Arnas Federavicius Interview
After thoroughly enjoying season 4 of The Last Kingdom, and working with some of my fellow fans on a roundtable discussion, I got the chance to talk to two of the stars of the show. First up was a lovely chat with one of Team Uhtred, Arnas Federavicius who plays Sihtric. Arnas and I have met before so, after a little preamble, mostly about my quarantine gardening exploits, we got started. The transcript is below. If you wish to listen to the conversation we have uploaded it to youtube and that’s embedded at the bottom of this post.
WARNING: THIS WAS A CONVERSATION ABOUT SEASON FOUR SO SPOILERS ABOUND IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET!
Clare: Well, I mean, first of all, congratulations on season four. It was fantastic.
Arnas Federavicius: Thank you. Thank you very much. It feels so nice that the fans seem to be really really enjoying it and, and everyone’s like rating it on IMDB and everywhere so that’s…
C: yeah number one on IMDB most popular series last week I think, so that’s that’s pretty.
A: This week or last week? Was it this week or last week?
C: Ah, I think, I think it was this week actually. I remember seeing it on The Last Kingdom TV group on Facebook. Everybody’s been very active about rating it
A: That’s what I like about this show. I really enjoy the fanbase really being part of the entire mechanism. I feel like by now I mean we’ve met, we’ve met at the Comic Con so I feel there’s a larger and larger group that we’re like, like we’re doing the show, but you’re sort of like the you know the managing agency that sort of checks on it constantly.
C: That’s a good way of looking at it.
A: There’s no financial transaction between the production and all of you guys yet, but it’s like it certainly feels like you know you put in a lot of effort.
C: We do what we can. That’s, that’s one of the best things about fandom is sharing that thing that you’re passionate about with other people who enjoy the same things.
A: I feel like it’s a form of book club. They used to be book clubs and now, like,
C: Yeah, now it’s binge watching on Netflix instead.
A: Fair Enough. Fair enough.
C: So what was your favourite moments filming season four, if you can think back that far.
A: I really, I really enjoyed all the stuff that we shot in the tank with, with the water. You know the entire going towards Bebbanburg sequence, because it was just so bizarre.
We spent a week in a fake water tank surrounded by, you know, blue screen, and it was night! We were shooting, all the time we were shooting at night. And it was regularly, it was generally was really warm, but we were under this rain machine which was like a shower machine if you want. And you heard about it on the podcast.
C: Yeah.
A: And, and everyone’s warm, and it’s just us that are freezing. And there’s like a little limited area where the rain machine operates. And we’re freezing our asses off. The wave machine is like sometimes like “are we gonna fall out of this boat?” It was really intense, and I really enjoyed that bit, because it’s those moments like that you like they shout “cut!” and the rain machine stops and you’re shaking in the middle of a tank with on the boat. What are we… What are we doing? Amazing!
C: I must say I, I did like the little outtake that you put or the rehearsal you put on Instagram
A: I wasn’t sure I was gonna post it but then Alex spoke about it and (unclear) I thought I should put it in there.
But it wasn’t it wasn’t like. I’m not sure what was the basis of that joke but I feel like it must have been it could have been a dare by somebody. I think if I’m not mistaken, which I could be I think it might be a dare from Alex like I dare you to look, do you think? Oh you think I couldn’t oh you think I couldn’t. And it just grew out of that.
C: Well everyone I’ve spoken to about it I thought it was brilliant. So thank you for sharing it with us
A: I really hope that all… Like, I feel like, some of us maybe like me in particular, and Mark, we’re very loud on social medias and that lets all of you guys feel more even more close to it. Because it’s.. because this show in general I feel like it’s pretty serious right.
C: Yeah.
A: But just the, I feel, I hope that our capability, the ability to, to do it so lightheartedly gives some sort of an additional appreciation for the fans. I hope?
C: From my perspective definitely. And I know that my friends and I, we really enjoy seeing what you guys are getting up to. All the, you know, Ray Ban photographs, while you’re filming, hiding under umbrellas, all of that stuff, it’s great. There was a little bit of humour this season. It was…
A: Yeah,
C: It was less but yeah.
A: We try to do it because I believe, I don’t know if Alex spoke about it but I’m sure he must have, because I feel that the seriousness of some of our predicaments as characters that I feel like there should be some sort of humour in it. Because in the most dire circumstances in our history, the, the main thing that kept people going was humour.
C: Absolutely
A: Right?
C: Yeah.
A: Terrible happenings like BlitzKrieg in London or whatever war-like situations. People get really close and the harsher the situation, the darker the humour, I would imagine.
C: Definitely.
A: We try to, try to bring in those little moments to make it feel like, you know, we’ve spoken about this before I think we’ve when we’ve met.
C: Yeah
A: Just to feel that brotherhood, taking the piss out of each other.
