Viggo Mortensen blasts Argentina's Milei, calling him 'a clown' and 'a puppet of the right'

In a sprawling interview with RTVE while promoting his latest movie, actor and director Viggo Mortensen commented on the economic and political situation in Argentina, calling the current president "a clown" and "a puppet of the right." Although Mortensen's parents are from the U.S. and Denmark, he spent most of his childhood in the South American country and holds close ties to Argentina, something illustrated by his clear local accent and repeated trips there, as well as his passion for soccer club San Lorenzo.

"I read, I observe, I have friends, I talk with my friends in Argentina" said Mortensen. "Argentines are historically a people of great endurance. They are used to continuously overcoming and being in terrible situations like this. This situation with Milei, the conservative Spanish media will say that he is a genius, that he is lifting the economy. Well... for one percent or less of the Argentine population, it is convenient that this clown, a puppet of the right manipulated by others, is in charge" concluded the actor.

He continued by saying:

"And for the rest of the people, it's a total disaster, not only for the arts, or cinema, for the people, the everyday people. The people in the province of Buenos Aires, for them it's a total disaster and will have lasting consequences that they will have to overcome. One day this clown will disappear. Will he come here? Maybe, it's a free country, of course, he can come but I certainly won't pay much attention to him."

Mortensen, who is best known for playing Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, has been vocal against Milei's policies before. Just last month, the actor voiced his support for the Argentine film industry after the government announced massive cuts and layoffs in the area. "In Argentina, going to the movies has always been a sociocultural act," he said about his knowledge of the audiovisual industry. "But today it has become an essential sociopolitical act."

Mortensen has also been outspoken about other political issues recently. Just last month, he was one of the most well-known figures to sign an open letter directed at the U.S. Congress urging support for Ukraine aid in its fights against the invasion from Russia.