Actor/singer/photographer/poet Viggo Mortensen has seen his career take off after being cast as the heroic Aragorn in ?The Lord of the Rings? trilogy. Mortensen joined the cast late but never once regretted his decision to take on this complicated character.

While discussing the third and final film of the trilogy, ?The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,? Viggo Mortensen reflected on his newfound heartthrob status and how Tolkien?s world parallels our own.

What does your son think of all this, especially now that you?ve become a huge heartthrob and a hero/mythic character?
My son has a healthy disrespect for me, which is as it should be. You know he?s 15, and if you don?t have a healthy disrespect for your dad, then there?s something wrong with you. No, we have a good friendship, and he?s actually been helpful. He?s got lots of good ideas, and you know, this has been a 4-year on and off process, so I?ve returned again and again. He?s seen the first two. He?s seen the extended versions of the first two, and he made some interesting comments. He was there a lot as well, and it was fun to watch him get into it. He really likes martial arts, and when he gets into something, he just really digs in and studies.

He knows more about elves and dwarves then I probably ever will - and their fighting styles. Because he?s so big now and so adept, the last two years there, he was used by the stunt team several times in battles. I mean, the two battles that you see in the first one, he fought.

I fought him, and he was one of the orcs, one of the big, bad orcs. The last battle, he played a Gondorian, the guys with the metal, pointy helmets. So he was kind of a double agent in the third movie. He really liked it.

That?s the way Peter [Jackson] made these movies. He made it like a family experience for everyone. Every crew member felt like it was, and anyone who was available at any time played an extra in this movie, so it?s like a big photo album for us. When you watch the movie, ?Oh there?s Zooey. There?s Bob. There?s Jimmy.? Obviously Pete?s kids were in the movies a few times. Sean Astin?s daughter, my son several times, and crew members? kids and parents. I mean, there?s not that many people who live in New Zealand, so we had to make use of everyone.

Can you give me an update on your singing career, especially the new album?
I?ve recorded other things with Buckethead, and my son?s been along and played a lot of things over the years. But that the hobbits, the 3 of the hobbits, were involved was just unexpected. I may have told you, we were almost done with the record and they asked me what I was doing the next day on a Sunday. I said, ?Well, I have to go finish mixing this record.? And they said, ?Oh what are you making? Who are you making [it with]?? I said, ?Buckethead,? and they went, ?Buckethead! We have to go. We have to go.? I said okay and then I called Buckethead and I said, ?I don?t think we?re going to finish mixing the record today, but we might have some fun.? Then when I told him who was coming, he was even more excited than they were. He?s completely into these movies. He showed up on time, actually early, and was waiting.

We had a really good time. We spent a few hours jamming, 3 or 4 hours I don?t know, which made our job mixing harder. We had to take all that and try to find some gems, but one of them was "Halfling." That was pretty fun.

Women just love you in these movies. Are you aware of that and that sort of hunk status?
I?ve been made aware of that.

What does it mean to you?
It?s not unflattering but it?s not something I can? What do I do in response to that? I don?t know. I guess give it ten years and then they?ll, in a few years they?ll move on to someone else. I mean, it?s not something that enters into my regular daily life. You know what I mean? It?s an unexpected, flattering result of being in these popular movies, I guess, is what I would say to that.

You don?t get hounded by women like The Beatles?
Sometimes. It depends where we?re at. I mean, airports and premiere kinds of things, but as long as I have a couple hobbits or Orlando [Bloom] around, I can sort of sneak away. They?ll go for them every time.

PAGE 2:The Impact of "The Lord of the Rings"

Additional ?The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King? Press Junket Interviews:
John Rhys-Davies, Sean Astin, Bernard Hill, David Wenham/John Noble, and Richard Taylor/Barrie M. Osborne

?The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King? Premiere Coverage:
Orlando Bloom/Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Elijah Wood/Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, David Wenham/John Noble, John Rhys Davies/Bernard Hill, and Peter Jackson/Richard Taylor

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King? Photo Gallery
"Return of the King? Trailer, Credits, Soundtrack Info and Movie News