C: Yes, that’s always good, and it’s, it’s great. I think it comes across on screen. The fact that you guys are very close off screen as well and you do have fun together, and you, you hang out when you’re not filming. And that really gives a sense of the tight knit-ness of Team Uhtred, as like, I think people like to call you guys. It really comes across on screen, that sort of camaraderie that you have.
A: Oh thank you, thank you. That’s what we’re going for and we hope if there’s you know if there’s more at any point hopefully, we really want to keep building on that, I really want to really enjoy it. And I think that with every season we, I hope, I should hope so that we’re growing even closer and breaking even more boundaries in terms of the abilities of what we can, you know, portray on screen as a unit. Cos it’s fun. I think it’s interesting to do you know. There’s everybody’s an individual, and every character has his individual story, perhaps, but it’s nice to, it’s also nice to have this sense of unit, and to be able to perform as a unit. You know?
C: So I have a few questions that I’ve done, a sort of fan question and answer session with a few of my friends who watch the show. And I wanted to put the same questions to you, and I’m going to be speaking to Mark on Monday, as well. So, just to get from the other side of it what you guys think.
So I was wondering, there were some surprising, shocking moments this season. What was the biggest shock for you, you know, as you’re going through scripts or at the table reads? What was the one thing you thought, “oh boy, this one is gonna make people go crazy”?
A: Wow, I mean, just the amount of deaths
C giggles
A: Yeah the amount of deaths, and yet again I think with every season, I think the antagonists are very layered, I think. I think the where they’re the way they’re built up. And what I like to think about this show is that it would hopefully teach people that the good and the bad is always a matter of perspective and a personal experience right?
C: Yeah
A: So whoever is an antagonist in this show, yes there’s, there’s a lot of malice and hatred, perhaps, but a lot of those things come from certain experiences. That’s why I really enjoy. I really enjoy Brida’s and Aelswith’s journeys this season. Because. Yeah, you know Aelswith is someone you everybody hates as a characters she’s just, you know, she’s that type of character. Right. And there used to be so much resentment towards her because she goes so against Uhtred. And then this season you start seeing that fragility and, and, and the journey that the character has to go through because so much has been taken away from her.
C: Yeah, absolutely. I couldn’t believe it by about Episode Two I was feeling bad for Aelswith, and I, I was looking at myself going “What are you doing? She’s awful! You can’t feel sorry for her”, and it just yeah that development was amazing this season.
A: And that just goes to show how strong the writing is, and how powerfully backed up it is by the performance of the actors.
I personally, what I really enjoy about the show personally and correct me, maybe other people see it otherwise but I feel like everyone on this show are very on their game. Very much on their game. Like everyone’s really sincere. Everyone works really hard. When you’re on set, doesn’t matter, like if the camera’s on one guy, and there’s another, there’s another five people behind the camera that should probably go home or something, but they all stay. So, yeah.
So, coming back to your questions. I, I feel the shock for me was just the character journeys, and some of the characters and of course the deaths. I don’t want to go too much into detail because obviously there’s people, most people who read your site I imagine have seen it already.
C: Yeah, I would think so, most, most of them are on their second or third rewatches already of Season Four.
A: WOW! Yeah. Yeah. Somebody, somebody commented on one of my pictures or something that they, they just finished it, the fourth time, like the fourth season I’m like wow. Yeah, that’s 32 hours. Why is that not that’s more than some like hours.
C: Isn’t it 10 episodes this season, I think,
A (at the same time): But it’s not an hour. Oh yeah, you’re right. You’re right. Oh my Lord.
C: Yeah, there’s some committed people out there, definitely.
I’m on my second go through and that was because I wanted to rewatch it. I blasted through it pretty quickly. And then I thought I better take my time. If I was going to be speaking to you I wanted to have things a bit more concrete in my mind.
A: I wonder though, how like the detail that the people who’ve seen it so many times how many, how many new different little aspects of the show, can they observe.
C: Somebody I actually just saw a post on Facebook earlier when they where somebody said that the chest that the Welsh army open up when they have Brida with them looks like it has the same pieces in it that, as the chest that Uhtred and Brida had like two seasons ago.
A: Well, I guess, I check. Hey no, no no, let’s calm down a bit here. there was not that much variety back then.
C (laughing): This is true.
A: Yeah there’s all of these ships happen to be on the same land, like right Northumbria, most of it, and so they didn’t come unless they come from Frankia, you know, then they might have a different look so I see what you guys are saying there’s only so many chests, you know.
C: Yeah. Okay. Going back to. Okay, I’ll put a spoiler warning on this one before I put it on the site, which death was the most, which one affected you the most this season? I think I probably can guess.
A (without hesitation): The one in Bebbanburg. The one in Bebbanburg.
C: Yeah. Yeah I think that’s been the answer that everyone’s come up with so far.
