Viggo Starves on Dark Chocolate on The Road

Viggo Mortensen, 'The Road'
Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival
Mayfair Hotel, October 16, 2009, London, England.
(Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

Actor Viggo Mortensen (LOTR, Eastern Promises, A History of Violence) turned 51 yesterday. Happy Birthday Viggo!

Viggo shed 20 pounds while filming The Road, based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel about a father and son struggling to survive in post-apocalyptic world.

Kodi Smit-McPhee and Viggo Mortensen in
John Hillcoat's 'The Road'
(Photo by Macall Polay/The Weinstein Company)

The lean actor got even thinner by sticking to a diet of dark chocolate and “a bit of red meat” during the 55-day shoot, director John Hillcoat said following a screening in Los Angeles.

Mortensen’s weight loss is evident in the movie. His ribs protrude noticeably in a couple of shirtless scenes.

Viggo Mortensen, 'The Road' press conference ,
Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival,
Mayfair Hotel, October 16, 2009, London, England.
(Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

(L-R) Director John Hillcoat, writer Joe Penhall and actor Viggo Mortensen
(Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

“He starved himself,” producer Steve Schwartz said. “He was in his role all of the time.”

In the film an unspecified catastrophe leaves the Earth’s soil sterile, forcing survivors to scavenge ruined cities for canned food while dodging cannibals. Mortensen’s character and his son try to maintain their humanity while searching for a safe haven.

The book won McCarthy the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2007 and the film earned Hillcoat a Golden Lion nomination at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

Last month we reported Mortensen was quitting acting after promoting The Road which opens which opens Nov. 25. Oh Viggo, please say it isn't so! I have a feeling we'll be seeing alot more of Viggolicious come awards season!

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Source: Bloomberg.com