While filming the Oscar-nominated film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Viggo Mortensen was so captivated by New Zealand's natural beauty that he wanted to make sure the crew appreciated it, and not from a helicopter window. "He wanted to drive five, six, eight hours – sometimes two days – to get (to certain locations)," says producer Barrie Osborne. On one occasion, Mortensen (who is also an accomplished painter and photographer), costar Orlando Bloom and Osborne thought the sunrise on the South Island was so incredible that Mortensen persuaded the crew to camp out so it could be captured on film the next morning. "We got some steaks and barbecued, had big campfires and a lot of red wine, and told stories all night long," says Osborne.

(People Insider Feb 27, 2004 )