A: But then, then again all of the like I was really, I was really really sad about Steappa. But spoiler alert sorry, you know. Yeah, right.
C: Sure
A: I was really really excited about that because I feel like the way he started seeing moments this season with his character as well, like, you remember there was this fight scene in the in Wessex where King Edward is training with Steappa.
C: Yes
A: Yeah. And there was this little, like he did some sort of a manoeuvre and he, the King took away the shield from from Steappa
C: Yeah
A: And there was this little grin on his face. And I feel like he was so descriptive of the entire journey that they went through together. Yes, if you remember in earlier seasons when Edward was still a child, Steappa was training him in the same place. Right. So, like that strength that Edward has developed over all those years in that little moment. I feel like it showed like Steappa taught him all, all of it.
C: Yeah, it was almost like he’s done it. He’s you know he’s bested me. He’s a man now and then, you know, my job is done, kind of thing.
A: And that personally, like that when then Steappa went away. It really hit me a lot more. There’s a lot of things you know we don’t really see a lot of things because we don’t, we’re not on set all the time. You know you forget other characters’ stories and then you see it and you’re like “oh shit that’s right”.
C: Yeah, I was that, that one really got me actually, Steappa. I yelled at the TV, it was just such a shock it came out of nowhere, because I was so into the battle I just didn’t see it coming.
A: Again the character’s, I think he’s such a definitive character of the show, because he’s always been there, he’s fought alongside Uhtred, fought against Uhtred, and there’s this, always this, I don’t know, hostile camaraderie, you could call it.
C: Yeah.
A: At any point they would always, you know, greet each other. But there’s always like, you don’t want to fight with me. You don’t want to fight with me, you know.
C: Yeah. (pause) So, we have lots of new faces, new characters turning up this year. Do you have any particular favourites? Is there anyone you’re looking forward to having more screen time with?
A: Well, I’ve had, I think I’ve been lucky, not with all them but I spent a lot of time with, especially Uhtred’s children because we’re goddamn raising them!
C (laughing): Yeah, that’s that’s pretty interesting.
A: But I spent, we spent a lot of time with Stephanie Martini who plays Eadith. So I really enjoyed her company. I mean everyone that came on, everyone just had a different part of the season that I spent time with.
So I think the earliest one was Finn, who played young Uhtred, so it was nice to you know make him part of our team. Because all of a sudden like we’re this Team Uhtred and, you know, us guys, there’s Alex and Mark and Ewan it’s just us. And now we have a new guy in our, on our team.
C: Yeah, Baby Baby Monk!
A: Yeah, so it was really interesting to build on that dynamic. And then Stephanie came in and she brought in so much interesting energy like she’s so she’s so good. And, and her energy was completely different. So it was really, it was like, I like to describe our sets that whoever comes with. whoever new comes on set and sort of like, we have our own like inside jokes.
C: Yeah
A: But there’s this little door we keep ajar with those invitations of joking around or whatever. And we slowly like bring people in and within a week of like oh yeah there’s, you know we’re all, as if we spend years together. So, and then like Ruby Hartley came in, who played Stiorra. I mean, it’s really hard to separate anyone because, again, coming back to what I said before, everyone’s so good. So every time you have any one new on set, it’s just a masterclass. They all have a completely different approach. And yet, it’s also seamless, to me at least.
C: Yeah, there’s definitely interesting introductions this season. I’m looking forward to seeing how things play out especially with Team Uhtred now having to parent children. That should be interesting next season, if we get next season, fingers crossed.
A: Yeah, I really there’s an interesting underlying theme this season with this, with y’know taking care of children and, and the super powerful women, because they’re like so many. Yeah this I’ve seen it somewhere, I don’t know if somebody commented, or, or, or send me a message that this is like a female power season.
C: It did feel a bit like that. Yeah.
A: Yeah, and it’s, and I feel like… and I feel like it’s also it’s good, because I think it’s historically, there’s a lot of truth in that. About how powerful like especially Viking women I think we’ve spoken about this before. Viking women are such powerful, powerful beings and like politically and I don’t know that we’re really regarded as you know fearful fearful humans. And, and, and just as well like Aethelflaed, Aethelflaed’s story so I feel like I feel like it’s interesting to see all of this development. There wasn’t a question about, I just went there.
C (laughing): Um, speaking of Aethelflaed actually, there’s been a lot of chatter online about the decision making of certain characters this season. Some good decisions, some not so good. Were there any sort of particularly bad decisions that you can think of made by any of the characters
A: How do you mean? Like politically speaking or.
C: Yeah, I think probably more politically.
