Given the ambiguity of the historical records, what made you decide to dramatize his death in that way?
It completed the circle, too, that it happens where Ragnar died.
You have to make a judgment.
Credit: Bernard Walsh/History
I will always go for the most dramatic interpretation of any given situation.
When the sons look into Ragnars grave, his body seems to be gone.
Where do you think it went?
Thats a very good question, because I hadnt really thought about it!
You might interpret it as: Hes risen again from the dead!
Like, He wasnt in the cave when they opened the cave in the morning, you know?
Which is, I think, quite a lot of wishful thinking!
I think that it referred back to how Ragnar behaved before the attack on Paris.
He made it absolutely clear that it was his army, that he was in charge.
I could hear, in Bjorns voice, echoes of Ragnar.
I wonder, myself, whether he still isnt trying a little too hard.
I do think that Bjorn is still an evolving character.
He has to go on proving himself.
Its one of those terrible things, Eldest Son Syndrome.
I know that syndrome pretty well myself!
You are never really let off the hook.
People always compare you to your father.
Conversely, Ivar seems to suffer from Youngest Son Syndrome, which I know pretty well myself.
Ive always thought of Ivar as someone different from you and me.
He just will push things to unendurable levels.
He will not recognize normal social interactions or limitations.
There is nothing really that prevents Ivar from being Ivar.
He sounds like a pretty typical modern politician!
[Laughs] We have an unrestrained id going into the White House.
What made you decide to start exploring this side of Haralds personality?
This is the beginning of accessing deeper levels of Haralds character.
The history books dont tell us what actually happened to that relationship.
How would he behave?
Hes not your average Viking.
In subsequent developments in season 5, you see a lot more of his interior life.
[Laughs] Peter [Franzen], who plays him, is just an amazing actor.
I like him so much as an actor and as a character.
People remain people, and everyone is concerned about love, and jealousy, and so on.
But still, Viking society was different.
Slaves were actually treated worse than dirt.
At least the sons of Ragnar seem to rise above that, and certainly they treat Margrethe differently.
I was making the point that maybe their morals were somewhat different.
Theyre not Christians, theyre pagans.
Their moral framework is different, which is why its interesting to compare it to the Christian moral framework.
Then we see the difficulties that Judith has, and Ecbert, and Aethelwulf.
Their triangle is a very different triangle.
That scene with Aethelwulf talking to Ecbert was just so beautiful.
Most of us can, I think, relate to that in some ways.
Im not saying he wasnt good before, but he just got better and better.
When Aethelwulf asks his father if he loves him, Ecbert doesnt say anything.
Do you think Ecbert loves his son?
I wouldnt altogether pretend to know the absolute truth.
My feeling was always that Ecbert found it difficult to love anyone.
It was something he learned at Charlemagnes court.
He became very cynical in France.
The French are cynical!
And I dont think he loved his son, particularly.
He did recognize ultimately that his son was a formidable warrior.
These are truly awesome battle sequences, but beneath that, theres a huge amount of emotional life.
Its full of surprises.
Death comes to important people.
