(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Viggo Mortensen says moving to New York as a child made him a maverick.

The actors family lived in several different countries when he was growing up and Viggo says the constant upheaval was both a blessing and a curse. While it was exciting to see different cultures, it also made Viggo feel lonely and unable to make friends.

The star felt completely out of his comfort zone when he moved to North America and it took him a while to adjust to his new surroundings.

"I was lucky and unlucky to grow up in different countries. I spend my childhood in South America, before my parents moved to New York when I was 11, he told the German edition of OK! magazine. The culture shock was substantial. Nobody knew soccer, nobody spoke Spanish. I began to isolate myself and become a bit of a maverick and I have been since then."

The 51-year-old actor is also a talented poet, musician, painter and photographer. He believes it is important to have more than one skill to rely on. Viggo says having a range of talents has ensured he has never had to struggle to make a living and he insists he wasnt too proud in the past to do a variety of jobs in order to pay his bills.

"I never had to sell my body for crack", he joked. "With paintings and books I could always made a living besides from acting. And if not, I took an odd job - from removal man to busker, I did it all." (C) Cover Media