Why Edmund From Vikings: Valhalla Looks So Familiar
One of the more important roles in the saga surrounding the northern warriors' revenge on the English in "Vikings: Valhalla" is Prince Edmund. A year after his father, King Aethelred the Unready (Bosco Hogan), ordered the purge of the Vikings from his lands, Edmund was thrust onto the throne. Edmund, as a young man, even more so encapsulates the nickname of "The Unready" than his father did. He finds himself in over his head multiple times and must trust the council offered to him by his closest confidants, Earl Godwin (David Oakes) and Queen Emma of Normandy (Laura Berlin). Navigating his dangerous combination of arrogance and ignorance is a tough job for any royal advisor.
Casting the impetuous and inexperienced prince was vital to the success of the series: The actor must find the balance between the villainous opposite of our heroes and the hardship of someone being thrust into a role they aren't ready for. The showrunners elected to cast London-born Louis Davison to fill the shoes. As the son of Peter Davison of "Doctor Who" fame (per Comicpalooza), acting in pivotal TV roles is in his blood. Here is where you have seen the young Prince Edmund before.
Davison creeped us out in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Louis Davison burst onto the scene in the 2016 movie by Tim Burton, "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children." While he had very little screen time as Victor, he profoundly affected the film.
In the film, Victor and his younger sister, Bronwyn (Pixie Davies), escape their abusive father after Bronwyn snaps his back. After running, they find themselves in the home of Miss Peregrine (Eva Green). While Bronwyn adjusts well to the house, Victor angers Miss Peregrine by sinking a ferry with all the other children aboard. Sadly, before the events of the film, Victor is killed by a hollowgast after leaving the protection of Miss Peregrine.
Not only does Victor's body still reside in the home in a locked room on an upper floor, but his death is the reason Miss Peregrine is adamant about always wearing black. In the film, he is brought back to life — briefly — to scare Jacob (Asa Butterfield) by Enoch (Finlay MacMillan). It is a short scene, but one with incredibly creepy imagery.
Davison was Parker Whitfield on Holby City
The same year Davison appeared in Tim Burton's film adaptation of the beloved book, he landed a role on the decades running medical drama, "Holby City." The series has run since 1999 and is a spin-off of the legendary British medical drama "Casualty," which earned a Guinness World Record in 2010 for being the longest-running medical drama in the world (per Digital Spy).
Louis Davison appeared for the first time in Season 19, Episode 2, "Rocket Man" in 2016. In the episode, Essie Harrison (Kaye Wragg) suspects a domestic situation when she checks herself into the hospital for consecutive days. Once Kim Whitfield (Louisa Clein) goes to jail, Essie takes her 14-year-old son, Parker into her home as his foster mom. Louis appears in nine episodes before Essie is forced to say her goodbyes to Parker. In Season 19, Episode 53, "The Coming Storm," Parker's mother is released from prison and decides to take Parker with her when she moves.
Once again, for Louis, his small part required minimal screen time, but his character's role in the plot caused ripples to spread throughout other characters.
Recurring roles on TV Series
Louis Davison seems to have found his home on the small screen. After "Holby City" in 2016, he moved on to the BBC historical drama, "Poldark." The series spanned 11 seasons and is based on the series of novels of the same name, written by Winston Graham. In the fourth season, Davison made his first appearance as an older version of Geoffrey Charles.
Young Charles served as the tie that bound Drake Carne (Harry Richardson) and Morwenna Whitworth (Ellise Chappell) to one another. However, at the end of Season 3, Charles was shipped off to boarding school. The beginning of Season 4 saw years go by, paving the way for an older Louis Davison to jump on board.
Davison also appeared as Dr. Wallace on "The Reluctant Landlord" — Season 2, Episode 2, "Love & Marriage," to be precise. He followed that up with a seven-episode run as Simon on the French drama "Find Me in Paris." With a long history of TV appearances under his belt at the young age of 23 years old, he is primed to follow in his father's footsteps as a small screen staple.