricked with tears. She was flawless. But Emma’s terrified scream, which I had not anticipated, broke the moment.

“This isn’t my child!” The room became quiet. The nurses froze. The doctor paused in mid-step. I thought my wife would be overwhelmed, perhaps simply in shock from giving birth. However, the expression in her eyes was one of utter incredulity rather than simply fatigue.

In an attempt to maintain composure, one of the nurses gave a soft grin. She remarked, “She’s still attached to you,” as though to reassure my wife that nothing was wrong. Emma, however, gasped for air and shook her head angrily. “It’s not feasible! Never in my life have I dated a Black man!

The words were piercing and weighty as they hung in the air. Everyone was uncertain of how to respond, and the room remained strangely still. As I turned to face our daughter, a gorgeous newborn girl with skin that was substantially darker than either of ours, my heartbeat hammered in my ears. However, her features were definitely ours.

Emma was shaking next to me, and it felt like the whole world was tilting beneath her. I grounded her by squeezing her hand and making her look at me. I stated unequivocally, “She’s our baby,” in a firm voice. “That’s the only thing that counts.”

Emma’s gaze shifted from our daughter to me and back again. As a nurse gently placed the infant in her arms, she gasped. At first, she seemed hesitant to touch her, as though she was scared of something she didn’t comprehend. However, something changed the instant our daughter’s little fingers encircled her pinky.

She loosened her shoulders. Something softer replaced the stiffness in her face. She felt a mixture of relief, tiredness, and love as tears filled her eyes. She let out a trembling breath. She muttered, “She’s gorgeous.” The room seems to breathe once more. The nurses looked at each other but continued working. With a nod, the doctor and I exchanged a quiet agreement.

The days that followed were a haze. I found myself watching our kid nonstop while Emma recovered, trying to figure out what was going on. She had my chin, my nose, and even the same tiny frown I had as a newborn, so I knew without a doubt that she was my. However, Emma’s tirade persisted.

She had been so convinced, not because I had any suspicions or doubts about her. Emma was the first to propose the DNA test. “I just need to know,” she said one evening in a little, nearly embarrassed voice. “I do love her.” But I must comprehend.

So we did it. We waited after sending off the samples. Two weeks later, the results were received. Emma opened the email with shaking hands. My heart was racing as I stood behind her. As she read, she covered her mouth with one hand and gasped.

The screen showed her ancestry record, which in bold letters verified what we had never known: Emma had generations of African ancestry. She turned to face me, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I didn’t know,” she muttered. “All this time, I was unaware.”

I kissed the top of her head as I drew her into my arms. I muttered, “It doesn’t change anything.” “We own her. She was always. Emma laughed softly and drippingly. “I suppose my panic was in vain.” I grinned. “Well, people experience that during childbirth.” She pushed me and rolled her eyes, then turned to face our daughter, who was now soundly asleep in her cradle. There were no more questions after that. Just love. The world had its questions, of course.

Members of the family arched their brows. In supermarket stores, strangers made remarks on the discrepancies. “Is she adopted?” some even questioned. Emma would initially become uneasy when asked those questions because she wasn’t sure how to react. Then, however, she would smile and declare, “No,” with utter assurance.

We own her. We vowed to nurture our kid with pride in all facets of her background as the years went by. We studied the customs, background, and cultures associated with Emma’s DNA as we dug deeper into her newfound ancestry. We made sure our kid never doubted her place in the world by surrounding her with love.

She played with her fingers while sitting on Emma’s lap one evening when she was around five years old. She said, “Mommy?” “What causes my skin to differ from yours?” Emma brushed a curl from her forehead and grinned. “Because you are unique, my dear. You had a lovely past that we both shared. “Like a mix?” she tilted her head in question. “Exactly,” I remarked as I sat next to them. “Like the most exquisite painting, with both Mommy’s and Daddy’s colours.” Satisfied with the response, she smiled and resumed playing.

“Thank you for reminding me that day in the hospital,” Emma muttered as she sought for my hand as we watched her sleep that night. “For what purpose?” “That she belongs to us,” she declared. “That was all that was ever important.” And I knew without a doubt that I would always be there for them as I gazed at my daughter, who was so lovely and full of love. through each query. through each obstacle. through everything. Because appearances weren’t important in family. It wasn’t.

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