Fortunately, Patricia and Katy got the chance to ask some burning questions of Alexander Ludwig (Bjorn) and Katheryn Winnick (Lagertha) last week, and have exciting things to report.
Alexander Ludwig
Baby boy is growing up
It’s Bjorn’s turn to shine and he is finally going to take control of his destiny, even if it means defying his father’s wishes. Alexander shared about Bjorn’s struggle with that decision:
I think it is going to have immense consequences on the way Bjorn lives his life forever. It’s probably one of the hardest things he’s had to do. He’s assumed all this responsibility for 5 years over the kingdom of Kattegat and suddenly his father has returned and he wants to know why. And I think it will plague him for the rest of his life but he know he has to step out of the shadows and to earn the fame and the glory that his father did for going out and exploring.
Bjorn ditches Ragnar for the other father figure in his life, Rollo, as uncle (or is it his real father?!?!) and nephew team up to lay waste to the Mediterranean. But wait!
Alexander hints that their once close bond may be breaking. “Bjorn is going to have to make a decision, a political decision, based on his incredibly strong emotions towards his uncle and the future of his people. You definitely are going to see Bjorn deal with the negative choices he will have to make that will come as a consequence of assuming so much responsibility and power. ”
Vengeance belongs to Bjorn
When I asked Alexander what scene in Vikings he was most proud of, he dropped this hint about Bjorn’s character development:
There’s a scene in 4b where Bjorn finally gets his revenge on somebody who has plagued him for quite sometime. And I think it is one of the most hauntingly beautiful things fans will ever see and it will definitely be one of the darkest things they have ever seen. It is going to, if anything, be incredible impactful…. I want Bjorn to be very dark. He is becoming that way.
*plots vengeance* but against who?
Who’s bed have Bjorn’s boots been under?
When it comes to love, fidelity is not something the Vikings are known for (side eyes Ragnar). As hinted to in the trailers, Lagertha has a new love this season. Alexander says that Bjorn doesn’t react well to it. “You’re not going to be happy. He will react to that. Fidelity was up to each and every relationship. It wasn’t assumed. You are definitely going to see some drama arise.”
Katheryn Winnick
Yassss Queen
All the trailers for the upcoming season indicate that Lagertha will be coming into her own as a force in Kattegatt, not just as a participant in Ragnar’s antics. According to Katheryn, Lagertha’s “dream was obviously to expand two different territories and also make Kattegatt one of the largest trading centers. It’s her dream and she saw the potential of it.” Unfortch there’s one thing standing in her way, and she is a floozy doozy!
ugh, I hate you
Girl fight tonight
Move over Ragnar and Rollo, the battle between Lagertha and Aslaug promises to be the event of the season!
Oooooooh! It.is.on.
Katheryn says of the clash:
there is definitely a big epic scene where Lagertha and Aslaug come face to face and I will say it’s pretty epic, it’s juicy and it’s memorable.”
I cannot wait to watch Lagertha do a little of this
while Aslaug does a lot of this!!!!
“Oh shit”
Vikings’ moral center
Earlier this year, Michael Hirst referred to Lagertha as the “soul of the show.” I asked Katheryn how Lagertha maintains her moral compass, when so many other characters have descended down dark paths as they have become more ambitious:
I think that it’s the fact that she is constantly getting challenged in her moral compass and her moral ethics are always getting challenged and I think it is what keeps her honest and it keeps her who she is as Lagertha. She is formidable, she is strong, but she is also a woman. She is allowed to be vulnerable, she is allowed to be feminist. She is allowed not to have her (shit) together at times and that’s what makes this character so real and fantastic. It’s not just the strengths of her character as a warrior but her strength, her personality, and her strong sense of will is what I think a lot of people identify with.”
Let’s hear it for the Vikings ladies [again]! Katheryn also took some time to talk about how her work on Vikings has inspired her to support the organization Women in Film. She raised money to support women film makers through sales of the“Wake up. Kick ass. Repeat” t-shirts, which she plans to launch again in the near future. Here are some more of her thoughts on what it means to be a women kicking ass:
It can mean kicking ass means being an amazing mother or kicking ass means going to work and trying to put your kids to bed and having three jobs, or if it’s a mother running to then be seen being a CEO of a company there is different ways and a lot of women can kick ass in everyday life.”
Hold on to your helmets
In other juicy news, Katheryn revealed that Lagertha will received a prediction from the The Seer “that literally changes her for not only the rest of the season but the rest of her life and it’s a really big scene.” OMG this season is going to kill me!
Katheryn also had some great reveals about Ragertha, Bjorn and Lagertha’s new love, which I will be sharing as the episode recaps unfold. Stay tuned!
Vikings returns to History on Wednesday Nov. 30th at 9pm EST. Our drinking horns are ready!
Catch up on all the Vikings recaps here
Vikings images are courtesy of the History Channel
