It’s just ten days into 2023 when Frida Gustavsson joins me over Zoom, from her home in a very snowy Stockholm, but it’s already shaping up to be quite the year for the 29 year-old.
“I recently got married and I just came back from my honeymoon, which was fantastic! It was my first holiday in over three years,” she beams.
Frida’s joy is infectious and at a time of great personal happiness she is reaching new heights professionally too, playing the historical larger-than-life vengeance seeking warrior, Freydis Eriksdotter in the hit Netflix show, Vikings: Valhalla, which after a first season that notched up over 80 million plus watch hours, is back for season two.
Why is Vikings: Valhalla so appealing? It lives on the edge of historical fact and fables with very real human anguish, too. If you are new to the show and you think life is touch savage in 2023, spare a thought for the Vikings, there was no ‘easy day’ in that savage world. It’s a world of the bloodiest battles, ruthless rulers, religious discrimination between Christians and Pagans and amongst it all Frida’s Freydis has plans for retribution: to find and kill the Christian Viking who raped and scarred her. And after finally getting her revenge in season one, Freydis returns to battle whilst pregnant. How’s that for badass? !
Frida Gustavsson was one of the top models in the world when she sashayed away from the runway to pursue acting. Now starring in the hit Netflix show, Vikings: Valhalla, Frida is not only slaying vikings for a living, she has also slayed her insecurities and doubters, too as Josh Smith finds out for our latest column, Josh Smith Meets…
WARNING: Contains Vikings: Valhalla season two plot spoilers
But don’t worry it’s not all heavy, there are a number of long haired hunks with top knots (if that is your bag) including her onscreen brother, Leif (Sam Corlett) and her baby daddy, Harald (Leo Suter).
“Filming season two is probably the hardest thing I’ve done in my career,” Frida admits and this is an actress who doesn’t do anything by halves, she even does ALL of her own stunts. “The stakes are even higher, she is no longer just fighting for herself and she’s slowly taking on the mantle as the leader of the last Pagans. She’s representing a lot to these people who go through this huge struggle. She’s also pregnant and losing that one thing that she always has, her physicality, so she’s in a very vulnerable position. She’s parted ways with her lover and brother.
All of her friends are dead. Coming into season two, I was like, ‘okay, this is gonna be a very heavy season and every day you go to work you’re like, ‘today is the today where I’m giving birth alone in this little cave,’ or ‘today, my baby gets kidnapped, or, today my friend is getting killed. ’ It’s a very heavy show to work on. ”
