After some time away, Clive Standen is back on Vikings as fan favorite Rollo. His long-awaited homecoming to Kattegat has not just been exciting for fans. It was also a lot of fun for Standen. Discussing his return to the series in Season 5, Standen dished his first scene, saying:
I thought what was quite interesting was my first scene was in the great hall with Alex, who plays Ivar the Boneless, and Marco Ilsø, who plays Hvitserk, Peter Franzén as Harald and myself, and it was a funny dynamic. Those boys were kind of like, 'Oh, Rollo's back, Clive's been here since season one. Maybe he's going to be the adult in the scene.' No one really knew who was going to take the status, or take the reigns of the scene, because it's like, their show now. They've been around, and they're in everyday, but they're still young. It was quite interesting to play that, because it's exactly what happens in the scene. Rollo walks into the Great Hall like he owns the place. They all kind of went, 'Wow, you were number two on the call sheet once upon a time. You _adult _us!' I felt like the parent of the day. Daddy's home! It was so much fun.
Clive Standen has more than earned his status with the Vikings cast. Rollo has been part of the show since the very first episode. It is interesting to hear how things in front of the camera sort of mirrored what happened behind it. What Standen told ET in his interview is a prime example of art imitating life.
Clive Standen also discussed the change brought following Travis Fimmel's exit from the show. The actor was quick to point out the strength of Vikings' overall ensemble. He also mentioned that his and Fimmel's scenes tended to be "very fired up" in nature.
The actor teased that fans are destined to see those sorts of flames, again. Chatting about the Season 5B premiere, Clive Standen teased working with Katheryn Winnick (Lagertha) and Alexander Ludwig (Bjorn), saying:
[...] in the first episode back, hopefully you'll see a little bit of that with Alexander Ludwig and Katheryn Winnick in the scenes I'm in. There are some very fiery stuff between Rollo and Lagertha and Bjorn. And that scene I just mention as well with Peter and Alex and Marco, that's another one. We're very lucky. I don't understand how they got so lucky with the cast of Vikings, because we're, on paper, a bunch of eclectic morons. But somehow when you put us all together, there's a spark.
It has been a while since Vikings fans have seen Rollo. Things changed dramatically at the beginning of Season 4. The story flashed forward and Ragnar's sons by his second wife were aged to adulthood or adjacent to it. Thus, handing the reins over from Ragnar and Rollo to Ragnar's now-grown sons. Ivar arguably has taken the most prevalent role on the series among Ragnar's sons since their father's death.
Bjorn being the other. Like Rollo, Lagertha's eldest son has been a character since the first episode. Speaking of Lagertha and Bjorn, they have a lot to do with Rollo's return, as Clive Standen previously teased.
Seeing Rollo, Bjorn, and Lagertha in scenes together will certainly feel like old times. Just don't expect any warm fuzzies from their reunion. It has been a considerable time since Rollo and Lagertha have come face-to-face. Bjorn, on the other hand, caught up with him in the second half of Season 4.
Rollo's reunion with Bjorn got off to a rough start back then. Albeit, the two had seemed to reach a strange sort of peace at the end of it. Their latest face-off will have potentially life-altering implications. So, fans should be excited.
There is a lot of history for the actors to play. Later in the interview, Clive Standen shared that he is proud of the episode and considers his work in it some of his best as Rollo. Tune in to see it for yourself!
Vikings will return for Season 5B, a.k.a. the second half of Season 5, on Wednesday, November 28 at 9 p.m. ET on History. It is among many shows returning with new episodes this fall and throughout the midseason.
