Alexander Dreymon, star of The Last Kingdom, is hoping people will stop comparing the medieval historical drama series to Game Of Thrones.
Parallels have frequently been drawn with the hit fantasy series, which also tells the story of a world full of alliances, betrayals and brutal deaths.
But with a second series just commissioned, Alexander is keen for The Last Kingdom to make its own mark.
He said: “I think we should be honoured to be compared to Game Of Thrones because it’s a great show, it’s the number one show in the world at the moment. So it’s brilliant to be compared to it.
“However it’s so different, and I think in time hopefully that comparison will fade away and we’ll be our own entity, our own thing.”
The actor, who plays Uhtred, a Saxon warrior raised by Danes, stars alongside Emily Cox as his friend and mistress, Brida.
“Brida is very strong and Emily is very strong,” Alexander explained. “It was really fun working with Emily. And she really, really brought Brita to life and brought that sparkle and that fierce,
‘don’t f*** with me’ attitude. She’s the first feminist, I think.
“And the relationship that Uhtred and Brida have, they’re close friends, they’re almost brother and sister because they grew up together, but at the same time they become friends with benefits, and it’s never portrayed as a classical romantic relationship. We didn’t want to go there necessarily.”
Shooting the series involved a lot of time in the elements – giving the actors a renewed appreciation for hot showers.
Alexander recalled: “The times were brutal. Extremely brutal. And not only in the way people interacted, but also in the elements and we shot, as I said, out in nature all the time, and we were in the freezing cold, and we were in the mud…
“And sometimes I would be on the horse with Emily, and would say to her, ‘What’s incredible is that we are freezing our arses off right now, and it will take an hour for us to warm up in the shower tonight, but at least we do have a shower and we can go home and warm up’.”
“But those guys, they just stayed in the mud all the time, and would warm up underneath furs by the fireplace, but only partially. So I think the violence is not only in the battles, but also in the way people lived. It was a violent time.”
One scene in particular drove home the disadvantages of the 9th century.
The 32-year-old explained: “It was a love scene between Brida and myself… I always pictured it being in a wooden hut with a little fire in the corner, and some light coming in through the curtains.
“And what it ended up being was two straw walls with a straw thatched roof, water dripping down on to us, and we were naked, and it was in the freezing cold. It was raining outside, the bed was literally in mud this deep, and it was just like that all the time.”
To play the character, the German-born actor had to master a new accent – but to make matters more complicated, the accent was an invented hybrid.
“It’s very specific,” he said. “We wanted something that really stood out from the Saxons and from the Danes… And we tried out lots of different things, and had quite a few debates about what it was going to be, and I’m really happy with what it ended up being.
“I wasn’t on board at first, but in hindsight I think I’m really happy with the way it went and I think it works… I took it as a challenge, and I think the accent somehow made the character in the end.”
Season 1 of The Last Kingdom is out now on Blu-ray and DVD.
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