The Jake Gyllenhaall Movie You Forgot Starred Ragnarok's Gisli Gardarsson
Fans of Emilie Lebech Kaae's and Adam Price's contemporary spin on Norse mythology, Netflix's "Ragnarok," were devastated by the Season 2 death of one of the series' most compelling villains, Jötunn Frost Giant Vidar Jutul, portrayed in the series by Gísli Garðarsson. "I thought Vidar was quite an interesting character and was hoping they'd find a way to keep him somehow," wrote a fan on the series' subreddit, adding that they were "disappointed to see him gone" (via Reddit). But whether or not Garðarsson's character finds a way back into Season 3, there are plenty of avenues through which fans can get their fill of Garðarsson's brooding, scene-stealing abilities.
For instance, there's director Mike Newell's 2010 film "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," wherein the Icelandic actor starred alongside future "Spider-Man" villain Jake Gyllenhaal. Though the film received underwhelming reviews (and is, as IndieWire points out and as Gyllenhaal has since admitted, "one of Hollywood's worst examples of whitewashing" in recent years), it managed to introduce Garðarsson to a wider international audience, and unconfirmed rumors of a sequel have been swirling in its wake for over a decade (via Screen Rant). If you're unfamiliar with the film, here's everything you need to know about Garðarsson's role in the ambitious but problematic tale of a sixth-century Persian warrior and prince.
Who does Gísli Garðarsson play in Prince of Persia?
In "Prince of Persia," (Newell's adaptation of the video game of the same name), Garðarsson gives a brief performance as the leader of a deadly group of killers known as the Hassansins. The Hassansins of Newell's film were inspired by the medieval "Hashshashins" of the Middle East — trained killers who were instrumental in the deaths of political figures and from whom we take the word "assassin." Since our modern understanding of the Hashshashins is derived largely from derogatory accounts written by their enemies, or from "second-or [sic] third-hand European accounts," we know less about their origins and existence than our centuries-old use of their name would suggest (via ThoughtCo).
Although "Prince of Persia" is set in the sixth century (roughly 400 years prior to what we know of as the start of the Hashshashins' era), the assassins who plague Gyllenhaal's recently framed and on-the-run prince bear a striking resemblance to their later historical counterparts. Sent by Ben Kingsley's plotting Nizam to hunt down the prince, Dastan, and retrieve from him a dagger that allows its owner to travel back in time, the Hassansins pose a repeated threat to the film's antagonist. Gísli Garðarsson's character, listed simply as "Hassansin Leader" (via IMDb), crosses swords with Gyllenhaal's Dastan toward the end of the film.
This is hardly Garðarsson's only foray into the past, so for fans looking to see the actor suit up in less problematic adventures, there's always 2016's "Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands," wherein the "Ragnarok" actor stars as the hero's friend Breca in 12 episodes, or Sturla Gunnarsson's 2005 film "Beowulf & Grendel," wherein he plays the character Erik (via IMDb).