Viggo Mortensen, Lord of the Rings Actor, Slams Argentina President Javier Milei, Calls Him a Clown

Actor Viggo Mortensen grew up in Argentina despite being born to Danish and American parents. He recently appeared on Argentinian TV and did not mince his words when it came to Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei.

The Danish-American actor spent most of his childhood in Argentina and maintained close ties with people in the country. He is also very fluent in Spanish and has admitted to being a massive fan of the Argentinian club San Lorenzo. However, with his interview on RTVE, he was clearly no fan of Milei.

"I read, I observe, I have friends, I talk with my friends in Argentina," the "Lord of the Rings" star told the host. "Argentines are historically a people of great endurance. They are used to continuously overcoming and being in terrible situations like this," in reference to the current economic crisis in Argentina.

"This situation with Milei, the conservative Spanish media will say that he is a genius, that he is lifting the economy," he admitted, but then slammed Milei, adding, "Well... for one percent or less of the Argentinian population, it is convenient that this clown, a puppet of the right manipulated by others, is in charge."

"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," he added. "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."

Viggo Mortensen Reiterates Support for Argentina Arts and Cinema

Viggo Mortensen has been very supportive of the arts and film industry in Argentina and even participated in the campaign against cuts to the budget of the country's National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA).

"In Argentina, going to the movies has always been a sociocultural act," he said, voicing his displeasure at Javier Milei's austerity measures, which cut Argentina's budget for the arts. "But today it has become an essential sociopolitical act."

Mortensen was back in Argentina to promote his new film, "The Dead Don't Hurt," and he was actively trying to make his voice heard during his media rounds.

Argentina Recently Faced Massive Strikes Because of Javier Milei's Austerity Measures

Javier Milei's austerity measures have pretty much affected daily life in Argentina. While economists are praising these measures as they address the country's budget shortfalls, it has resulted in prices going up and people losing their jobs.

This resulted in a massive strike last week where unions across Argentina paralyzed the country, with trains and buses not running and several businesses also shutting down in solidarity. According to the BBC, union leaders are asking Milei to review some of the cuts to subsidies and social programs.

READ MORE: Argentina Top Criminal Court Finds Iran, Hezbollah Responsible for 1992 Embassy Attack

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: El western feminista de Viggo Mortensen I MAÑANA MáS - RTVE