The Aches and Pains of Strider

 

    This part of The Two Towers occurs after Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas meet Eomer and the Rohirrim. They are told during this meeting that the Rohirrim ambushed the Uruk-Hai that the trio was following and left nothing alive. Then they frantically ran off to search for the captured Merry and Pippin. 

    When Aragorn sees the belt of one of the Hobbits, he kicks an Uruk-Hai helmet and lets out a shout. It turns out that the scream was actually because Viggo Mortensen broke two of his toes with the kick. It looked pretty good though, seemingly showing Aragorn's frustration of the current situation. It was good enough to make it into the movie. 

    Also from The Two Towers, in the battle at Helm's Deep, Mortensen chipped his tooth on an Uruk-Hai shield. He went to the dentist the day of the accident, and was back acting the next day. Yeesh, can this guy catch a break?!?!

    I think an even less-known injury of Mortensen occured during the filming of The Fellowship of the Ring. Viggo was out surfing the day before shooting some scenes in the mines of Moria, and hit himself with his surfboard, acquiring a gross black eye. This affected the shooting of the battle scene with the troll in the depths of Moria, as they had to use different camera angles to hide the injury.

    I didn't realize just how dangerous of a part Viggo had to play, but between busted toes, black eyes, and almost getting 'bled through like a stuck pin,' I guess he got a small taste of the dangers of Middle Earth.

    Farewell, and may the blessing of Elves and Men and all Free Folk go with you. May the stars shine upon your faces!

Coming up next: A Conflict of Allies