Viggo Mortensen has revealed his all-time favorite scene from Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, 25 years after The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring first premiered in cinemas. Peter Jackson’s and New Line Cinema’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s seminal work was arguably a once-in-a-lifetime event; few fantasy films have had such a profound impact on cinema and pop culture in general. In celebration of Fellowship’s 25th anniversary, Empire sat down with the cast and creators to reminisce about The Lord of the Rings movies and their legacy. This included an interview with Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and Sean Bean, who portrayed Boromir, the captain of Gondor, about their time working together on The Fellowship of the Ring. One of Bean’s most memorable sequences as Boromir is Boromir’s death scene at the end of Fellowship, as he valiantly tries to protect the Hobbits from being taken by Saruman’s (Christopher Lee) Uruk-hai. Soon after, he and Aragorn share a poignant moment, as Aragorn gives Boromir a peaceful sendoff. Mortensen revealed that his and Boromir’s final goodbye is his favorite scene in the trilogy: “It’s such a beautiful scene.” “No offense to anybody else or any other part of the trilogy, but that’s maybe my favorite scene,” the actor said. “There are no effects, there are no imaginary monsters. It’s just two people who have a connection in terms of their ethnicity — you know, Gondor and all that — but they’ve been at odds. They’ve been kinda butting heads until then. And then there’s just such a strong connection.” Bean agreed with his co-star, adding, “Yeah, it was a great scene together.” The scene marks a pivotal turning point for Aragorn, as Boromir addresses him as “his brother, his captain, his King,” for the first and only time. This is arguably the moment Aragorn stops being a mere Ranger and follows the path to becoming the King of Gondor, one of the most important figures in the fight against the Dark Lord, Sauron, and throughout the Third Age of Middle-earth.

Credit: New Line Cinema

While Aragorn’s journey comes to an end in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, audiences may yet see another side of the character’s Ranger persona, Strider, in Andy Serkis’ upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. It’s currently unclear whether Mortensen is involved, though the actor previously stated that he’d be willing to return to Middle-earth (via Instagram).

Recasting Aragorn with a younger actor is certainly an option — recent reports have suggested as much — as the film will be set just before and during the earliest events of The Fellowship of the Ring. In Tolkien’s legendarium, Gandalf recruits Aragorn to search for Gollum to prevent the creature from revealing the One Ring’s whereabouts to Sauron’s forces, as Gollum journeys from the Misty Mountains to Mirkwood and elsewhere. Returning LOTR cast members for The Hunt for Gollum so far include Serkis as Gollum and Ian McKellen as Gandalf. Elijah Wood has been rumored to reprise his role as Frodo as well, though the actor has yet to confirm his return officially. No matter the final cast, the return to Peter Jackson’s version of Middle-earth in The Hunt for Gollum proves The Lord of the Rings trilogy’s continued cultural impact.

Created by

J.R.R. Tolkien

Cast

Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt

Character(s)

Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, Sauron, Gollum, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin Took, Celeborn, Aragorn, Galadriel, Bilbo Baggins, Saruman, Aldor, Wormtongue, Thorin Oakenshield, Balin Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Dori, Ori, Tauriel, King Thranduil, Smaug, Radagast, Arondir, Nori Brandyfoot, Poppy Proudfellow, Marigold Brandyfoot, Queen Regent Míriel, Sadoc Burrows