George Blagden’s boarding school background made him the perfect candidate to play Athelstan in ‘Vikings’.
The 25-year-old actor, who stars as an Anglo-Saxon monk torn between the customs of the Christian England and Scandinavia’s pagan ways in the historical drama TV series, was told by Michael Hirst – the show’s creator – that his upbringing made him the ideal actor for the role.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, George – who attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama – explained: "When I first got on set with Michael, he asked me where I’d been to school and I explained I’d be to a boarding school. He said it was perfect and encouraged me to bring that aspect of my life to the role.
"Sometimes in this industry a magic moment happens when character and actor perfectly sync, and I was just very, very lucky to be in the right place at the right time. I think I was what they were looking for the role."
George – who’s also starred in the 2012 film adaptation of ‘Les Misérables’ – revealed he secured his part in the TV series based on one audition and without knowing anything about the show.
He recalled: "I was only 18 months out of drama school and I went for an audition for Vikings. It was interesting, no-one really knew anything about the show.
"My agent couldn’t really tell me, they said it was this show about Vikings, that’s it. I did one audition and a week later they said you’d got the part."
‘Vikings’, Series 2 continues on HISTORY tonight (31.03.15) at 10pm.
George Blagden’s boarding schooling made him ‘perfect’ for Vikings
