Which Viking would you most like to fight alongside?
Katheryn Winnick (Lagertha): “If I’m answering that question as Lagertha, I would have to say Bjorn Ironside. He’s my son, I have so much respect for him as a warrior and I know he’d have my back. If I’m answering as Katheryn, I’d say a mix of Ivar, who is a mastermind in strategy; Ubbe, who is strong; and Bishop Heahmund, fearless and ruthless in one.”
Snake pit or blood eagle?
Jordan Patrick Smith (Ubbe): “Snake pit any day of the week.”
Marco Ilsø (Hvitserk): “I’d take blood eagle. Unlike Ubbe here, I’m a man, so I’ll go out like a man.”
If you had to adopt a Viking tradition, what would it be?
Alexander Ludwig (Bjorn Ironside): “I really admired the Vikings' respect of women. And, with everything going on at the moment, never has that been more poignant. Their society was surprisingly progressive for such a long time ago. Somewhere along the line, that got lost. I must say I’m proud to be part of a show that, in some small way, supports strong females.”
Source: SBS
As a newcomer to the show, what surprised you most?
Adam "Edge" Copeland (Ketill Flatnose): “At 6'4", 250 pounds in weight and [being a] WWE wrestler, you assume you’ll be in the thick of the battle scenes from the get-go. But I didn’t do any fighting for a number of episodes, which was a big surprise. But that gave me the chance to show different skills and enjoy those character-driven moments. Another horrible surprise is the amount of time it takes to get hair and makeup done. If I have a 7am crew call, I’m up at 3:40am to get my prosthetic nose, my hair and beard extensions, and that weathered look. It takes about three hours to become Ketill Flatnose. I have to have my breakfast before it starts otherwise I’ll end up eating hair.”
What was one of the scariest moments filming Vikings?
Adam "Edge" Copeland: “You would think it would be some terrifying battle scene, but no, it was when I had to swim underwater for the first time with the prosthetic nose and realised I couldn’t breathe. Terrifying.”
What was the most emotional scene to write?
Michael Hirst (creator): “Vikings is about life and death, and all that goes in between, so there have been significant deaths and extraordinary emotional moments, but the one that stands out is in season one when Ragnar is sitting on the beach, lamenting the death of his daughter, Gyda (Ruby O'Leary). I have lots of daughters and I imagined giving that speech myself. Despite Travis Fimmel having no children, he still delivered the most wonderful, lyrical, emotional speech that really touched me.”
Source: SBS
Vikings is very physical. Have there been any accidents to date?
Marco Ilsø: “Tonnes! Actually one of the worst was when I broke an extra’s tooth. It was a plastic axe, but I was swinging it in a relatively tight space and heard a very loud 'crack’ followed by a very loud ‘ow’. That was pretty bad.”
Watch Vikings season five on Wednesday 6 December at 9:30pm on SBS.
