Lord Of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen terrified friends and family when he went missing for two weeks while researching a film role inside the Russian Mafia.

The brave actor felt sure the only way to play a mobster in new film Eastern Promises was to infiltrate the violent world of Russia's gangland leaders.

And, so as not to upset his nearest and dearest with his plans, he just disappeared during a trip to Russia.

He reveals, "I met people who had experiences in prisons in Russia and understood more about street slang and they helped me tweak some of the dialogue, but that wasn't enough.

"I know everyone was a little bit worried because I disappeared for two weeks. They said I should have someone go with me into the underworld, but the whole point of me of going was not to get a filtered version of what Russians do and what they're like. I just wanted to draw my own conclusions. I met a lot of people and talked to them. They may have been more dangerous than I realized but it was interesting to be in Moscow for a few days and St. Petersburg for a few days. I spent all day and night on the streets, going to places I thought would be interesting for the character. I did a lot of walking. I rode the metro a lot.

"Then I found someone who had a car and he took me pretty far into the countryside and to these villages. There, I saw how these mobsters looked at each other and how they lived. I also drank a lot of Russian vodka."

-Viggo Mortensen Pictures

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)