Director Viggo Mortensen worries about the social use of Catalan language

American-Danish actor and director Viggo Mortensen raised concern about the social use of Catalan while in Barcelona to present his second movie as a director, 'The Dead Don't Hurt', a modern romantic Western. 

In the film, Mortensen offers an "unusual" point of view with a female protagonist who is "free-thinking." 

"It's unusual to focus on a girl or have a free-thinking woman as a main character in the genre. I found it interesting to place a woman in a time period dominated by a few corrupt, violent and manipulative men," Mortensen told the Catalan News Agency (ACN). 

Mortensen is well known for his work as an actor. His breakthrough role was Aragorn in 'The Lord of the Rings' saga. He released his directorial debut 'Falling', inspired by his own parents' dementia, in 2020. 

Protecting Catalan 

Mortensen is married to Catalan actress Ariadna Gil and became a member of the Catalan NGO Òmnium Cultural, a pro-independence organization dedicated to promoting and spreading Catalan culture and the language. 

The director expressed concern over the social use of Catalan in Catalonia and said that it is a shame when languages are lost and not taken care of. 

"I don't understand how someone could be against caring for something," he said. 

He added that languages are "communication tools" and shouldn't be political. 

"I hate it when politics come into it. Life is short, why not learn as much as you can about other human beings, other places and cultures?" Mortensen added.