Mortensen Still Hurt Over Platoon Omission....

Actor Viggo Mortensen was devastated when he was axed from the Platoon cast at the last minute - because he'd spent a year preparing for the 1986 war film.Mortensen - who last month (22Jan08) received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in Eastern Promises - knew the Vietnam-based drama was destined for critical and commercial success, so he worked "rigorously" to master the role of Sergeant Elias Grodin.But shortly before shooting was due to commence on the movie, he was replaced by Willem Dafoe - because filmmakers had the budget to cast a bigger name.He tells British film magazine Empire, "I can totally understand why it didn't happen. It's just that I laboured for a year or more under the illusion that I had the part, and so I spent a year reading every paper, every book, every essay, watching every film, every documentary about Vietnam."I don't regret it because I learned a lot, but I was so ready to play the part. I prepared for that as rigorously as anything I've ever worked on and it didn't happen. It was frustrating".Meanwhile the American actor has hit out at film stars who sign up to big budget Hollywood projects solely for the pay cheque - insisting he's far too focused on his art to worry about his salary.Eastern Promises star Mortensen is adamant he will never make a film just to fund a luxurious lifestyle, because he prefers working on films that challenge him as an actor - regardless of the budget.He tells Empire magazine, "Certainly I could have made some more money if I'd done what you're talking about, but I mean, how much money does a person need?

"I can help my family; I can give money to certain organisations; I can travel on my own. I don't need more than I have. I've been really fortunate".

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