Vikings: Alexander Ludwig looks back at Bjorn’s struggles and triumphs

“There might be a fan favorite returning, and I’m really excited to see how the audience reacts. I think everyone will be pretty pleased with the ending.”

Alexander Ludwig has played Bjorn Ironside since the second season of Vikings. Before the final episodes drop, we talked to Ludwig all about his character, starting at the very beginning. “I think what I enjoyed and what was most challenging were one in the same,” he told us. “I had this incredible opportunity, from the moment I signed on, [creator Michael Hirst] had told me, ‘Bjorn would be the protagonist of the show, we want to show this massive arc, and put you through this rollercoaster ride.’ But all I knew at the time was that I was a huge fan of the show, and that I was surrounded by fabulous actors, incredible writing and a great crew. Anything else that happened in addition to that was a bonus.”

"What was initially a naive boy trapped in the shadow of his incredible father, to eventually step out into the sun in his own right and be a leader. So then the challenge, and the fun part, was finding all these moments to show growth…I knew at the beginning I needed to show this naive young man, but it was so hard to hold back, because I was so excited to show the trajectory of the character. The little milestones over the six years I got to tell the story were such blessings."

And there have indeed been many milestones along the way. We asked Ludwig to name a few of his favorites scenes: “One of the first scenes for me that was important and pivotal was when Ragnar trusts Bjorn with the information that he’s still alive in the coffin. And only him. That’s a big deal for Bjorn. When Bjorn was on the law rock and he arrested Floki, that’s another big moment for him. When Bjorn goes away for his wilderness trip, that was a huge moment for him.”

"Of course when Bjorn pleads with his own people at the gates of Kattegat with Ivar, that scene in season 5b. The scene right before Harald is crowned king was when Bjorn finally becomes his own man, that scene was an incredible gift that Michael gave me. When I think about it, I’m just so shook about how grateful I am to have explored so much. The milestones in general were definitely my favorite."

The first half of season 6, which ended way back in February, was no less eventful for Bjorn. “As an actor, I had so much to go off of in season 6a: the loss of his mother, the insurmountable pressure of being a king. I loved working with Peter Franzen (Harald), he’s such a great actor and I love him so much as a person. Anytime I got to work with him was a blessing. Everyone really. We’re such a family that it’s hard to pick a favorite.”

And that catches us up to now. How will Bjorn continue to grow in the series’ final leg? “Certain scenes stick out to me that I was able to show a bit of growth here and there,” Ludwig said. “It’s just been a phenomenal ride.  Most actors spend a lifetime trying to play the sort of intimate depth I was so humbly allowed to show with Bjorn. I’m so fortunate to be able to do that for six years.”

Before we move on, because we asked about Ludwig’s favorite scenes, we also had to ask him to name his least favorite scene, although apparently he still managed to enjoy this one, or at least appreciate it: “We filmed at a place called Childer’s Wood, this was one of the hardest days I had filming, but funnily enough it was one of the most exciting because it was the Blood Eagle of King Aelle.”

"That was a huge moment in Bjorn’s rise, finally getting revenge over his father’s death. But it was so cold, and it doesn’t even look cold when you watch it. It was snowing,  but you couldn’t see it on camera. So I’m holding this metal knife, your hands are freezing even with two heaters. The crew and the cast were just absolutely miserable, but that’s the beauty of a show like this because you keep pushing forward and every single person is in it together."

As a son of the famous Ragnar Lothbrok, Bjorn’s life was always going to be tied to his father’s legacy. But who, in Ludwig’s mind, is Ragnar’s true heir? “I thought it was so interesting what Michael did; every single one of those brother’s had an element of Ragnar written into the character. I think you see that shine through as the show goes on. What’s interesting about Bjorn is that for so much of his life he’s trying to figure out what part of his father he is. And the real accomplishment in him, is when he finally stops trying to be anything that his father was.”

Now that the show is coming to an end, it’s time to talk about paths not taken. We asked Ludwig what other role besides his own he would have enjoyed playing. “That’s such a hard question to answer!” he said. “I feel every actor that was cast in a role, I could never see anyone else in that role. I thought Floki was such a phenomenal character, but nobody could have done it like Gustaf (Skarsgård). Gustaf is one of my best friends, and a tremendous actor, and the show wouldn’t be the show without him. Ragnar, Travis [Fimmel] brings his own incredible intricacies to the role, and not only am I grateful to call him a brother, he’s also just somebody I looked up to for years.”

"I will say this though; when Ivar was first written I remember telling Michael whatever actor ends up getting this role it is such a tremendous opportunity. But I certainly wouldn’t trade my experience for any other, I had the opportunity that no other actor on that show had, which was to show the arc from basically the inception of the character until the end. No other actor got that, and that’s the great gift of playing Bjorn."

Ludwig as Ivar? Now there’s a thought that could keep Vikings fans up at night.

Ludwig was much less hesitant when we asked about which actors he’d have liked to work with more. “I always enjoyed my time with Travis. He has been one of my best friends since we started shooting, and I just loved working with him, we have the same process. We lived together for a while, I lived with Gustaf for a while, and together we always broke down scenes. Any chance to work together was always a blessing.”

"There are so many good characters, I don’t think that I could just pinpoint one. I thought Linus Roache (King Ecbert) was phenomenal, I loved that whole character. I feel like I got to spend a good amount of time with everyone, for me it was just about exploring more of the world. There’s just so much more to this world, and it gives me hope for the future of the character. I’m such a history nerd that I would have loved to explore more. With what we were given though, I think we did the best we could."

Finally, Ludwig teased what fans should expect from the show’s final 10 episodes:

"I know the ending, but I haven’t seen it. As someone who is genuinely a fan of the show, and incredibly critical of anything I do, I don’t think that there’s a better way to end the show. I am so unbelievably excited for the fans. There might be a fan favorite returning, and I’m really excited to see how the audience reacts. I think everyone will be pretty pleased with the ending."

A wise man once said, never argue with Bjorn Ironside.

Vikings comes to an end on December 30, when all 10 episodes drop on Amazon Prime Video. After that, they’ll air once a week on History.

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