Random fandom

I'm sure it's no shock to anyone who knows me to hear that I find Viggo Mortensen attractive. (Kind of feel like I have to put that out there at the beginning, or it'll get lobbed at me as an accusation of bias later on!) But beyond what I consider his physical beauty, it's truly the intelligence and utility of what he has done with his life besides that is the larger reason for my admiration. In every interview I've seen or read, he comes across as someone not only interested in the big picture as well as the details, but also willing to do the homework.

He started a publishing company for obscure, small poets and authors so that voices of all flavors, all experiences could be heard. He keeps a place in Idaho to recharge from the L.A. craziness. (Woo! One good mass media item about my home state!) He speaks multiple languages to the point of fluency, and is a musician, painter, poet/author, and a loving father. Oh, and he does some acting too. LOL.

He isn't shy about speaking his mind when it comes to politics and human rights, but neither does he beat you over the head with them when you're least expecting it. (cough...Oscars...cough) It almost seems to me as though he has this gentlemanly sense of "We may disagree, and I may think that your stance and the repercussions are drastically wrong, possibly even evil, but I respect that you are human, as am I, and that I could just as easily be wrong in this situation as you. I will try to change your mind, and I will be steadfast in those beliefs, but belittling or badgering you to agree with me will serve no purpose."

That's a lot of personality extrapolation, I know. But isn't it nice that someone's focusing a blog on that rather than Britney's latest comeback/falloff? And besides, who can look at these pictures and not see a man with an innate sense of grace, humor and understanding?

But I digress. The whole point of me putting this out there is that I happened across an interview with him on Ain't It Cool News that truly lived up to the hyperbole so commonly found on AICN. Give this a read; it's something like sitting back in the booths at the Tav, listening to the International Students expound on world events and realizing how very disaffected and unaware I am as a citizen of this earth.

A toast, for the all-too-rare ability of a "celebrity" and "actor" to leave those quotation marks on the resume and actually live in the world and be concerned enough to care.