‘Vikings’ season 5: Series boss on casting Jonathan Rhys Meyers

One of the more exciting announcements that came out before the season 4 finale of “Vikings” was learning that a rather excellent actor in Jonathan Rhys Meyers was going to be coming onto the show. Not only that, but he is going to be a series regular over the course of season 5! While you may not have seen much of Heahmund just yet (despite all of the hype, the character was relegated to mostly a cameo appearance in the finale), this is something that will be clearly changing. He’s a man with a strong sense of duty and faith (with some questionable side activities), and we also know that he is a man who will prove to be a formidable opponent to some of the other characters that we have on the show.

Speaking in a new interview with TV Guide, show creator Michael Hirst did his part to preview this newcomer,

“I knew that I needed a new Saxon character who might be able to stand up to the Vikings and I discovered these people called warrior bishops. They’re real people and Heahmund was a real [person] and he was a precursor of the Knights of Templar. That’s to say he was a young man of God. He was trained in the church. He was very devout and definitely a churchman, a spiritual person. But he was also a warrior. And so when it came to fighting, like the Knights of Templar did, they’d fight. And the thing about Heahmund that’s interesting is he’s kind of divided. He was prone to passion. Despite his very deep, devout religious belief, he was a passionate man who took advantage of women who looked up to him as a bishop and then he’d punish himself for his sins. He’s a kind of Michael Hirst character, I have to say. He’s a complex character. He punishes himself for his sins and yet he’s a very brave, courageous and interesting person. And I just needed a Christian soldier who could stand up to Ivar because I knew that Ivar would just absolutely begin to dominate the great army. And so I needed someone. And Johnny was suggested to me as a possible player of Bishop Heahmund …. And so that seemed a good match to me because Johnny is compulsively watchful. Johnny is absolutely charismatic and that’s what I needed. Because I think we found in Alex Hogh Andersen someone else who’s very charismatic. And so I needed someone equally charismatic who could stand up to him or make a relationship with him, which he does.”

You’re going to be getting a great deal with Rhys Meyers, as he is someone who was stupendous both in “The Tudors” and “Dracula” — he can play the sort of dark, scheming character very well, but also someone tightly bound by duty. What’s fascinating about Heahmund is that we don’t often see bishop characters anywhere near as varied and passionate at him (although we did see a similar character on “The Borgias”). Odds are, this could lead to some interesting dynamics and some tricky situations as we press onward with the show when it returns.

What do you want to see moving forward now on “Vikings” with this character? Share some of your thoughts on the subject below, and head over here in the event you want to get some more news right away when it comes to the show. Also, if you didn’t get a chance to read our interview with Alex Hogh Andersen (Ivar the Boneless) then head on over to the link here and check it out. (Photo: Vikings.)