‘Vikings’: Alex Høgh Andersen Talks About His Final Day on Set – ‘I Was Bawling My Eyes Out’
In the history of the hit series Vikings, there are five sons of Ragnar Lothbrok: Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig), Ubbe (Jordan Patrick Smith), Hvitserk (Marco Ilsø), Sigurd (David Lindström), and Ivar (Alex Høgh Andersen). Each of the sons has parts of their father in them, but one seems to have the constant drive and the fury, and that’s Ivar.
Since season 4B of Vikings, fans have watched Ivar grow up and change from someone who proclaimed himself a god, to a person who was afraid to die in the end. His story comes full circle, and his end was a hard one for fans.
Alex Høgh Andersen, the actor who plays Ivar, recently spoke in an interview about his final day on set, and it was clearly emotional for him.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from ‘Vikings’]
Ivar’s journey comes full circle
Ivar starts the series off feeling different from everyone else even in childhood. He felt like his father didn’t want him, and it made him a very angry adolescent and adult. But when Ragnar returns, Ivar goes with him to Wessex to get revenge for the destroyed settlement there. However, it’s all part of Ragnar’s plan. He’s killed in England by King Aelle (Ivan Kaye), but Ivar is allowed to go free, and his brothers get revenge for their father’s death, which is what Ragnar was counting on.
But it isn’t enough for Ivar. He eventually takes Kattegat from Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick), ruling as a god and making the people worship him. But even then, it can’t quench his desire for more, and his ambitions are endless. However, when Bjorn usurps Kattegat out from under him, Ivar leaves on the Silk Road where he eventually allies himself with Prince Oleg (Danila Kozlovsky) and the Rus Vikings
Although the invasion of Scandinavia at the hands of the Rus fails all thanks to Bjorn (who sacrifices himself in an elaborate plan when he’s badly wounded), Ivar has changed for the better through his relationship with Prince Igor (Oran Glynn O’Donovan), a boy Ivar comes to think of as a son, and the heir to Kyiv. Ivar helps Igor and his uncle, Prince Dir (Lenn Kudrjawizki), overthrow Oleg, who has been keeping Igor captive against his will to rule in his place. Despite his choice to leave Kyiv, Ivar is forever changed because of knowing Igor.
Ivar and his brother, Hvitserk, return to Kattegat where Ivar convinces King Harald Finehair (Peter Franzén) to go back to England. While fighting against King Alfred (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) in Wessex, Ivar dies in battle after telling an English soldier, “Don’t be afraid” before he stabs Ivar, who hurts his leg and falls. In his brother’s arms, Ivar cries and admits he’s “afraid,” before dying.
Alex Høgh Andersen talks about his final day on set
The final episodes enclosed in season 6B of the series premiered on December 30 on Amazon Prime Video ahead of their drop on History. Alex recently spoke with ET, and he was asked about the final day of filming on set of the series. He was also asked if it was “emotional,” and Alex didn’t hold back. He admits he was crying, and the final day was actually when he filmed Ivar’s death in the series.
“Oh, I was bawling my eyes out throughout the entire day… I thought, ‘This is going to be a massive day, because my last day as well was the death scene,’” Alex explained. “We did a lot of fighting and battles and stuff and all that, and then the very last scene of the day was the death scene.”
After working on a series for so long, it makes sense that the final day working on set would be an important occasion. Alex admits he was “anxious,” but he received “closure” despite the tears shed. He was even given a cake, which is a sweet sentiment.
“So, it was complete closure and it was a phenomenal, great, beautiful day,” Alex continued. “But I was also anxious to my fingertips. And I’d come off of a couple of months where I wasn’t really feeling that well. It had been some tough months leading up to that. So, it was just a full-blown closure for me. So, at 5 a.m., when they gave me a cake, I was crying straight away. I was like, ‘You’re the kindest, nicest people in the world, and this is exactly what I needed. And now it’s going to be an OK day.’ And then you just get to work. And I appreciated every single minute of it.”
Vikings may be officially over, but fans can still rewatch episodes to relive every moment. That’s what we’ll be busy doing over the next few weeks.
