Viggo Mortensen To Retire Early? Gilliam “Relieved” He Never Got ‘Harry Potter’ Gig

Was it the recent “Road’ bump news that did it? Viggo Mortensen is apparently considering an early retirement from acting. Look, convince Cronenberg to make “The Matarese Circle,” make sure you’re cast next to Denzel Washington, we’ll finally get our heavyweights toe-to-toe-action and then you can retire. Actually, it would be a shame if he left us early. Mortensen has never won an Oscar and has rarely had the chance to square off against today’s best actors in a leading role. Stay the good fight, Viggo. [Cinemablend]

Jason Schwartzman talked up his role in “The Adventurer’s Handbook” which co-stars Jonah Hill recently. No real super information other than he’s not going to play his Grammy-winning character in a “spoofy” way and he’s also going to have a top-secret new hairdo which he’s looking forward to. Presumably there is something funny about it. [MTV]

Terry Gilliam was once up for consideration for the first “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” film and instead Warner Bros. went with Chris Columbus instead. Now the directors says he’s “relieved” he didn’t get the gig that J.K. Rowling wanted him for.”It was way too expensive,” he told the Guardian. “Too much at stake. So they [the studio bosses] interfere. It’s about serving something higher than yourself. It’s the film. The film is God and I’m worshipping … While I’m making it I become a zealot. Basically I’m like a suicide bomber when it comes to my films!”

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