Season 1 of Vikings: Valhalla is now streaming on Netflix! It tells the story of Leif Erikson, loosely based on the historical figure and played by Australian actor Sam Corlett, as he travels from Greenland to Kattegat, Norway to help his sister Freydis seek revenge on a man who assaulted her. Once in Norway, Leif and the Greenlanders who came with him get caught up in a war between the Vikings and the English, who are trying to stave off a Viking invasion after having slaughtered numerous Viking villages in England. The show has court intrigue, backstabbing, religious persecution, and lots of heart-stopping battles.
What makes Leif himself a great character is that he’s a reluctant hero. He’s trying to escape the legacy of his father, Erik the Red, known as a berserker who loved to kill. Leif is a more cautious and gentle soul than his father, but he’s still a skilled warrior, and he rises to fame as the other Vikings come to appreciate his gift for strategy and his strength in battle. His newfound position in Viking society proves to be a double-edged sword, though, as he struggles with his pagan faith and begins to fall prey to the same darkness that drove his father to kill.
Sam Corlett is a relative newcomer to Hollywood, but you have recognized him in another role!
From Hell to Valhalla
If Corlett looks familiar, it may be because you’ve seen him in Part 3 of The Chilling Tales of Sabrina, in which he plays Caliban, the self-proclaimed Prince of Hell. Literally carved from clay, Caliban challenges Sabrina to fight him in the “Unholy Regalia,” and becomes King of Hell until Sabrina turns back time to defeat him.
Preparing for the role of Leif Erikson required a bit of soul searching on Corlett’s part. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Corlett says that he was able to explore his own family’s history of trauma in bringing Leif to life. “I’ve always seen myself as kind of wanting to absolve a bit of the trauma that had come through my family,” he says. “And I felt like Leif wanted to do the same, with his father being exiled from Norway. He felt a lot of responsibility to kind of absolve that pain and a calling for something greater.”
Like Leif, Corlett also sees spirituality as central to his life. He’s vegan and begins each day with meditation. He also writes poems that he calls “soul reminders” and posts them on Instagram.
Vikings: Valhalla has already shot 2 seasons, and there’s at least one more season coming after that, so it looks like we’ll be able to enjoy Corlett’s take on Leif for some time to come!
(image: Netflix)
