Viggo Mortensen Gets All Russian and Naked in "Eastern Promises"

Viggo Mortensen is an extremely accomplished actor - and has made his acting skills known in a lot of high-quality movies, among which "The Lord of the Rings. Just think "A perfect Murder", where he starred alongside Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow and you'll get the idea.

The fact is, Mortensen's performances (especially when he's clean, not wearing a sword and dirt under his fingernails) are usually a treat, and when it comes to his latest movie, "Eastern Promises" (you can watch the trailer below) this is a bit of an understatement - considering the fact that the inevitable finally happens and in addition to feasting our eyes on his acting, we also get to see him stark naked.

Talking about the nude fight scene he had to shoot for "Eastern Promises" (no, rest assured, it's not a Britney Spears rehab biopic but a tense, occasionally rough but extremely well made gangster thriller), Mortensen revealed that it was "slippery, painful and embarrassing". The actor insisted that the four-minute nude fight scene which takes place in a steamy Turkish bath would have ruined the film if he had kept his towel on.

Viggo plays Russian mob member Nikolai in the film, which also stars Naomi Watts and Vincent Cassel. He states that "that scene was slippery, painful and embarrassing. I always knew the scene should be as realistic as the rest of the movie, so I couldn't feasibly keep the towel on. Plus, we shouldn't be trying to hide things or pretty it up in any way. I knew at times it would be awkward and vulnerable. It was also painful because I couldn't wear any pads to protect me. All I was wearing was a bunch of tattoos!"

Yes, well, I'm sure many of you won't be complaining too much once you see the movie. It tells a thrilling, occasionally bloody tale, which starts from a mysterious diary and leads the audience through a tightly-knit plot that focuses on the Russian mafia in London. It's enough to mention that Mortensen goes on the other side of the barricade (again) and steps into the shoes of a brutal, cold and charming Russian mobster. The 48-year-old actor also revealed he would jump at the chance of doing another naked fight scene, if it meant he could work with director David Cronenberg again. "One thing is for sure, I'll definitely work with David again. And if he wants me to fight naked, so be it!" Any proposals, anyone?