Viggo Mortensen on why he has not acted in Hollywood franchise after 'Lord of the Rings'

Washington [US], July 17 : American actor and musician Viggo Mortensen shared why he was not part of another franchise following the Oscar-winning 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
The actor, who portrayed Aragorn in Peter Jackson's films from 2001 to 2003, explained what he looks for in movie roles, stating that they must have a compelling tale and be well-written. However, he acknowledged that films in series are "not usually that good."
"I don't really look for or avoid any kind of genre or any size budget. I just look for interesting stories," Mortensen explained. "It doesn't matter to me what the genre is or what the budget is or who's making them. I would never do a movie just because so-and-so is directing it. It has to be about the story. And if I think I'm right for the character, that always comes first."
He continued, "That goes for franchises. If somebody came to me with X movie, the third part of the ninth part, and I thought it was a great character and I wanted to play that character and I thought I had something to contribute, I'd do it. I'm not against it. But they're not usually that good. I mean, to me, they're not usually that well-written. They're kind of predictable. I mean, of course, there's always the issue of if I run out of money."
Though Mortensen is most remembered for his performance in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, he shared last month he was unsure whether he would return for Jackson's next film, which is set to be released in 2026.
"I haven't read a script. So I don't know," the Captain Fantastic actor said of the upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. "The script is the most important thing to me unless I'm broke, I have no money and I'm lucky to get any job. So it depends," according to The Hollywood Reporter.