COMEDY-DRAMA

Viggo Mortensen He didn't get much bedroom action in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but Mortensen, 46, more than makes up for it with steamy scenes opposite Maria Bello in the acclaimed thriller A History of Violence. He shared his screen seduction secrets.

PREPARE FOR PAIN I had a bunch of bumps and bruises. But [Bello] had more, definitely. We were on wooden stairs. There was no rug, and we're not wearing football pads.

GO WITH THE FLOW As an actor you're expecting [director David Cronenberg] to say, "Cut!" That's your safety net. But we didn't hear "cut"... and we didn't hear "cut." Then it gets uncomfortable. Odd things are happening. It's scary. It's just you and this person you're with.

AWKWARD IS GOOD [In Violence] it felt like what you would see from a husband and wife that have been together for a while and care about each other and are trying to work on their relationship. It is what it is: a little bit awkward and affectionate.

JUST DO IT Let's put it this way: I won't do a movie that doesn't have some sex in it. No--I'm joking! That's what humans do sometimes. So [as an actor] you're going to do it sometimes, unless you make a conscious effort to avoid it.