Sam Corlett And Leo Suter Reveal The Challenges And Rewards Of Vikings: Valhalla's Epic Action - Exclusive
It's hard to overstate how exhilarating the action sequences are in "Vikings: Valhalla," Netflix's spinoff of the beloved historical drama "Vikings." Anything based on the Viking Age evokes images of burly men, courageous women, and bloody battles, and "Valhalla" has all of that and more, with battles that take place in water, on horses, in boats, and on bridges. That action seems to have been created with maximum drama in mind, which means actors who are constantly drenched in water, blood, and mud.
Given how much went into each of these scenes, it's easy to wonder what it was like to be one of the actors performing in them, and Sam Corlett, who plays Leif Eriksson, and Leo Suter, who plays Harald Sigurdsson, have the answers. As two of the main characters of the show, Leif and Harald are key to the show's major battle sequences including Episode 4's clash on London Bridge and Episode 8's melee in Kattegat, not to mention several smaller but no less visceral fight scenes in between those episodes. Corlett and Suter spoke to Looper exclusively about the challenges — and the joys — of shooting the action of "Vikings: Valhalla."
Relentless but worth it
Corlett and Suter were often required to film the action of "Valhalla" in uncomfortable conditions, and Corlett shared his experience shooting a particularly difficult sequence. "I had a fight scene in three degree water up to my chest that we had to shoot as quick as possible because I didn't really want hypothermia," Corlett remembered, "That was something that we were trying to dodge."
However, both Corlett and Suter noted that they felt safe and supported when shooting the show's action because of the show's ace stunt coordinator and the whole stunt team. "We have an incredible stunt team led by [stunt coordinator] Richard Ryan," Corlett stated. "He helped choreograph the amazing fight sequence in 'Troy' between Brad Pitt and Eric Bana and a few sequences in 'Sherlock Holmes' with Robert Downey Jr., and so I felt very held by his experience and by the experience of the incredible stunt people."
Suter agreed, observing, "I think we have to really shout out the stunt team and the stunt coordinators who really help us to learn these awesome sequences. They're very open to collaboration with us and letting those fights really be imbued with the kind of skills that our characters would have."
In the end, the actors felt good about the stunt work. "It's a really fun part of the show — the relentlessness of it," Suter noted, "the fact that you learn a new fight every three weeks. That's a joy, as an actor, to have that variety."
"Though there was a few black eyes," Corlett reflected, "it felt worth it at the end of the day, especially seeing the finished product and seeing a couple of the episodes recently. It was really exciting to see everything come together."
The eight-episode first season of "Vikings: Valhalla" is now streaming on Netflix.