Travis Fimmel has turned heads for nearly two decades. However, it wasn’t until his performance as the electric Ragnar Lothbrok in History’s Vikings that Fimmel exploded into the mainstream. His Ragnar was a study in contrasts: equal parts barbarian and intellectual; lover and fighter; explorer and farmer. In that sense, Travis Fimmel is a man whose journey has been full of twists and turns.
Travis Fimmel is a protagonist who chooses to live a simple life despite his growing money and fame. He is a successful actor who doesn’t think much about the profession he has chosen. He went from being a clean-faced underwear model to specializing in scarred and gaunt characters with scruffy beards and inscrutable expressions.
It’s unclear how much of that is acting versus how much is Fimmel, as the actor himself is secretive and enigmatic. However, like Ragnar, he began his life as a farmer, without any dreams of fame or ego. After years of adventuring and soul-searching, he has returned to the farm, not caring about fame at all.
Travis Fimmel’s performance as Ragnar no doubt played a big part in the popularity of Vikings. He embodied the enigmatic leader’s split between curious enlightenment and bloodthirsty savagery so well that one couldn’t imagine anyone else in the role. His reaver was both seductive and savage, terrifying and friendly. However, when he first appeared on the show, the actor had another character in mind.
Travis Fimmel originally wanted to play Floki “but Gustaf [Skarsgård] was already cast”. He makes sense given the Australian actor’s desire to step away from the spotlight, focusing on being a talented craftsman rather than the leading man he could be.
Also, as we can see from Travis Fimmel’s eccentric portrayal of the historically stoic Ragnar, he would have been a very compelling choice for a mischievous genius. In the end, there is no mystery as to who Ragnar’s closest male supporter is: always and forever, the mad genius Floki. However, in the end, it wouldn’t work very well if Floki stole every scene he was in. And if the actor had played him, that probably would have been unavoidable.
