Viggo and His Four-Legged Co-star
He's famous as the fearless king in the blockbuster saga "Lord of the Rings." Only now, in his new film, "Hidalgo," Viggo Mortensen is chasing a different prize.
Mortensen stars as real-life cavalry rider
Frank T. Hopkins, a man who's about to take on the riskiest
challenge of his life -- to be the first American to run the
Ocean of Fire, a 3,000 mille race across the Arabian Desert.
But Mortensen says the true star of the movie is the horse that plays Hidalgo. In fact, he was so impressed with the animal that he bought his costar and took him home.
After 30 films in 20 years, Mortensen is still shy about being hailed a sex symbol: "What I get the most of is, ‘You’re a lot smaller than what I thought you’d be.’"
Along with movies, Mortensen is a published poet, professional photographer and a doting Dad to his son, Henry. "He’s 16, he’s got a healthy disrespect for me," Mortensen joked.
"Hidalgo" races into theaters March 5th.
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