The 'Viggo Mortensen Broke His Toe' meme stems from a legendary behind-the-scenes fact from 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.' During the scene where Aragorn kicks an Uruk-hai helmet, thinking Merry and Pippin are dead, actor Viggo Mortensen actually broke two toes on the fifth take. His scream of anguish was so authentic that director Peter Jackson kept it in the final cut. Over time, the story itself became a meta-meme, poking fun at LOTR fans who compulsively share this trivia every time they watch the movie with someone else. It has evolved into a symbol of both extreme actor commitment and the shared 'nerd' experience of knowing too much movie lore.