Vikings: Valhalla marks the biggest production Frida Gustavsson has ever served as a lead on, but you’d never know it. She tackles the role of Freydis Eriksdotter with maximum conviction and ferocity, easily making her an especially commanding presence in the stellar ensemble.
The sequel series is set in the 11th century, over a hundred years after the events of the original Vikings series. Tensions between the Vikings and the English royals are as high as can be. Freydis and the other Greenlanders had no intention of getting involved in that fight, but when they arrive in Kattegat precisely when things are heating up, they find themselves becoming pivot players in shaping the future for Vikings.
There are likely many reasons why Gustavsson appears to be brimming with confidence while tackling the role of Freydis on Vikings: Valhalla, like her own raw talent and being surrounded by an A+ team of creatives for instance. But while on Collider Ladies Night, Gustavsson also pinpointed a specific individual who helped shape her approach to being a show headliner for the better, The Witcher’s Henry Cavill.
Gustavsson only appeared in one episode of Season 1 of The Witcher as Geralt’s mother, but the gig afforded her the opportunity to collaborate directly with Cavill on some vital material. Gustavsson did note the value of being able to work on a show of that scale before jumping into Vikings: Valhalla, but she also heavily emphasized the impression Cavill made on her as the #1 on the call sheet for The Witcher:
“The thing that I think I take away from it the most is working with Henry Cavill. He taught me so much on how a #1 should behave. Even though I came in, I have only like two little scenes with him, it was incredible to see a star of that magnitude for me coming in and being this random Swedish actress, the way that he was so collaborative. He was very, very sweet about, ‘Would you mind if I changed this line? Did you want to run the scenes together?’ Making sure that everyone on the set’s comfortable, making sure that everyone knows his name, that he knows their names. I think that was really eyeopening for me because coming from Sweden, you hear so many stories about, ‘Oh, all of these Hollywood actors and they’re just in their trailers with their massage therapists and they’re so horrible,’ and then to meet this man who is like, not only the most talented and gorgeous man, but just such a lovely person, that was a big inspiration for me and I hope that I can bring those qualities to set and make sure that everyone who works on my sets feel seen, feel like they’re a creative partner.”
If you needed another reason to admire Cavill, there it is! And if you need another reason to believe Gustavsson has a mighty bright future ahead of her in film and television, there that is, too!
If you haven’t already, be sure to catch Gustavsson’s stellar work in Vikings: Valhalla Season 1 on Netflix. The show received a 24-episode order right out the gate, so there should be more coming our way soon. While you wait for Season 2 and beyond, be sure to check out our full 40-minute Collider Ladies Night conversation with Gustavsson detailing her experience leaving her successful modeling career behind to pursue her dream of becoming an actor in podcast form below: