The Last Kingdom: Eliza Butterworth on Aelswith’s season 4 journey

The fourth season of The Last Kingdom recently landed on Netflix, and as we digest the latest chapter in the formation of England, Eliza Butterworth stopped by to discuss her character, Queen Aelswith. From her changing relationship to Uhtred to whether or not Aelswith views herself as a villain, Butterworth (who couldn’t be more different from her character), there’s a lot of ground to cover.

To start, we asked if any of the cast and crew felt pressure coming into season 4, after season 3 saw the departure of several major characters:

"We were kind of not worried going into it exactly, but we did have this thing of like, ‘okay, let’s accept that it’s going to feel so different’. It’s a completely new phase for all of us. Without David Dawson, or Harry McEntire (Aethelwold), and Tobias Santlemann (Ragnar), all of these phenomenal main characters. Without them, it’s just gonna be a whole new thing. But it was  kind of nice because then it stretched a lot of the other character’s journeys, I suppose. But yeah, totally different."

The absence of those people was indeed felt, but as Butterworth says, that did allow room for other characters to develop in new directions.

Butterworth has been a part of the series since its beginning, and has enjoyed watching it grow. “Well, it’s been such a remarkable and exciting journey because the show has really now evolved to one of the most beloved medieval TV dramas,” she said. “But I think The Last Kingdom always possessed a very raw and edgy cinematic feel, which I think has been carried through all of the seasons.”

"And there’s such a strong depth of characterization. The cast and the actors and such incredible writing that make the show truly special. Although it has so much thrilling action and battle sequences, it’s also actually the emotional drama and the love for the characters that makes losing them so compelling to the audience. But I feel like we’ve been able to maintain that essence throughout all four seasons, from a wonderful array of cast and crew from all over the world. And we’ve been so lucky actually to have a lot of the cast and crew work with us throughout all the whole span."

Season 4 also saw a large influx of new characters, something Butterworth and the veteran cast enjoyed. “It’s such a welcoming and fun cast, we’re a family. So we have a lot of fun when new members of the cast come in. It’s been amazing to watch it grow. But I feel like it’s definitely kept that really raw and thrilling, edgy atmosphere with more of a character-driven storyline that I think really captures the audience a lot.”

Image: The Last Kingdom/Netflix

For the first three seasons of the show, Aelswith operated under the umbrella of King Alfred’s (David Dawson) power. With the death of her husband, she had to forge a new path in season 4, and Butterworth had to work without her longtime scene partner:

"So I must say, without a doubt, David Dawson is one of the most captivating, electric and astounding actors that I’ve ever had the honor to work with. What he brought to the character of King Alfred was magnificent. He’s so intelligent and fearless and commanding and his performance, was just heartbreaking and moving. So losing him as a scene partner was devastating. And we all miss him every single day. But something that Alexander Dreymon said in a previous interview this week was that his presence is most definitely felt throughout, you know, the next phase of all these character’s journeys."

One of the characters going on a new journey is Aelswith’s son with Alfred, the new King Edward (Timothy Innes). “As Edward and I perceive his vision of a united land and fulfill his legacy through the next generations, we still see his, you know, captivating presence, which is really, really lovely,” Butterworth mused. “But, yes, it was definitely a very different experience not having David Dawson the scene partner, because I’ll just say I was his wife and his, you know, his partner. So all of my scenes were with him. And now Aelswith, I had to take on a completely independent way of life after his loss, which was not only scary for Aelswith, it actually scares me as Eliza the actress, because I could no longer depend on such a phenomenal scene partner. So, yeah, it was it really a different experience, but quite exciting for us.”

Over the course of season 4, we see Aelswith grow and learn to navigate the corridors of power on her own. Butterworth definitely sees a contrast with how Aelswith acted in the first three seasons, when she was more unyielding. “Aelswith has gained some redemption in the eyes of the fans this season,” Butterworth said. “It’s been really interesting for the audience to see her more sensitive and vulnerable sides, and it’s been really fun and challenging for me to play her because now she’s become a much more complex character.”

