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In Conversation: Leo Suter, Star of ‘Vikings: Valhalla’ talks viking history and the joys of filming
Leo Suter stars as Harald Hardrada in Vikings: Valhalla, the sequel to a highly popular six series Netflix hit, that introduced a world audience to Scandinavian history and their impact in the British Isles. He tells us about filming in Ireland and working out to stay in character….
Leo, first of all, can you tell me about filming the series in Ireland?
Ireland…what can I say? It was a beautiful part of the world to film in! The people were very generous in spirit, with a fantastic sense of humour. It was the same landscape in which they’d filmed the original six series of Vikings (there’s a lake that has been used for a great many North Sea adventures). I had my car there, so I could explore the west coast too, which is staggeringly beautiful – I highly recommend the Wild Atlantic Way to anyone looking for an adventurous summer holiday!
The original ‘Vikings’ series gained a huge following. Is this a simple sequel?
It’s not a straightforward sequel, as it’s a hundred years down the line. There are nods to the past, and we mention the legends who’ve gone before us. It’s a new saga with new faces…including mine. I play Harald Sigurdsson, who was later known as Harald Hardrada. We find him as an aspiring king of Norway, and he’s got to figure out how he’s going to get there.
We’ve all heard of Harald Hardrada, but how did you find more about him?
I remember learning about him as a 10-year-old schoolboy, but we know him from his death at Stamford Bridge, which was a real turning point in English history. So, like most people, I knew about the end of his life, but I didn’t know about the story of how he got there. I enjoyed doing the homework and looking through the history books, discovering that he was a much-admired warrior in his lifetime and a respected guard to the Emperor of Constantinople. He lived a really intriguing and extraordinary life, which made me more excited to join the project! I was lucky to get a few months before cameras rolled to read all the books out there.
You also had to work out for your part – was that important?
Well Harald was known for being big and broad, strong and athletic. It’s a part of the character that he’s a force of nature, so yes. Anyway, season one is out, season two is filmed and we’re going back to Ireland soon to film season three – I’m very excited to get back out there!
Series one of Vikings: Valhalla is streaming now on Netflix!
Featured photo: Tyree Harris
