While the men in Vikings are daredevil warriors searching the west for land and treasures, it’s the women at home who ground their desires, society, and politics. I had the opportunity to catch up with the two leading female Vikings, Katheryn Winnick (Lagertha), and Jessalyn Gilsig (Siggy Haraldson) during this year’s San Diego Comic Con. They shed light on how women operate in the bloody and often violent Viking society; how Lagertha is coping in season two; and the conflicts we can expect to see.
I asked Winnick about Lagertha’s emotional and mental state.
“At the end of season one, Lagertha has gone through a lot. She just lost another baby, Gyda (Ruby O’Leary), and she also miscarried. She’s dealt with half of her village dying, and there’s so much stress in having Ragnar cheat on her and how does she find out – all these questions are up on the air.” Winnick went on to praise the finale. “I just loved episode nine because usually, when you’re doing a season finale and you’re so used to watching shows and it’s…epic sequences and battles…but Michael came back to…even to the beginning of the series where the cliffhangers are based on storylines or personal relationships, and the struggles that we have amongst each other, husband and wife, and as different characters within the ensemble.”
Winnick is proud of the historical content in the show and her character: “My Lagertha is based on a real Viking, a real life shield maiden.”
The conflicts among the characters are indeed what make the show relatable and intriguing. However, l wanted to know how was Lagertha was really coping with Ragnar’s infidelity and the loss of two of her children.
“As humans, we go through struggles and how we deal with certain situations and interact with other people,” Winnick pointed out. “What’s great about Michael [Hirst] and how amazing he’s writing it— you see that in the writing. There’s a lot of strength in the subtle ways of handling a situation.”
There was a certain subtlety in Winnick’s responses, yet she didn’t really reveal anything. When Gilsig began sharing her own perspective on the situation, I realized I wasn’t the only one intrigued about the state of Ragnar and Lagertha’s marriage. It turns out she discussed it with former cast mate, Gabriel Byrne (Earl Haraldson). They compared the spouses’ situation to a marriage that once had love but ended up becoming a political marriage. I agreed and then remembered Gilsig knows all about political marriages because her character was trapped in one with Earl Haraldson! “I see Lagertha as so innocent, everything is the first time for her. It’s the first she’s lost a child; it’s the first time she’s worked in the great hall. Siggy has had so much lost and has lost it so many times over,” Gilsig said. “When I see her [Lagertha] so deeply invested, it really makes me aware how dead end I am in contrast. We’re just at completely different phases of our lives, and that contrast makes for an interesting friendship and unexpected, but I think very special.”
Gilsig comically shared how she practically freaked out when she first had to work with Byrne on Vikings, and he was the one who made her think about her role not only in the show but about the role of women in Viking society
Winnick didn’t have any idea of the number of fans Vikings has garnered. “You always hear about it but we’ve been in Ireland. We’ve been stuck in the middle of nowhere.
“I actually didn’t speak for like eight episodes. I was so lucky to have Gabriel because from the very first day…we walked out in that great hall, and sat down and the first thing he did was to look at me. I knew at that point, it was game on, that if I was written in a scene, there is a reason you were there.”
She dove deeper into the topic. “What Michael is getting – and Katheryn knows I really get really passionate about this – and what is shocking to me, is that it’s taking this long for people to realize that if a woman is in the room, she has an opinion.”
Winnick agreed. “What woman doesn’t?”
“And that’s been true since the beginning of time,” Gilsig noted. “We’re finally allowing that to be explored, to evolve and to understand that these relationships are born out of two people. Decisions, whether or not the man is necessarily the mouthpiece, you can be sure when Ragnar went home and said ‘I’m going west’ – nods at Winnick – I’m sure she had some thoughts about that. That is realistic. It’s exciting for how that is being portrayed.”
As the season one finale approached, it was unclear to me whether a friendship had truly emerged between Winnick’s and Gilsig’s characters after Lagertha assumed the role of the wife of Earl. However, as I watched these two actors interact, I thought about how a genuine friendship between the women seemed to have e emerged in real life.
Jessalyn Gilsig joked about how she freaked out a bit when she started working with Daniel Byrne, while trying to maintain a façade of coolness.
The talk somehow shifted to discussing what it is like being on set.
“I start off at hair, it has become more a ritual,” Winnick volunteered. “Make-up takes two seconds; you don’t have much make-up. And then as you put on the wardrobe, it’s like a ceremony you get into it…”
Gilsig added, “Everywhere you look are Vikings, everywhere; it’s just unbelievable. If a guy shows up in a suit, it’s like an alien. It’s so weird.”
Gilsig and Winnick commented on the camaraderie among the cast mates too. The adjectives they each used included words such as “supportive,” “focused,” and “lucky,” among others. Personally, I would add the word “commitment” to the list because the one thing they all have in common is how proud they are about being on the show.
“The desire for the show to be the best in every department…it really blows my mind every day,” Winnick declared. “It’s not like we set the show and then we just turn it over. Everyday each department is developing and it’s growing and it’s deepening so it makes so great of for us actors to deepen and grow…I’ve never seen anything so acutely focused and it’s more than just the actors.”
More with Clive Standen and Travis Fimmel
Vikings will return in 2014. Check out the Season 2 Teaser
Vikings will return to the History Channel in 2014.
To keep up with show updates, please visit http://www.history.com/shows/vikings,
Follow @HistoryVikings on Twitter.
Vikings Season 1 is out on Blu-ray/DVD on October 15. The Blu-ray trailer is available now at http://youtu.be/i6itoUtILxU.
elleL
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