"I have actually always sympathized with her character and her situation, because she’s always tried to fulfill her husband’s vision of a united land. And in her eyes, and in the eyes of God, she’s always been rather dutiful and devout, but now in reflection, without the presence of Alfred, she’s seeing that her intentions haven’t had the best consequences. She’s trying to right her wrongs, but she is certainly no angel, and has some scheming shenanigans up her sleeve."

Butterworth also detailed how Aelswith’s relationship with Alfred shapes her relationship with their son Edward. “She also loved Alfred fiercely, above anything in the world, so for her trying to fight for what he wanted was her drive for all the seasons,” she said. “With the loss of her beloved husband she’s had to realize she’s all alone. She can no longer control things in the same way. Especially with her son Edward, who is now a king in his own right and is trying to gain his own independence and his own way of ruling; she just doesn’t see eye to eye with him throughout this season. That’s a real struggle for her because she’s trying to mold him into the king her husband would have wanted, and the one that Wessex needs.”

All of this has inspired Aelswith to change, at least a little. “Her previous intentions may have been quite callous and rash, and now she realizes she needs the help of others and has to bow down and apologize in order to get them on her side, to work alongside her to create Alfred’s vision. It was way more exciting for me to play those different aspects of her character because I feel like she had them all along, but only now that she’s all alone and that she’s struggling that she has to relinquish control and ask for help. That includes Uhtred, which is just a fascinating spin on everything we’ve seen in the past.”

The relationship between Uhtred and Aelswith was especially fascinating to watch develop, especially given that she’s argued for his execution on multiple occasions. “I think Uhtred and Aelswith’s relationship has really blossomed in this season, and she’s now starting to see everything that her beloved husband saw in Uhtred. To see him for his courage, his loyalty, his undefeated strength, and she’s realizing that actually he can be an ally and that Alfred was extremely correct in the way he perceived Uhtred. She sees she was wrong and allowed Uhtred’s pagan beliefs to totally distort everything that he had done for her and her family. So it’s amazing to see her wake up to who he truly is and be able to accept him even so much, to accept him Lord of Mercia.”

Image: The Last Kingdom/Netflix

Uhtred’s time as Lord of Mercia might have been brief, but for Aelswith, it was significant. “She’s Mercian stock,” Butterworth said. “So that’s a huge turnaround for her, and the way she sees him. So it was a really lovely scene in, I believe, episode nine where she’s traveling on the road. Uhtred and his fantastic gang, and they have their first normal conversation without the presence of Alfred, where she kind of apologizes and says, you know what, I really see what my husband saw in you.”

Of course, even though he’s not there, Alfred still hangs over this interaction. “If only he could be here now to see me accepting you,” Butterworth said. “And it’s really funny because the rest of the gang are sort of laughing because they’re thinking, yeah, we all knew Uhtred was amazing. It’s only taken you up until now to realize, but at least you have realized. So that was really fun to play.”

Uhtred’s pagan beliefs were often a point of contention between the two characters, but that’s less of a problem for Aelswith now. “I think I struggle in the past, was always trying to get him to be forced into Christianity,” Butterworth said. “She even makes a comment in that scene in Episode 9, which goes, ‘If he did turn to God, I would accept you even more.’ But Uhtred is saying, ‘look, I’ve done my bit, you know, just accept me as I am’. And she goes, ‘you know what? Fine.'”

"So it’s it’s really, really lovely to see; although they don’t agree eye to eye in terms of their religion or their faith or their way of life, that actually they realize that they can work together in order to achieve what they want."

And hopefully their relationship still has room to grow. Aelswith may get Uhtred to convert yet. After all, as Butterworth points out, Alfred pulled off a conversation in season 1: “At the end of season one,  where Alfred makes negotiation with Guthrum, who was obviously one of the fearsome Viking lords and actually did turn him into Christianity. And that actually happened in real history. So it’s amazing to see these completely, starkly different ways of life having to unite together, in a common bond, either to create their kingdoms or to look after their families or just to survive. That actually these clever, manipulative people have to work together to get what they want. And so that was a new charge. Now patch things up and hopefully we’ll be buddies.”

We’re not sure we see Aelswith and Uhtred hitting the taverns together, but their new understanding was a welcome surprise.

We’ll have more with Butterworth soon, including her most embarrassing moments from set, who on the cast she’d like to work with more, and why the female characters on The Last Kingdom are just so damn awesome. Stay tuned!

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