WiC Exclusive: Arnas Fedaravicius talks about chemistry with his Last Kingdom costars

Netflix’s superb medieval drama The Last Kingdom is deep into filming on its fourth season, and as the series prepares to head in new directions, I was lucky enough to speak with one of the show’s stars: Arnas Fedaravicius, aka Sihtric.

A loyal comrade in arms to Uhtred, Sihtric has been a part of the show since season 2. Fedaravicius tells us who’s the best horseman on set, what life is like outside the show, and of course, teasing season 4 a bit.

But first, how much did Fedaravicius know about The Last Kingdom before he came on board? “A year or two before I was cast, I was looking through shows, like what I would want to watch next, and it popped up. I was about to click on it, but for some reason I chose to watch Band of Brothers, so I only recently watched it after I got the job. But I cried at the end.”

Once Fedaravicius arrived however, himself, Alexander Dreymon (Uhtred), Mark Rowley (Finan) and Ewan Mitchell  (Osferth) quickly developed a bond that shines through the screen:

"I feel like, we didn’t really intend it that way in season 2, but then as soon as we met up and were introduced to each other, we became really close friends, really fast. We started spending so much time together off screen, working out, having dinners, helping each other with tapes. Just lots and lots of time together. And bit by bit, we started realizing, that’s what gives life to the show."

Indeed, especially in season 3, the chemistry between the four men was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the show.

“The writers themselves do a great job, but it’s up to us to fill whatever gaps there are,” Fedaravicius continued. “And I feel like when we’re together, the four of us, there’s no ego between us, and we’re very vulnerable, and very open to each other’s ideas. You can only prepare so much for a day’s work, but then you come on set, and you feel the environment, you feel each other, and you start coming up with these ideas on the spot. That’s been one of our main goals working together; to create real brotherly friendship, one that translates onto the screen.”

"I think it’s a blessing to work with actors that are so open. Some of us have a hundred ideas a day, Mark (Rowley) has a hundred ideas a day. Not all of his ideas can land [laughs], but we’re so open to them that it just creates this space, so I’m happy to hear the chemistry plays out."

How did we know the man who plays the loud and boisterous Finan (Rowley) is just as loud behind the scenes?

As for Fedaravicius’ take on his character, he sees Sihtric as wanting a deeper connection to life:

"It’s my first time working on something for so long, so it’s interesting how a character’s thoughts become second nature. But one of my favorite things is his fierce loyalty and complete dedication. He wants to have a family because of his terrible upbringing, he never had a father, or love in his life. So Sihtric wants to create that on his own, with his wife and his son, but there’s still this complete dedication to help out your team, to help out your tribe, so I really enjoy that."

“Another thing I like, is that both Uhtred and Sihtric are the most open-minded pagans,” Fedaravicius continued. “Usually the Danes on this show, and other shows, there’s this fight between Christianity and the pagans, but they are in-between. They both get to take both sides at certain times. It’s really interesting to explore, how in that time period, in that mindset, you wouldn’t hold prejudices against other beliefs. It’s very interesting to explore fighting side by side with other faiths.”

The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell, the books on which The Last Kingdom is based, dive into deeper into these religious aspects. Speaking of the books, Fedaravicius revealed who might have read ahead to discover their character’s fates:

"I think Mark (Rowley) might have read all of them already, I don’t know about Alex. I personally choose to read two books per season. It’s a little gourmet pleasure every year, to read two books back to back. They’re very enjoyable reads, as soon as you embark on the journey they are very pleasant."

I can attest that the books are a good read. And even if you’ve already seen the show, you won’t be getting exactly the same thing if you pick up the novels. “The screen version is adapted and changed, there is constantly some changes happening,” Fedaravicius said. “Certain characters on the show live longer than you would expect them to based on the books, and others live less, so its interesting how it plays out.”

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“There’s something about watching the thing before reading the books,” Fedaravicius continued. “There’s an element of surprise, with the availability of the CGI today just blows up your imagination. When you read the books, you just fill it in a lot more detail, having already seen what it might be in reality.”

We’ll have more with Fedaravicius soon, including a closer look at what it’s like to film a medieval drama and some teases for season 4. Stay tuned, arselings!

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