‘Vikings’: Travis Fimmel Didn’t Want The Role Of Ragnar Lothbrok To Begin With

SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses History Channel’s Vikings. Please proceed with caution if you have not yet viewed all available episodes and wish to avoid potential spoilers.

According to Screen Rant, Travis Fimmel did not originally audition for the role of Ragnar Lothbrok in History Channel’s Vikings. Instead, he was eager to try out for the part of Ragnar’s close friend, Floki.

For many fans, there is only one actor who can play the iconic character in question. Along with that, it’s pretty hard to imagine anyone else but Gustaf Skarsgard fulfilling the role of Floki. However, before viewers were introduced to these characters, there were plenty of actors that auditioned for the roles.

By the time that Fimmel decided to try out for Floki, he realized that all the main roles were already taken.

“I actually wanted to play Floki originally, but the good stuff was already cast,” Fimmel said.

However, he was mistaken, as there was still one decent part left.

The Australian actor quickly taped an audition in the kitchen of his family’s farm in rural Victoria before sending it off, according to SBS Australia. This occurred a week before filming was to begin and the show’s creator, Michael Hirst, was desperate to fill the main role with someone thoughtful and not at all like the stereotypical Vikings that he had seen during the audition process.

“I wanted a particular type of character, I didn’t want cliche,” Hirst said at the time.

“Most people who read for the role were kind of shouting and saying, ‘I am a Viking’ but I wanted someone who is thoughtful and intelligent. I didn’t see the Vikings just as brutes.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

While the series was originally a one-season concept, the network decided to go ahead with a second season, and Fimmel’s involvement was extended beyond what was anticipated to be his death at the culmination of Season 1. He then went on to play four seasons as the famous Viking, finally succumbing to King Aella (Ivan Kaye) when he threw him into a pit of venomous snakes.

Currently, Vikings is in its sixth and final season, as previously reported by The Inquisitr. However, Netflix has picked up the rights to a spinoff series called Vikings: Valhalla, which will continue to delve into the Viking sagas.

As yet, no release date has been announced by History Channel for the show’s Season 6 return.