Pulling off the mesmerizing stunts that comprise Vikings' jaw-dropping scenes requires a capable stunt team. And as you may expect, no one has more appreciation for them than Vikings' own Alexander Ludwig. That said, he would love to portray Bjorn's scariest moments himself now and then. At Vikings' 2018 San Diego Comic-Con panel, Ludwig opened up about one of the stunts he really wanted to tackle, and fans are likely to recall the scene in question. Ludwig said:
We have an incredible stunt team on the show. And as much as I'd like to say I do all of my own stunts, there's some that they just simply won't let me do. Like there was this one fall where you think that I get shot by Georgia [Hirst] with an arrow and I fell off this boat like 20 feet into the water. I was like, 'God, I really want to do that.' I kept asking, 'C'mon just let me do it?' They're like, 'Alexander, there's no way we are letting you do this.' So, we had one of our amazing stuntees go out there. We have an incredible group of them.
The scene Alexander Ludwig is describing turned out be one of Vikings' most memorable Bjorn-related dream sequences. In it, Torvi experienced a nightmare in which she took a seemingly fatal shot at Bjorn. Despite it turning out that he was unscathed, it was still a hair-raising sequence. Ragnar Lothbrok's eldest son tends to be involved in those kinds of scenes. Remember, he did have a pretty scary altercation with a bear. Thankfully, Bjorn lived to continue giving the audience more shocking moments.
Ludwig's comments are a crucial reminder that even if a scene turns out to be a fake-out, it is still a very real challenge for Vikings' stunt team. As many actors have commented on in the past, stunts are usually reserved for the stunt team. It is nice to hear them heralded by someone who knows first-hand what goes into making the magic happen. Stunt teams are pivotal in making Vikings, and similar swashbuckling entertainment feel real.
Falling into the water from a serious height is one thing. When it comes to those super intense fight sequences, Alexander Ludwig tends to be in the thick of it. At the SDCC panel, which CinemaBlend's Jessica Rawden attended, the actor shared some behind-the-scenes insight into filming those chilling battle scenes. Like Alex Høgh Andersen's revelation regarding Ivar's braces, looks can be deceiving. As it turns out, there are physical consequences to filming the rigorous action scenes for the actors. Ludwig said:
But I will say, when we go into the fight scenes and we're in it, like shit happens. We all just end up going at it. Everyone's just screaming and hitting the person to your left and to your right because you don't know what's happening and the cameras just trying to pick up everything. So, it does get pretty crazy; you do leave at times with cuts and bruises.
Vikings' battle sequences are among television's best thanks to their gritty, up-close-and-personal nature. You can practically feel the mud flying off the battlefield and the connection swords make when they clash with an opponent's.
The choreography is not scared to venture away the kind of lighter violence many are used to on TV, oftentimes going for heart-racing tension as the ugly side of fighting to survive is brought into rigorous focus. Whether it is a bloody battlefield or facing down a bear, Bjorn "Ironside" Ragnarsson has seen it all. Find out where Vikings takes him next when the series returns.
The second half of Vikings' fifth season, otherwise known as Season 5B, premieres November 28 on History. For new television shows to watch while you wait for the return of Vikings, check out CinemaBlend's guide to TV's summer premieres. For more about Vikings, check out the show's official site.
