Vikings was an unlikely success for the History Channel. Debuting in 2013, it was the channel's
first stab at a scripted dramatic series, and it's proven to be a bona fide hit.
Fans of the series have become especially devoted to Katheryn Winnick's portrayal of
the shieldmaiden Lagertha, "a potent central figure" in the Vikings-verse, as Entertainment
Weekly puts it. The character has been pivotal, and it's hard to imagine anyone but Winnick
bringing this passionate, strong, and complicated character to life.
However, things were not always easy for the actress, who opened up to fans via Instagram
in December 2019 about the physical and emotional challenges of playing her character. The toughest
scene in the show for Winnick had nothing to do with gruesome executions or deadly power
grabs. It was a combination of three foes as old as time itself: weather, water, and
weight.
When a fan asked which scene was toughest to shoot, Winnick posted this picture and
replied:
"This one was tough. Swimming in the freezing water with pounds of armor on."
A little detective work reveals that the icy scene in question likely comes from Season
3, Episode 9, the aptly titled, "Breaking Point."
Winnick's final day on the Vikings set in Season 6 presented another weather-related
challenge. She told TV Guide,
"We had a medic on set and he was checking us [to see] if we would go into shock because
your body would literally be frozen. And we'd get into this little hot box to warm up and
then go back out and shoot because it was a very, very intense shoot in below zero temperature."
Period dramas are notoriously tough on actors, who must endure unwieldy costumes, animals,
weaponry, and often filming conditions that are almost as primitive as the times they
seek to depict. Vikings is certainly no exception. It follows then, that the cast for such a
show should not only be qualified dramatic actors, but also physically prepared.
For her part, Winnick is not only a trained actor, she's also a highly skilled and accomplished
martial artist. Vanity Fair reports that she holds a third-degree black belt in taekwondo,
and a second-degree black belt in karate. Not content to simply study and excel, by
the time she was 21, Winnick owned three martial arts studios, all while completing a degree
in kinesiology, aka the study of movement, at York University in Ontario.
Like the core story of Vikings, the inspiration for the character of Lagertha was taken from
Norse mythology. Specifically, she appears in the 13th Century writings of Saxo Grammaticus.
At least twice, according to Saxo, Lagertha is directly responsible for battlefield victories
of her husband, Ragnar. Saxo wrote:
"Though a maiden, [she] had the courage of a man, and fought in front among the bravest
with her hair loose over her shoulders. All marveled at her matchless deeds, for her locks
flying down her back betrayed that she was a woman."
With real-world physical abilities far beyond most, Winnick was able to authentically embody
her character's fearless, warrior attitude, even in the face of death.
"Weep not, poor Hvitserk. Tonight I'll sit with my beloved Ragnar in the halls of the
gods."
That certainly sounds more comfortable than wearing soaking wet chainmail in freezing
conditions!
Given the physically demanding nature of acting on Vikings, it's no wonder Winnick became
interested in directing, which she did, returning after her character's death to helm the episode
"Valhalla Can Wait." The return was a difficult experience in itself, as Winnick showed up
on set to prep for her directorial debut at an awkward time, during the filming of Lagertha's
funeral. She told TV Guide,
"To see a prosthetic me lying there on the boat and all these hundreds of actors who
are mourning over Lagertha, it was just so surreal. I felt like I was watching my own
funeral. I actually had to leave. It was too emotionally hard for me to stay for that.
So it was definitely something that I'll always remember and cherish."
Vikings has remained a solid performer for History throughout its tenure, with rich storytelling
that didn't flinch when it came to brutal honesty about a brutal period of European
history. Battles, torture, drugs, ambition, and cultural archaeology all combined to create
a sense of time and place rarely equaled in television. But all reigns must end.
The series will wrap up in 2020 after 6 seasons, 89 episodes, and a whole lot of fake blood
and guts. For those who haven't had enough, Netflix will soon be home to a sequel series,
Vikings: Valhalla, set 100 years after the original.
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