Vikings: Valhalla Star Leo Suter Describes The Process Of Learning Harald's Accent
Becoming an authentic on-screen Viking is no easy task to take on, and when Leo Suter was recruited for "Vikings: Valhalla," he inevitably knew he would have to undergo a bit of a transformation to become Harald Sigurdsson. While the actor endured changes to his hair and body, some would be surprised to learn what went into crafting the accent heard throughout the Netflix series.
The "Vikings" spinoff's first season was met with a very positive response from critics and was one of the most-watched shows on streaming when it first arrived (via Forbes). The second run continued to be a successful affair as well, making its way to the top of the charts with a vast amount of subscribers tuning in to see all the mayhem and action the sophomore run has to offer (via Netflix Top Ten). Both seasons have attained scores on Rotten Tomatoes that many would agree are pretty solid, and one of the contributors to their appeal is arguably the cast of the series. Each of the talented individuals that make up the roster for "Vikings: Valhalla" has had to go through a considerable amount of effort to authentically bring these Viking personas to life on screen. Sam Corlett, who plays Leif Erikson, and Leo Suter, who portrays Harald Sigurdsson, have revealed in the past that the rewarding experience of working on the Netflix series has had its fair share of challenges along the way. Among the many obstacles the players involved had to overcome, Suter's accent for Sigurdsson proved to be a formidable challenge.
Suter secured substantial accent preparation for Harald Sigurdsson
In a series about Vikings, it isn't just the visuals that require attention, as the characters must sound legitimate when the cameras roll. When crafting the accent for Harald Sigurdsson, Suter did plenty of research and had some skilled individuals helping him along the way. "We have a great dialect coach called Paul, and he helped us work with it. He gave us Icelandic resources, which were what we were going to base the accent around," Suter said in an interview with Netflix Tudum. The actor went on to explain that one fascinating fact about his character that was a factor in the cultivation of the accent was that while researching Sigurdsson, it was discovered that he spent time coming of age in England. "He's quite cosmopolitan. I wasn't too concerned if his accent sounded slightly different to people who had spent all their time in Scandinavia because there's a globalness to Harald, or a Europeanness, that was an interesting thing to play."
It appears the actor went above and beyond in his efforts to prepare for the role, even reading several books, with some being more helpful than others. While answering questions in a video for the AV Club (via YouTube), Suter revealed, "I read some history books, there are sagas written about Harold Halgada from 800 years ago written in Iceland, and there very interesting and this guy was clearly a legend." After all the hard work put into the role, it feels safe to presume that several fans approve of Leo Suter's portrayal of the legendary Harald Sigurdsson on "Vikings: Valhalla."