Viggo Mortensen pauses a lot when speaking.

It's not that he doesn't know what to say in answer to a question, it's that he wants to convey exactly what he means, so he takes the time to choose his words carefully.

When asked whether he was worried about comparisons between his work in "Eastern Promises," released on DVD on Dec. 26, and his role in "A History of Violence" (also made with the same director, David Cronenberg), he says the major difference between his two characters is that in "Eastern Promises," "my character is quite clear on who he is and what he is attempting to do, what he is sacrificing, what's at stake.

"He's not lying to himself ... whereas the other character is necessarily — or he feels it's necessary in 'History of Violence' to delude himself on some level."

Mortensen says he really does not judge his characters. They are neither good nor bad. "I think all people are morally ambiguous," he says during a phone interview, "and that most people are somewhat unaware" of their own contradictions.

"Eastern Promises" came to DVD a little more than three months after its theatrical release. It didn't ignite the box office, earning only $17 million. But it did earn respectable reviews, with Mortensen's portrayal of a Russian gangster. He recently received a Golden Globe nomination for the role.

"I think most people are endlessly interesting no matter what you're playing as an actor," he says. Mortensen adds that he doesn't necessarily seek out characters that are "morally ambiguous."

"But," he says, "I think that all people are contradictory in their behavior and in their presentation of their personality."

In "Eastern Promises," Mortensen helped mold Nikolai, the Russian gangster he portrays by collaborating with Cronenberg on the physical aspects of his character.

As an example, he cites Nikolai's tattoos, which were only mentioned in passing in the original script. Mortensen, however, found some books and a documentary film that delved into details about the meaning and history of Russian criminal tattoos. He pointed these out to Cronenberg and screenwriter Steven Knight who incorporated them into the script.

The scene that generated the most talk is the steam-room fight in which a nude Mortensen battles for his life.

It was physically painful, he says, because obviously he was unable to wear any padding. "It was really interesting to shoot," he says, because Cronenberg "is so clever about the construction of his sequences. ... I thought it was done the way it should have been done and it was done very efficiently." Nor was it gratuitous, he adds. Thematically, it literally leaves his character totally exposed, "which makes for good drama."

The ending of "Eastern Promises" leaves audiences with some questions, a fact that pleased Mortensen. "That's one sign that it was a good story, well told."

"With Eastern Promises, I think each time you see it, you see more and you have more questions." He compared the film's ending with that of "A History of Violence." In both, he says, "you ask yourself, 'What's going to happen to these people?' "

The open-ended finale of "Eastern Promises" does make for the possibility of a sequel, Mortensen says, an idea he and Cronenberg have kicked around. "At the end of the story you feel that it will continue," Mortensen says.

The movie leaves a lot unanswered. "You have to think for yourself, and I think that's the highest form of respect you can pay an audience member," he says.

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