With the first season of Vikings: Valhalla now streaming on Netflix, I recently got to speak with David Oakes (Earl of Godwin) about making the series. During the interview, he talked about how much creator/showrunner Jeb Stuart told him about his characters journey, what people would be surprised to learn about the making of Vikings: Valhalla, what it was like reading the scripts for the first time and seeing the scale and scope, how the London bridge sequence in episode 4 is like a season finale in the middle of the season, and how his character is like Alan Rickman in Die Hard. In addition, since the cast has already filmed Vikings: Valhalla Season 2, he teased what fans can expect next season.
If you haven’t seen the trailers, Vikings: Valhalla takes place one hundred years after Michael Hirsch’s Vikings series, so if you’ve never seen an episode of Vikings you can start with Valhalla. The new series follows the exploits and adventures of some of the most notable (and infamous) names in Norse history. Chief among them is revered Viking ruler Harald Hardrada (Leo Suter), along with the explorer Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett) and Old Norse religious leader Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson), the son and daughter of Vikings’ Erik the Red. Vikings: Valhalla also stars Caroline Henderson (Jarl Haakon), Laura Berlin (Emma of Normandy), Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Olaf Haraldsson), Bradley Freegard (King Canute), Louis Davison (Prince Edmund), Bosco Hogan (King Aethelred II), Asbjørn Krogh Nissen (Jarl Kåre), Pollyanna McIntosh (Aelfgifu of Northampton), and Soren Pilmark (King Sweyn Forkbeard).
Check out what David Oakes had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.
David Oakes
- How much did Vikings: Valhalla creator/showrunner Jeb Stuart tell him about the full arc of his characters journey when he signed on.
- How his character is like Alan Rickman in Die Hard.
- What would surprise people to learn about the making of the series?
- What was it like reading the scripts for the first time and seeing the scale and scope of the series?
- How episode 4 is like a season finale action sequence.
- How much fun is it playing a character that is constantly trying to play every situation to his benefit?
- What can he tease about Vikings: Valhalla Season 2?
- What was it like when he wasn’t on set due to COVID?
- What is it about Vikings culture that remains so popular?
- Did he binge all the seasons of Vikings after getting his role?
