A London boy through and through: The Vikings: Valhalla star opens up about his journey thus far and the many roles that lie ahead
By Patrick Grady
Leo Suter is anything but a one-dimensional actor. From whimsical period dramas, to roaring viking raids all the way to a Bollywood musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol – he’s proving versatility is his superpower.
With his time as the ever-determined Harold, Prince of Norway in Vikings: Valhalla now behind him, he reflects on the journey of a lifetime, the serenity of filming in Ireland and his satisfaction with his character arc, “It felt like real closure.” As we chatted, it was clear that he’s never one to stay idle for long. Enter Lynley, the iconic UK series making a comeback, and Suter stepping into the shoes of the unconventional detective. It’s chaos, mystery, and, of course, plenty of that signature charm (which, I’ll admit, is just as magnetic off-screen.)
Patrick Grady: You’re just back from the States, right?
Leo Suter: I am. My wife and I were in LA and then visiting family in Utah – which is full of snow, so a pretty big contrast. Is that an Irish accent I hear?
PG: It is!
LS: For the past couple of years, most of the work I’ve been doing has been filmed in Ireland. Lynley was all shot in and around Dublin. But on the weekends I’d go west.
PG: It doesn’t get much better than the west of Ireland to be fair. How long did you spend filming in Dublin?
LS: Five months or so this time. It was August through till December. Beforehand, I also filmed Vikings: Valhalla out of Dublin for a good three years of my life. And it was a lot of the same crews, same camera and lighting departments for Lynley, which was really nice because so much of that Valhalla experience was covid defined. So this [time] was masks off, gloves off – we actually got to hang out, which was wonderful.
PG: Well, I’m glad you got to do it properly. Was your schedule very busy, or did you have some free time to explore and immerse yourself in the culture?
LS: I thought I would have free time for Linley. But when you’re the detective, it turns out you have to be in every scene and listen to every confession. So, there was not a single day off – which was kind of a mark of pride, but also quite punishing. You get into this schedule of waking up at 5:30 in the morning, so if you can wake up at that time on a Saturday, you can get to the west coast in a couple of hours. That was what I did until it got stormy and miserable and I got really tired. And then by that point I just stayed in Dublin and went to the pub.
PG: Lynley is obviously an adaptation of books and previous series – how did it feel to step into an already developed world with the built-in history?
LS: It’s twofold. There’s one where you want to do a good job because this is a show that’s developed a passionate fan base. There’s a responsibility, I think, that comes with that. But also not becoming bogged down by that. Understanding that this is not so much a reboot, these are new books that it’s based off and a new imagining. So pay respect to the previous work, but also appreciate that we’re doing our own thing and feel confident in that. I actually emailed Nathanial Parker, who was the original Lynley, just the other week. I hadn’t messaged him before because like I said, I didn’t want that to be sort of overbearing or cloud my judgement or anything. I think we’re going to go for a drink before the show comes out and I’m quite looking forward to that.
PG: That’ll be nice – to be able to compare stories. You’re no stranger to the world of period dramas; what is it about them that you’re drawn to?
LS: One of the things I enjoyed about doing those things relatively early on in my career was in projects like Victoria and Sanditon, I was really part of an ensemble. That really helped me build a community of actors that became really close. So I really relished that in those dramas, and Beecham House as well. Something about a long ballroom or dinner scene where it stretches over days and you just have to have a giggle and a laugh – it really bonds you all in the – I don’t want to say monotony of it – but the drawn out process of those scenes. I’m still really close friends with everyone and value those [shows] for the friendships that they gave me.
PG: Is there any other genre that’s kind of calling your name at the minute or something that you’d like to tap into that you haven’t already?
LS: Vikings: Valhalla was my first foray into action, which I really enjoyed. Over the course of the three years making that, I had to do a lot of stunt training and fight training, and I’d like to think I got quite good at it. Now when I read a script and I see action sequences, I’m excited by them. So yeah, I’d love to keep scratching the action itch, but then at the same time, I would love to do some comedy. I did dip my toes in once in a show called Intelligence, written by Nick Mohammed, who’s of Ted lasso fame and it had David Schwimmer in it and a whole bunch of brilliant comedians, improvisers and quick witted, smart minded people. That was great fun because I like to have a laugh on set and it would be nice to carry over that comedic like hearted attitude into the scene. Especially when you’ve solved grisly murders for a couple of months. It would be quite nice to lighten the mood.
