‘Hardcore revenge’

The Northman duo tell Peter Sblendorio about this epic fantasy based on a Viking legend.

Fantasy became reality for The Northman stars Alexander Skarsgard and Anya Taylor-Joy. For years, the Stockholmborn Skarsgard dreamed of making a massive Viking movie exploring the epic Icelandic legends that have been passed down for centuries.

The actor says his research of Norse mythology led him to the ‘‘classic, hardcore revenge story’’ of Amleth, a warrior prince destined to kill his father’s murderer, no matter how much bloodshed is required along the way.

‘‘It’s in my DNA. I’m Swedish,’’ Skarsgard, 45, told the Daily News. ‘‘I was born 300 yards from a big runestone, so the presence of that, growing up, always fascinated me, the notion that 1000 years ago, a Viking would erect this runestone with this inscription of a loved one’s expedition. It really tickled my imagination, and that kind of formed a dream of one day making a movie set in that world with those characters.’’

Skarsgard stars as Amleth in The Northman, which hit New Zealand cinemas on Thursday and depicts the hulking hero’s brutal battles and manipulation of magic to avenge his father, played by Ethan Hawke, and reunite with his kidnapped mother, portrayed by Nicole Kidman.

His journey introduces him to Taylor-Joy’s mysterious Olga, whose deep connection with the spiritual world and nature makes her the perfect partner.

‘‘It’s really nice because I don’t think that there’s a moment ever where Amleth looks at Olga and thinks she’s less than [him] because she’s smaller than he is and less strong,’’ Taylor-Joy told The News.

‘‘They both have a lot of respect for what each of them brings to the table, and I enjoyed playing out that dynamic, especially in a Viking movie, which doesn’t necessarily always have that kind of opportunity for female characters. If you look at Nicole and I, they’re just as fierce as the men.’’

Starring in

The Northman checked several boxes for TaylorJoy, who has long been fascinated by different mythologies and jumped at the chance to reunite with director Robert Eggers after working with him on the 2015 horror film The Witch. ‘‘The beauty of reading a Robert Eggers’ script is you know that you’ll be doing everything for real,’’ said TaylorJoy, 26.

‘‘There will be as little green screen as possible. You will actually be doing these things, and that, as a physical experience, I really wanted to have it. I wanted to be out there in the elements, especially after quarantine. I just wanted to be stuck out there in nature, telling a really epic tale.’’

Taylor-Joy, who won a

Golden Globe and Screen

Actors Guild award for the chess drama The Queen’s Gambit, is no stranger to fantasy films, starring in last year’s psychological thriller Last Night in Soho. Skarsgard is also a veteran of the genre. His past films include Tarzan and Godzilla vs. Kong.

The technical challenges of making The Northman made it a unique experience, said Skarsgard, who was also a producer on the movie.

‘‘Pretty much all of the big set pieces were arduous and challenging to shoot,’’

Skarsgard explained.

‘‘As you see in the movie, they’re shot with just one camera and one shot, which is quite unusual. You rarely see that, especially not in action movies. It’s often plenty of cuts and playing with different angles.

‘‘When you have plenty of cuts and plenty of angles, it means you can take breaks and you can focus on the sequence of a fight scene, and then go have a cappuccino and then come back and do the next sequence. On The Northman, you had to do the whole thing.’’

Skarsgard says he and fellow producer Lars Knudsen spent two years reading Icelandic legends before selecting the saga of Amleth, which famously inspired William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

‘‘He is someone who is quite lost and quite lonely, and his drive is to avenge the death of his father, but also to be reunited with his mother,’’ Skarsgard said. ‘‘It’s about finding your family and your place in the world.’’ – New York Daily News

The Northman is now screening in cinemas nationwide.