The Northman (2022)
- Before Alexander Skarsgård was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- During the filming of The Northman, Alexander Skarsgård improvised one of the most famous lines in the movie.
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Robert Eggers's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
The Northman is a 2022 American epic historical action drama directed by Robert Eggers. Alexander Skarsgard stars as Amleth, a Viking prince in 10th-century Iceland who witnesses his father King Aurvandil, played by Ethan Hawke, murdered by his uncle Fjolnir, played by Claes Bang, who seizes the throne and takes Amleth's mother, played by Nicole Kidman, as his wife. Twenty years later, Amleth, now a massive, scarred berserker warrior, infiltrates Fjolnir's settlement as a slave to execute his long-promised revenge.
Robert Eggers, following The Witch and The Lighthouse, created the most historically authentic Viking film ever made, consulting extensively with archaeologists and historians to depict 10th-century Norse culture — from berserker rituals to Valkyrie visions to funeral rites — with meticulous, often brutal accuracy. Alexander Skarsgard's physical transformation and ferocious commitment to the role's extreme violence were impressive. The Northman earned $69 million worldwide on a $90 million budget.