PG: If you weren’t an actor, what do you think you’d be doing?
LS: I think acting always was part of my future. It was the thing that I did at school and loved the most. The thing that I most looked forward to in school was the end of the day when we’d do a play or what have you. I think it was great teachers who got me into it. They got me passionate about acting. I really think teachers are amazing people for what they do. So if I wasn’t an actor, I like to think I would be teaching. My dad was a teacher actually, so I have a lot of respect for them. It’s much harder than acting, let me tell you.
PG: You studied at Oxford didn’t you? Have you found you’ve managed to bring a lot of what you’ve learnt into your acting or is it all quite separate?
LS: I did. Yeah, I went to Oxford for three years, which was brilliant. You meet this wonderful array of people. Some of them going on to great careers in academics and others I acted with. It was all amateur dramatics, so you’re putting on plays with your friends. I do remember being struck by the difference when I first started going from amateur to professional. I think I was 21 on my first real film and it took a beat to adjust to the early starts, makeup chair, all of that jazz. I actually studied a small course called Human Sciences, which had some anthropology, sociology and biology. It was to sort of teach you about what a human is.
PG: You’ve spent a lot of time working on Vikings: Valhalla – how did it feel to close that chapter? Was it hard to say goodbye to your character, or were you ready to get stuck into something else?
LS: It was a good three seasons. Such a wonderful experience. I really enjoyed my character’s story arc in the third season. Over the course of the series, Harold – who I was playing, the Prince of Norway – was desperate to become king. It was sort of his single-minded focus; that’s all he wanted and needed to be in life. The third season ends with him putting a crown on his head and saying, “I am the king.” So, that felt like real closure. Obviously, you have a family when you’re doing a show like that, so saying goodbye to it is tough. I’m still really close with those guys and girls. It took me a while to cut my hair. I think I’d grown an attachment to it, so that had to come off in sort of stages.
PG: Yeah. That probably would’ve been a big shock to just cut it all off. Do you miss the long hair at all?
LS: I do miss having the long hair. It’s funny, I’d never had long hair before and so when my friends saw me while I was halfway through [filming] that show, they completely didn’t recognise me. But for everyone who I was working with, that was the Leo that they’d come to know. Actually, when I met my wife, I had a long beard and long hair. So when I cut it off for the first time, I think she was like, “ Who’s this?” Luckily, she likes both.
PG: Was there a specific method or ritual that you would use before stepping into the world of Vikings? Anything to get you in the right headspace before going on set.
LS: They were early starts. I would get picked up at four in the morning and at that time everything’s a blur. I would listen to very cringey sort of psych up music. But what you realise is if you get all psyched up at four in the morning in a car, and you don’t actually get to do your fight until three in the afternoon – you’ve got to pace yourself. So I learned that lesson pretty early on.
PG: Tell me about Christmas Karma – what was that like?
LS: It’s going to be so good. It’s Gurinder Chadha who did Bend It Like Beckham. She brings a sort of British – Asian flavour to whatever she makes, and she has done an adaptation of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol called Christmas Karma. I had an absolute blast dancing Bhangra next to Danny Dyer, wondering if that was going to be the end of things. We’d worked together before, Gurinder and I. She hired me in Beecham House seven years ago or so, and, not knowing whether I could sing or not, she cast me as Bob Crochet and I got to sing Gary Barlow’s music next to Pixie Lott. I can’t wait for the film to come out and people to see it. There was such an infectious, fun attitude on the set and I think that really translates into a really warm hearted, feel good Christmas movie. And I sing, which was a bonus!
Talent LEO SUTER
Videographer ADDISON O’CONNOR
Stylist BIN X. NGUYEN
Grooming SONIA LEE represented by EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS
Editorial Director HUW GWYTHER
Editor-in-Chief OLIVE WALTON
Photo Editor & Production Director EMMA CHRISTOPHER
Video Editor ARCHIE DALZIEL
Shot at FD PHOTOSTUDIO