The fourth season of Netflix’s The Last Kingdom, a medieval drama following the adventures of Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) through the formation of England, debuts on April 26? And while the show really hit its stride in season 3, the upcoming season is expanding things even more, including by bringing in a slew of new characters. All of those characters save one, the mysterious warrior Wihtgar (Ossian Perret), are based on characters from Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Stories novels. We spoke to Perret about just who Wihtgar is, what fans can expect from season 4, and more.
But first, Perret discussed what it was like to join the show in the midst of a successful run. “It’s great to be able to watch what has already been filmed to get an idea of the style and that only added to the excitement leading up to go and film,” he said. “I’ve always loved the medieval setting as a genre and so delving deeper into that world is something I’ve looked forward to ever since I was young.”
While it takes some liberties, The Last Kingdom is rooted in real-world history, so we’re guessing Perret got exactly what his childhood self wanted. As for his character, Perret kept Wihtgar’s motivations to himself, but did reveal something about his past:
"Wihtgar is a warrior who’s been out at sea exploring North Africa and the Mediterranean for a while. He’s a bit of a lone wolf, wild and unforgiving, I’d probably have to says his allegiances lie with himself. And his clothes are so sick! Shoutout Molly Emma-Rowe, she and the whole team did an incredible job!"
Looking at Wihtgar’s costume, it’s hard to disagree with Perret:
Is that a tiny Buddha we see peaking out?
At any rate, we’re excited to have a genuine pirate on The Last Kingdom, even if we don’t know what side he’ll be playing for.
Were excited to have a new character in general, although according to Perret, Wihtgar isn’t quite as brand new as he appears. “Wihtgar is actually in the book under a different name,” he said. “I read the passages with him in and although they do bear some similarities, there are certain details, which were quite different from the screenplay, so I thought it best to stick with what the writers had given me.”
If you’ll excuse me, I need to go re-read all the novels before Sunday.
Perret also talked about the most challenging scene he had to film, which ended up being his first. “It’s quite daunting to pitch a new character for an already established show, and to set up his temperament for the series on your first day of filming,” he recalled. “But after some friendly negotiations with myself and the director we got there and I can’t wait for everyone to meet him.”
What’s in store for The Last Kingdom season 4?
Perret is pretty enthusiastic about season 4 in general. What can we expect from the new episodes? “Exciting new characters, new relationships and some quality medieval drama!”
Image: The Last Kingdom/Netflix
Although it’s packed with terrific character drama, The Last Kingdom also features breathtaking action scenes. How much of his own stuntwork did Perret do? ” I guess all of it. It’s hard to say how much I had. I’m a bit of an adrenaline junky in life anyways, so maybe I ended up doing stunts without thinking that’s what they were.”
As for whether there was anyone in the massive cast Perret would have enjoyed working with more, the actor sounds eager to mix it up with pretty much everyone. “Probably Joe Millson (Aelfric), Finn Elliot (Young Uhtred) or Ian Hart (Beocca) who I spent the majority of my time with on set,” he said. “There are a few other cast members I’d really love to work with too that I didn’t get the opportunity to this season like Eliza Butterworth (Aelswith) or Stephanie Martini (Eadith) for instance.”
So Wihtgar spent a lot of time with Uhtred’s evil uncle Aelfric, eh? Things that make you go “hmmm.”
Image: The Last Kingdom/Netflix
Whenever we talk to members of The Last Kingdom cast, we like to ask if they have any fun stories involving horses, but as he’s playing a pirate, it makes sense that Perret would be fresh out. “No horse action for me yet sadly ha, but I did spend a good chunk of my time with Attila in the makeup trailer trying to get the right tone for my medieval pirate tan. We had some good laughs.”
Image: Netflix/The Witcher
The Last Kingdom isn’t the only Netflix show Perret is involved with. He also had a part on The Witcher, playing Lord Tinglant, a suitor for Ciri, in “Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials.” The two experiences weren’t entirely dissimilar:
"So this was my first time stepping onto a big medieval set and it was literally the most incredible thing. Seeing a great hall built inside a hangar with about 100 supporting artists all in medieval attire is pretty mesmerizing. You literally feel like you’re stepping into another time period! And I had the same experience when I first arrived on the set of The Last Kingdom, I was given a tour of the filming village and it was phenomenal! I had to phone my dad and I was like, dude!"
Outside of medieval drama, Perret told us a bit about his other projects. “Coming up next, I played a role in a BBC series called The First Team written and directed by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris (known for The Inbetweeners) playing a French football player called Pascal. It’s going to be hysterical, the writing is just brilliant and the whole cast are incredible.”
From medieval pirate to French football player. The man has range.
And finally, Perret revealed what he’s watching in quarantine. We can always use more suggestions:
"So I just finished what’s probably my 6th watch of Friends. I think it’s incredible and it never ceases to amaze me, the performances and the writing are just sublime. Otherwise I recently watched The Morning Show, I think I did that in two days. Also completely brilliant. And of course rewatching the 3rd season of The Last Kingdom gearing up for season 4!Outside of acting I love climbing, skateboarding and anything that gets my heart going really, also a big gamer though, I can happily sink a few hours into something like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or Monster Hunter: World but I’m eagerly waiting the for the release of The Last of Us: Part 2!"
We thank Mr. Perret for his time, and look forward to finding out exactly who Wihtgar is when The Last Kingdom season 4 debuts this Sunday on Netflix!
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