Viggo Mortensen's New Role: "I Have To Play This Naked"

As Viggo Mortensen and director David Cronenberg plotted the unforgettable bathhouse knife fight in their new crime thriller, "Eastern Promises," Cronenberg told the actor he wanted realism and "body-ness." The director wanted to challenge his audience to really experience the intimacy of such violence.

"Well, it's obvious," Mortensen told him, "I have to play this naked."

Boy does he. And Cronenberg captures every clammy square inch of Mortensen's well-toned flesh as it's pummeled and slashed and slammed into the unforgiving bathhouse tiles by two clothed real-life professional fighters, turning an otherwise excruciating four minutes of film into a quintessential Cronenberg statement.

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Comments

[lunaoscura]

07:31 PM on 09/12/2007

Cool! I'm there!

[Wiredwilly]

03:13 AM on 09/12/2007

Yes, I can see where this will start a trend of naked battle scenes.
Consider the following possible re-makes :
Darth Vader & Luke Skywalker Light Saber Battle : Nude
The Naked Fight at the O.K. Corral
Apocalypse Nude
From Russia Without Clothes
The Fellowship of the Things
Nudist Colony Robinson
From Rear to Eternity
Rebel Without A Stich...
the possibilities are endless..

[jedevich]

03:53 PM on 09/11/2007

and my new role?

Playing naked with Viggo.

[jackjett]

03:31 PM on 09/11/2007

Far out.

jack jett

[alguien]

03:23 PM on 09/11/2007

viggo was naked in "the indian runner." there are pictures of him all over the web if people are interested.

[oldschooldemocrat]

12:46 PM on 09/11/2007

Cronenberg and Mortensen are serious artists interested in important themes. History of Violence (their earlier film) is a fine example. I have utterly no objection to seeing Mortensen naked, but I think it's really probably an authentic dramatic effort to say something not just a chance to see an actor nude. Are Americans ever going to outgrow this bizarre 14 year old boy Beavis and Butthead attitude toward the human body? I guess not.

[GrandyK]

11:28 AM on 09/11/2007

LMFAO I'm there!

[grimm]

10:15 AM on 09/11/2007

Really? Do we see his viggo? How about his mortensen?

This has the makings of the greatest sweaty man-grapple since "Borat".