Georgia Hirst (Torvi): Final Vikings episodes are a “completely different show”

Georgia Hirst, one of the longest-serving stars on Vikings, looks back on her character Torvi and previews the final 10 episodes of the show.

We’re reminiscing with the cast of Vikings ahead of the show’s final 10 episodes. This time we sat down with Georgia Hirst, whose number of appearances on the show are rivaled only by Katheryn Winnick (Lagertha), Alexander Ludwig (Bjorn) and Gustaf Skarsgård (Floki).

With such a long run, Hirst has plenty of thoughts on the show, starting with what she believes is the key to Torvi’s appeal. “The great thing about Torvi, the reason that I loved playing her, was that she has such a huge arc in the show. When you first meet her, she’s timid and mild, she’s in this string of bad relationships. I really think she represents the average girl in Vikings time; she had the bad breakup, had a couple kids, has the group of best mates, has the arguments. I like to think that Torvi has stood the test of time because she’s been such a real and authentic character. The producers on the show just loved that about her.”

Torvi stands somewhat in contrast to Lagertha, another of the show’s leading women. “I’m great friends with Katheryn Winnick, and there’s something about Lagertha that just seems invincible and strong, but Torvi seems vulnerable in a way,” Hirst said. “Torvi is also strong, but she’s real. I think that’s what has helped her carry on in the show, and I think that’s what people love about her.”

"I think a lot of Torvi’s motivation is her family, and she is so fiercely loyal. Her loyalty is what drives her. And while I think it’s so cool to play a badass, to do stunts and all that, I think the coolest thing, even in my real life I feel this way, is to be a mother. I just love that she has such a strong family instinct. I take that from my own mom, who is the best mom, and also fiercely loyal. I would always ask my mom, “What would you do if this happened to you or your kid?” And the truth is, you have to be strong for those around you. I think that’s her motivation, she has to hold the fort together. Let’s face it, in the Viking age, all of these awful things were probably happening. As awful as some of it seems, they would be facing these adversities, to some degree it’s to be expected."

HBO: History/Vikings

As Hirst mentioned, Torvi went through a string of bad relationships before settling on Ubbe, one of Ragnar’s famous sons. Does Hirst think that the relationship between Torvi and Ubbe is the healthiest on the show?

"One hundred percent! Like I said earlier, she’s is like every other girl. She’s dating guys that aren’t right for her, and I think that’s what makes the relationship with Ubbe special. Torvi lands on this guy, that just sort of comes out of the blue, it wasn’t really meant to work, but it does. I think it’s a really authentic and honest relationship. They are going to face ups and downs in the final episodes, life or death situations, but the truth is they really do love each other. It helps that Jordan Patrick Smith (Ubbe) is one of my dear friends, and I care about him immensely. That helps, I think that translates on screen, how much we enjoyed shooting together."

Speaking of this being the final season, how would Hirst like to see Torvi’s saga come to an end? “Years ago, the producers asked, ‘If Torvi was gonna die, how would I want it to go?’ And I always gave these really gruesome answers, but as the years went on I realized I don’t mind how she goes,” Hirst said. “The main thing is that she stays loyal until the very, that she looks after her family until the very end. If it’s a noble ending like that, I wouldn’t mind however it goes. I think as long as she goes fighting for what she believes, that’s just who Torvi is. That would be my only request, but I was always open to anything. I didn’t know it was going to end, I just read the scripts. It was never told to me how the whole show was going to end, so it was a real surprise reading it.”

"Having watched it, it feels like a completely different show. You see characters in places they’ve never been before, and not to mention the visuals are just stunning. I don’t think there is any other season that looks as good. They are fighting for survival; and Torvi’s job is to keep her family as safe as they can be. Fight or flight, her mom instincts are kicking in hardcore. And while she might not be fighting physically as much, she is fighting for her family. I think the audience is going to be completely hooked."

Here’s hoping.

With such a huge selection of characters to choose from on Vikings, we also asked Hirst if there was another role she would have love to play. “I love Torvi,” she said. “However, who doesn’t want to play Lagertha? Let’s be honest, she’s such a badass, her costume, her stunts, Katheryn just played her so flawlessly. Katheryn was like a mentor to me, she taught me so much on and off the show. Watching her bring Lagertha to life was so epic, I’ll never forget all the time we spent together on set. So I have to say Lagertha, if I could have just walked in her shoes for a day.”

We also asked to talk about what scenes she found most challenging to play. “The worst scenes, were just about about the weather conditions. When we were up on a mountain, soaking wet, freezing in your costume and you just have to fake it for 12 hours or so. Those were the hardest scenes, mentally. I loved what I was doing, whenever we were shooting I completely forgot whatever discomfort I was feeling, but there is that mental point where it is draining, and it’s hard on you physically. Those are the times you just have to push through and remember how amazing it’s all going to look.”

Image: Vikings/History

Hirst also named her favorite scenes to film, and it might not be the one you’re expecting. “My favorite thing, was losing Lagertha. It was so hard on me, I was so close to Katheryn and I had such an emotional time shooting those scenes. But, I think they were so authentic because I was genuinely mourning for Katheryn because I was so sad she was going. I do have fond memories of that because it pushed me as an actor, and that is always a highlight. When you can look back and say that might be my best work as an actor. So those scenes, the funeral, are my favorite. Tough, but also good.”

And who would she have liked to work with more?

"I didn’t actually get to do anything with Ivar (Alex Hogh Andersen), who is a great friend of mine. We never really crossed paths, I think we had one scene together in season 4 or something, and that was literally it. I don’t think we had any dialogue together. I think Ivar is so cool on the show, and Alex does such an amazing job; it would have been cool for Torvi and Ivar to cross paths. Ivar the Boneless and Torvi. It would have been an interesting meeting."

Finally, with Vikings on the eve of its final episodes, Hirst talked about where fans can find her next. “I just filmed an interactive show called Five Dates, and it’s an interactive game show on XBox, Switch, and Playstation. That’s gotten a really good response, so if any of you are gamers out there, give it a play and let me know what you think of my character, Grace. Other than that, just hoping that auditions pick back up again. Coronavirus made things a bit tricky, so I’m hoping sometime next year to be back on set, playing a fun character!”

I think we’re all hoping for life to return to normal (or something like it) next year. In the meantime, look for Torvi and all the rest to bring Vikings to a bloody close December 30, when all of the remaining episodes drop on Amazon Prime Video. They’ll also start airing once a week on History after that.

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