SANDPOINT, Idaho — The recent Oscar nomination of Hollywood actor and North Idaho resident Viggo Mortensen has many in Bonner County and the Sandpoint area closely following the awards season.
Mortensen, who owns a home in a rural area outside of Clark Fork, also has connections to Sandpoint’s community theater scene.
"He's had a tie here for a long time,” Patricia Walker, executive director of Sandpoint’s Panida Theater, said of the actor.
The story goes that Mortensen was rehearsing for a play at the Panida years ago when he received a call that he had booked a Hollywood role, Walker said.
The rest would be history, as the saying goes. During his time in the film industry, Mortensen’s credits have included his iconic role as Aragorn in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Among a career spanning several decades, Mortensen has received Oscar nominations for his performances in "Eastern Promises" and "Captain Fantastic."
Mortensen is currently up for Best Actor in the movie "Green Book."
When Mortensen is not spending time working on films, he is known to participate in local fundraisers and events at the Panida.
"He's very unassuming and spends some time out and about in eating establishments and doing some things. And he’s never shy about coming here to the theater,” Walker said.
Mortensen had previously hosted screenings of his films and talkback events at the Panida, most recently for Captain Fantastic. Around 800 people attended recent showings of Green Book at the Panida, Walker said. Mortensen, however, could not attend due to work commitments.
Walker called Mortensen’s performance in Green Book one of his best yet.
"It's really exciting for us to see all these different aspects of his career,” she said of Mortensen’s roles over the years.
Walker emphasized that Mortensen’s story shows that anyone “can make it big” regardless of where they start acting.
"It’s pretty exciting for the town. We kind of take ownership a little bit,” Walker said. “He's our little gem that we relate to."