Lord of the Rings’ actor gets hooked on Beşiktaş

ISTANBUL

‘Lord of the Rings’ actor Actor Viggo Mortensen photographs an argument among the players in the final minutes of the Beşiktaş-Bursaspor game.

Hollywood actor Viggo Mortensen has become the latest famous figure attracted by Istanbul’s Beşiktaş football team, which is gaining international popularity with the “unorthodox” off-pitch actions of its core fan group if not the team’s superb performance on the field.

The actor, who goes to the matches of the team, was in the stands on Nov. 9 to see the game between Beşiktaş and Bursaspor. He cheered “My Beşiktaş Ole!”

The love for Beşiktaş on the part of the Danish-origin American actor, who is famous for reprising the role of Aragon in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and has been in Istanbul for three weeks for the shooting of “Two Faces of January,” began with the team’s uniform, that was given as a gift by a supporter. Viggo’s name was written on the black-and-white jersey.

Mortensen then started researching about the team, heading to matches against Kasımpaşa and Mersin İdmanyurdu with team members. The actor attended the Bursaspor match alone, drawing attention with his Beşiktaş neckwear while cheering passionately with other supporters. He also photographed an argument among the players in the final minutes of the game, a 3-3 draw.

Earlier last week, Beşiktaş President Fikret Orman presented a number 10 jersey to visiting Pervez Musharraf, who became Pakistani president after staging a coup in 1999. Musharraf has repeatedly noted that he is a dedicated Beşiktaş fan.

Broadcaster Al-Jazeera recently devoted considerable coverage to quotes from members of Beşiktaş’s most famous fan group, Çarşı, as part of an exposé on Turkish football.

The New Yorker covered the passion of Beşiktaş fans in March 2011 in an article.