Alexander Dreymon Talks The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die

The End Of Uhtred’s Tale

The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die is a one-off film coming this Friday to Netflix and here’s Alexander Dreymon, who plays Uhtred, talking about it. Warning: a few spoilers ahead…

ALEXANDER DREYMON – UHTRED

Can you tell us about Uhtred’s story so far?

At the very beginning of the story Uhtred’s uncle Aelfric tries to have him killed in order to steal his lands and his fortress which are by birth rightfully his. He doesn’t manage to kill Uhtred but he does manage to steal his lands and the fortress, Bebbanburg, and throughout the whole story that is always weighing on Uhtred and it’s a super perspective. He always wants to get his lands back. And at the end of season five he finally manages to achieve that goal and that’s where we leave him. He’s a happy man. Bernard Cornwell who wrote the book series has a wonderful way of describing the story structure which is that he likens it to Gone with the Wind. In Gone with the Wind there is a small story and a big story. The small story is Scarlett’s story and her love story with Ashley and then the big story is the backdrop of the American Civil War, and in The Last Kingdom we have the small story which is Uhtred’s story and we have the big story which is the creation of England. In the previous season, in season five, we came to the conclusion of the small story. Uhtred gets back his birth right which he fought for throughout the five seasons. In the special we look at the conclusion of the big story which is the creation of England, and it ultimately comes to a head at the battle of Brunanburh which is said to have been the battle that for the first time established a united England and saw Aethelstan crowned as the king.

Can you tell us about Uhtred’s relationship with Aethelstan?

Uhtred raised Aethelstan as his son. He loves him dearly, he’s very proud of him. But now of course Aethelstan has become a king with all the power and all the responsibility that comes with that and that complicates the relationship of course. But Uhtred, throughout this special, proves that he has Aethelstan’s back no matter what, he won’t abandon him.

What are your thoughts on being part of the Last Kingdom family?

We have had so many crew members that came back over the years and it’s a show that has long hours, difficult weather conditions, and nobody complains, everybody puts their whole heart into it. I think I can comfortably say that every person who makes this show makes it with love. And I’m just so grateful for that, and that’s the thing that I’m going to miss the most when the show finishes ‐ every single person who works on it and the feeling of support and respect and mutual appreciation that has always been the atmosphere of this show.

Tell us your thoughts on The Last Kingdom fans?

I think the fact that everybody puts their heart in it comes across on screen and we just have the best fans. I could not be more grateful to our fans. Not only because obviously we wouldn’t be doing this show without them, certainly not for this long. But also, across the fan groups there seems to be so much love and support and there seems to be so many kind people, I’m very, very proud of the fan base that this show has.

What do you think the appeal of Uhtred as a character is?

He’s relatable. He’s a flawed human being. He makes many mistakes, and we see him struggling with the consequences of those mistakes. And he has good intentions, he has strong values, and I think that’s something that people can recognise.

What does The Last Kingdom mean to you?

It’s been a little over seven years of my life and I have learned so much doing this show because Uhtred has gone through everything. There are very few experiences that Uhtred has not had emotionally, and for an actor that’s such a well of wealth. It has given me so much confidence in my craft because I feel like I’ve explored a lot of corners of the human psyche thanks to Uhtred and the journey that I’ve been on with him. And then of course I’ve learned so much about the whole process of producing a show because I’ve been lucky to be able to be so involved in it.

How do you feel now that The Last Kingdom is coming to an end?

It’s a little bit like crowd surfing for me to do this show, because when I’m feeling low, when I’m going through something maybe work related or personal issues, I feel like there is just a sea of hands there to catch me within the cast and crew. I’ve had several conversations about this, about how much this show means to everybody and how much it’s affected everybody’s lives. Not just because of the story of the show, but because of how these people came together and because of the atmosphere of love and support that we 17 experience every time we do this show. And I’m going to miss everybody terribly. It’s like leaving your family a little bit. And I’m going to miss that feeling of knowing that whatever happens people are there to have my back, to support me. I made so many friends in the crew and in the cast and they will stay with me for ever.