Viggo Mortensen’s most iconic role was the one of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, but the actor hasn’t appeared in any big franchises since. However, the actor has an explanation for why he has never starred in another big franchise.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Mortensen explained that he doesn’t mind joining a franchise, as long as the story is good. The actor has starred in many successful films, including 2009’s The Road and 2018’s Green Book, however, his role as Aragorn is what brought him worldwide fame. He loved the role so much that he didn’t rule out a return to Middle Earth.

“I don’t really look for or avoid any kind of genre or any size budget,” Mortensen explained about choosing his roles. “I just look for interesting stories. 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.”

They’re not usually that good. I mean, to me, they’re not usually that well written. They’re kind of predictable.

The three-time Oscar nominee continued, “That goes for franchises. If somebody came to me with X movie, the third part or 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.”

Viggo Mortensen Weighed on Streaming Versus Theaters

With many studios owning their own streaming services, like Disney, Warner Bros., and Paramount, many films are no longer premiering in theaters, but on the studios’ individual platforms. That has created a very imbalanced environment at the box office, as people need a better reason to go see a film in theaters. That has started a huge conversation for filmmakers, and Mortensen also weighed in on the situation.

“Well, I feel the same as an actor and as a director—I feel like I’m part of a filmmaking team and I always want a movie to be seen in the theater, especially if I think it’s a good movie.”

He also recalled that Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives, in which Mortensen plays Richard Stanton, which came from MGM, was supposed to premiere in theaters. However, once Amazon acquired MGM, the film headed to streaming. “Basically, you saw that movie for a week in Chicago, New York, and LA, London, and that was that. Then you had the streaming, which I thought was really sad. It’s a really well-shot movie. So it concerns me.”

However, he noted, “If the only way I could, say, direct my next movie was for it to only be streaming, I would have to consider that because otherwise the movie just doesn’t get made.”