Destiny is all. If you’ve spent any time at all watching Uhtred of Bebbanburg hack his way through 9th-century England, you know that phrase by heart. But honestly, the success of the show wasn't just about the shield walls or the politics of Wessex. It was the people. The cast of Last Kingdom managed to do something that Vikings or Game of Thrones occasionally struggled with—they made us care about the side characters just as much as the guy with the sword on the poster.
Alexander Dreymon wasn’t an obvious choice for Uhtred at first. In the Bernard Cornwell books, Uhtred is a massive, towering presence. Dreymon is... not that. He’s lean. He’s agile. But he brought this cocky, frantic energy that basically carried the show for five seasons and a movie. You've probably seen him in American Horror Story, but this was different. He had to age about fifty years over the course of the series without the benefit of heavy prosthetics, mostly relying on a raspy voice and a slightly slower gait. It shouldn't have worked. It did.
The alchemy of the cast of Last Kingdom
Casting a historical epic is a nightmare. You need actors who don't look "too modern." You know what I mean—some people just have a face that looks like they know what an iPhone is. The cast of Last Kingdom avoided that trap. Look at David Dawson as King Alfred. He was the secret weapon of the early seasons. Alfred was frail, physically weak, and constantly battling stomach issues (likely Crohn’s disease, though the show calls it a "divine trial"). Dawson played him with such intense, quiet steel that you believed he could command an army just by looking at them.
The chemistry between Dreymon and Dawson was the spine of the show. It was a "will-they-won't-they" but for a mutual respect between a pagan and a pious king. When Alfred died, many fans thought the show would tank. Usually, when you lose your best actor, the wheels fall off. But the ensemble was too deep for that to happen.
Emily Cox, who played Brida, stayed through the very end. Her character arc is actually one of the most depressing things on television. She starts as Uhtred's childhood friend and lover and ends as a grieving, vengeful zealot. Cox had to play "unhinged" for years, and she never made it feel like a caricature. She represented the Saxon-born person who chooses to be more Danish than the Danes, a perfect foil to Uhtred’s constant flip-flopping.
The supporting players who stole the show
Let’s talk about the "pretty boys" who actually had soul. Mark Rowley (Finan), Arnas Fedaravičius (Sihtric), and Ewan Mitchell (Osferth). This trio became the emotional core of the later seasons.
Finan was the hype man everyone needs. Rowley, a Scottish actor playing an Irishman, brought a levity that kept the show from becoming a grimdark slog. His bond with Uhtred felt real because the actors were actually close off-screen. Then you have Ewan Mitchell. Before he was riding dragons in House of the Dragon as Aemond Targaryen, he was "Baby Monk." Osferth was the illegitimate son of King Alfred, a nervous kid who eventually became a hardened warrior. Mitchell’s ability to play "terrified but brave" is top-tier.
Then there's the villains. The cast of Last Kingdom always excelled at making you hate someone and then sort of missing them when they got an axe to the head.
- Ubba (Rune Temte): A mountain of a man who used bones to tell the future. He set the stakes in Season 1.
- Aethelwold (Harry McEntire): Possibly the most annoying character in TV history. McEntire played him with a sniveling, rat-like energy that made his eventual demise one of the most satisfying moments in the series.
- Haesten (Jeppe Beck Laursen): The cockroach of the Viking age. He just wouldn't die. He was a liar, a traitor, and eventually, a weirdly charming ally.
Why the diversity of the cast of Last Kingdom mattered
There is a lot of noise online about "historical accuracy" in casting. The reality is that 9th-century England was a massive melting pot. You had people from all over the North, the Mediterranean, and even further afield due to trade routes and the Roman leftovers. The show reflected that without it feeling like a forced "diversity hire" situation.
Take Father Pyrlig, played by Cavan Clerkin. He was a former warrior turned priest. He wasn't the typical "holy man" trope. He was gritty, funny, and could still swing a sword if he had to. Or Adrian Schiller’s Aethelhelm. He played the "scheming father-in-law" role with such oily perfection that you forgot he was a human being and not just a personification of greed. Sadly, Schiller passed away recently, which hit the fan community hard because he was such a staple of the UK acting scene.
The women of the show weren't just background noise either.
Millie Brady as Aethelflaed, the Lady of the Mercians, was based on a real historical powerhouse. She wasn't just "Uhtred’s girlfriend." She was a ruler who commanded her own troops. The show handled her relationship with Uhtred with a lot of maturity—they loved each other, but they loved their respective peoples more. It was tragic, but it made sense.
A different kind of Viking show
If you compare the cast of Last Kingdom to something like Vikings: Valhalla, you notice a difference in tone. The Last Kingdom felt "lived in." The costumes were dirty. The hair wasn't always perfectly braided. The actors looked like they hadn't showered in weeks.
This grittiness was helped by the fact that many of the actors came from theater backgrounds. Eliza Butterworth, who played Aelswith (Alfred’s wife), is a prime example. In real life, she’s younger than many of the actors playing her children. Through sheer acting talent and some clever makeup, she transformed from a young, haughty queen into a formidable, aging matriarch who eventually became a fan favorite. Her "redemption arc" in the final season and the movie Seven Kings Must Die was only possible because Butterworth made her human, even when she was being a total nightmare to Uhtred.
The transition to Seven Kings Must Die
When the show moved from BBC to Netflix, the budget went up, but the soul stayed the same. The final movie, Seven Kings Must Die, had the impossible task of wrapping up decades of history in two hours. While some fans felt it was rushed, the cast of Last Kingdom delivered.
We saw the return of Pekka Strang as Anlaf, bringing a different, more calculating kind of Viking threat. But the focus remained on the "brothers in arms" dynamic. The final scene of the movie—no spoilers here, but if you know, you know—relied entirely on the audience's years-long investment in these specific faces.
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Actionable insights for fans and creators
If you’re looking to dive deeper into why this specific ensemble worked, or if you’re a creator trying to replicate this "lightning in a bottle," here are the takeaways:
- Chemistry over Character Description: Don't worry if an actor doesn't look exactly like the book version. Dreymon didn't look like Uhtred, but he felt like Uhtred. Chemistry between the "core four" (Uhtred, Finan, Sihtric, Osferth) was more important than height or hair color.
- The "Villain" Longevity: Don't kill off your best antagonists too early. Aethelwold and Haesten worked because we spent years growing to loathe (and then appreciate) them.
- Embrace Aging: The show's refusal to recast the main roles as they aged allowed the audience to grow old with them. It created a sense of "long-term memory" that made the emotional payoffs in Season 5 hit much harder.
- Watch the BTS Content: If you want to see how this cast actually functioned, look for the "Carnival Films" behind-the-scenes clips. You’ll see that the camaraderie wasn't faked for the cameras.
To truly appreciate the cast of Last Kingdom, you should go back and watch the pilot episode immediately after finishing the movie. Seeing how far Aelswith, Uhtred, and even the minor characters traveled is a masterclass in long-form character development. Most shows lose their way by season three. This one found its heartbeat in its actors and didn't let go until the final shield was lowered.
To get the most out of your rewatch, pay attention to the background characters in the Great Hall scenes. Many of the stunt performers and extras remained the same throughout the series, creating a literal "family" on set that translates to the screen. You can also follow the "The Last Kingdom" official podcast, where the actors break down their specific filming experiences and the grueling conditions in Hungary that forged their bonds. This isn't just a show about history; it's a show about the people who made that history feel alive.