Vikings: Valhalla season 3 official trailer
Fans of Netflix’s medieval drama Vikings: Valhalla can catch Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson in another epic historical series this week, but he’s taking on a very different role.
The Icelandic-born star, also known for roles in Game of Thrones and The Witcher, is best known for portraying the ruthless Jarl Olaf Haraldsson in the hit sequel to the History Channel’s original Vikings series.
Olaf didn’t make an appearance in the latest outing after being slain by Freydís Eiríksdóttir (played by Frida Gustavsson) at the end of season two.
However, Jóhannes already has another ancient history drama under his belt after joining the cast of Peacock and Amazon Prime Video’s new Roman Empire series Those About to Die.
While fans are used to seeing him portray one of the most bloodthirsty kings of Norway in history, his enslaved gladiator Viggo is practically the total opposite of Olaf.
“I get to be a lot nicer in this show than I am in Vikings,” he told Express.co.uk. “I’ve got some shady moments and motives in Vikings.”
Viggo quickly forms a bond with fellow gladiator Kwame (Moe Hashim), who’s desperate to escape and reunite with his mother Cala (Sara Martins).
“In this one, I’m stuck being a gladiator in a prison where I get to meet Moe’s character Kwame, and we sort of find each other within that confinement and being slaves made to fight for our lives,” Jóhannes went on.
“Becoming friends and finding humanity in that situation, that’s what I love about our show. The humanity and the beauty that shines through all the dirt and the grit.”
Viggo and Kwame’s friendship first begins when they’re forced to fight each other, and there’s a gripping twist to the action sequence that viewers will discover when they tune in.
Moe revealed they were practicing their fight scenes for months before filming, which helped the co-stars bond just as much as their characters will over the course of the season.
“We were rehearsing with the stunt team all the fight scenes we had,” he shared. “The one you’re talking about… is such a difficult fight scene we had to do.
“We spent so much time together training. It was very hard, but also for our characters, it was fantastic because it gave us a lot of time to bond.
“Sometimes, I’ll make a wrong move and I’ll hit him accidentally - or maybe on purpose!” Moe joked.
“It kind of breaks the ice a little bit and makes a connection. In a way it worked in our favour, the fact we were there months prior rehearsing these fight scenes. And I hope it shows when you watch it.”
Some fans were unfortunately disappointed by the loose ends left untied by the third season of Vikings: Valhalla but, hopefully, Those About to Die can fill the gap left by the historical epic coming to an end.
Those About To Die Will Launch Exclusively On 19th July On Prime Video UK & Ireland. Vikings: Valhalla is available to stream on Netflix.
