Several sources are noting that Viggo Mortenson has hinted in an interview with Men's Journal that he plans on taking an indefinite break from acting. Some are going so far as to say that he's permanently throwing in the towel, although that seems like a far-fetched conclusion. Nevertheless, Mortenson definitely indicated that he's burned out and needs to go on a temporary hiatus.
I have no plans to do another movie. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm open to seeing how I feel in a while, but right now I'm not saying yes to anything. My agent is like, "Well, if you don't do anything, people will forget about you ..." I just feel like I've taken on too much for a while.
This means that The Road might be Mortenson's last movie for a while. Cinema Blend points out that this could be bad news for Lord of the Rings fans, who were expecting to see Mortenson reprise his role as Aragorn for the second of Guillermo del Toro's Hobbit movies. Although the character isn't featured in Tolkien's novel, the second movie promises to go beyond The Hobbit and create a sort of bridge to Lord of the Rings, which follows The Hobbit chronologically.
Regarding Mortenson's agent's claim, this obviously isn't the first time an actor has decided to take a sudden leave from his career, and it's not impossible to recover from a protracted period away. Since starring in The Boxer (1997), Daniel Day-Lewis has done only three movies: Gangs of New York, The Ballad of Jack and Rose (which his wife directed), and There Will Be Blood. While we're not saying that Mortenson necessarily has the same clout, Day-Lewis's case shows that some time away won't necessarily ruin a person's career. Either way, we'll have to wait and see what Mortenson decides.