A: I don’t really think there’s like, you know, some decisions that have been made that were just, I think emotionally difficult. Like the, the choice that Aethelflaed and Uhtred made, you know about Mercia and all that. I think that I feel like, you know, in Aethelflaed’s case, it’s putting other people in front. Other people’s, you know, positions and taking care of them instead of yourself more. Yeah, you know the deciding to not marry until she controls Mercia. I think it’s a difficult decision to make, you know, and I think that shows a strong will and dedication to your people. I would say maybe those decisions, perhaps.
But perhaps some of the battle decisions might have seemed rash. But then again, they’re all backed up by emotional experiences, be it Cnut sending to attack Mercia, if I’m correct, Aeglesburgh when his children were, something happened, something to happen there.
Or Aethelred deciding to send his men there because he would again gain from sort of a show a move of power, right, like a lot of these are backed up by a certain emotion.
And I think that that shows, just the, I guess the how fragile and and fickle are men and women when it comes to making decisions, if they have a stake in it, an emotional stake in it. So, if all those if you say those decisions are bad, I think they just go to show that, like, it’s a battle. Again, there’s the duality. I think this show talks a lot about the duality. Whenever you see good or bad or, you know, it’s always the duality in this case of emotion and reason. If I’m interpreting it.
C: No, that makes perfect sense to me.
A: Yeah, so those decisions might have seemed bad or weird to some audiences just because yeah, humans make these because that’s the way we are. Somebody gets hurt, somebody’s ego gets hurt, and they’re like, I want to do this. And it might go be counterintuitive or counterproductive to a grander picture. And I’m rambling.
C: Ramble away that’s fine.
I have one more question. Obviously the sort of catchphrase for The Last Kingdom is “Destiny is all”. I wonder if you’ve got any ideas of what you think Sihtric’s destiny is? or where you would like to see him end up.
A: Well, I feel like as part, of part of a team. We’re all, we’re all warriors right. And we all have a part in, you know, being part of a team, but I think, and I don’t think this necessarily only goes to Sihtric it all goes to others in our team, is just to be able to lead, you know. To have some sort of a, you know, because you spend so much time together, serving at some point, maybe you would like to be trusted, at a certain level that you could have like a side. You know, if Uhtred decides to attack in different flanks or something.
C: Yeah, that’d be cool.
A: Everyone wants to be, everyone wants to, I think, Sihtric is all he wants to serve as best as he can. But because he has his own lineage, that he’s creating, you know, hasn’t been spoken about much this season perhaps because there’s so much to cover. There’s so much story going on. So perhaps his family wasn’t covered as much in it. There were moments that just couldn’t make the cut because there’s so much to fill in the screen and I you know maybe you know maybe want some of that in but you gotta make sacrifices for the bigger for the bigger sense of the show.
So I feel like it’d be interesting for Sihtric to have a further development in his lineage and see how his part in Team Uhtred affects the way he perceives himself as a man and his family, if that makes sense.
C: Yeah.
A: Whatever his son sees him as is, is there any, like, Is there some sort of an example, you know, because I’ve spoken about I think we spoke about this before, Sihtric has grown up without an example. So, yeah, his example is negative. And then, Uhtred and then wanting to give something back to his family. So I guess it’s just all these things. Is every man in that era would just want some at some point you want land. You want to feed your family, but then again we’re warriors so we’re always going to be drunk, for the hungry and for fight. You know?
C: Yeah. I would like to see more of Sihtric’s family definitely. You know, season three asking permission to marry. You know, and then we never got any more of that. And, yeah, it would have been would have been good, but I do understand that there was a lot going on this season. I know people have been asking where Uhtred’s third child is. That’s been a lot of talk on on various groups they’ve all been wondering where the baby was. But obviously it’s just things that can’t fit.
A: We can only guess where it’s gonna go. But I feel, I feel that was with this season I think that season three was very powerful. And then this season, sort of, I think, just getting all the feedback that we’re getting, that it might have established us now, as like as a show. I think more than before.
C: Yeah
A: And maybe, maybe I’m not, I don’t know, I don’t know how the writers gonna work but maybe there’s eventually it’s going to be like a little bit of a slow down, of the pace. And not not in terms of action, but in terms of what we can cover, you know. How much we story we can tell more. Because again, we, we will try to add as much, like a lot of action because it’s interesting and, but action is only interesting…That’s what our director said, Sarah o’Gorman on episodes three and four “action and battles are only interesting if they tell a story”.
C: Yes!
A: Right? Otherwise, otherwise it wouldn’t be. So I would maybe, you know, maybe we’ll see in the, in the future that it’ll take a different pace and maybe more characters will get to see, we’ll get to see more of their lives. If that’s what again if that’s what fans as well feel like, you know, I don’t know how much we directly respond to that, the writers, but maybe.
C: Fingers crossed.
We would like to thank Arnas Federavicius for taking the time to talk to us. Also thanks to IJPR.co.uk for arranging it, and for supplying the images used here and in the video.
If you want to listen to Clare’s full conversation with Arnas Federavicius, click play below.
