Every time he starts with the opening narrative, it makes me skip through it in a haste. It sounds so fake, "overtrying" to sound more epic maybe or like a strong man? And that "Destiny is all" line is probably the cherry on the top.
I like the show, Leofric was an awesome character with an amazingly well-fitting actor, but Uthred... god I want him gone.
I'm not too crazy about the actor, but I'm not sure if it's him, or the way Uthred is written in the series.
So people who haven't read the books will understand what's wrong. Uthred is supposed to be a bit more like Jamie Lannister (witty, confident, full of himself), not like Jon Snow.
Darth Vader is Luke's dad! The one ring is destroyed! And Ned Stark dies!
I'm not too crazy about the actor, but I'm not sure if it's him, or the way Uthred is written in the series.
So people who haven't read the books will understand what's wrong. Uthred is supposed to be a bit more like Jamie Lannister (witty, confident, full of himself), not like Jon Snow.
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Obviously you're not the only one, but I disagree.
Uhtred is meant to be a bit of a raw jackass in the beginning. One of the important story lines is his growth and development as a character. I am only about halfway through the first book and Uhtred's real testing has not yet begun, but this seemed pretty obvious in the series.
The voice over is a little awkward, but it is useful if you listen, and although I would not have chosen that method of catching the viewer up from previous episodes, it's not the actor's fault.
I think Dreymon has done a great job, and not just because he's hot either. He is able to convey a lot just with his expressions. I do understand that book readers visualize him differently, but the show is an adaptation after all. So far I'm thinking it's been well adapted, and I find it easy to both root for Uhtred and be disappointed in him when he screws up.
I couldn't agree more, CharWoman.
I might add, are "previously..." voice overs ever not awkward?
There are very few exceptions, I think.
And about his accent, Dreymon is German. I watched an interview on youtube and he sounds exactly like in the show, so it's probably his natural accent. He's not faking it. He's just German.
Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpzZTRX52Nc
His acting is competent. My problem with him is that he looks too much like a dandy more suited slaying ass in a bath house in San Francisco than fighting Danes on the battlefield in 9th Century England. Needed to cast someone with a tad more grit.
shareI don't agree. You have to remember that Utrecht, along with most young warriors in those days, was barely out of his teens. By the end of the book A Pale Horsemen, Utrecht was 20 with a 16-year old wife. At that age their minds have still not matured and they act on their emotions and testosterone rather than thinking things through, which was partly whey they were so quick to go to war and kill each other. He had known nothing but war and killing, and the glory of being a warrior was his life's ambition. The anarchy of the times did not help. Think of living in a country with no effective law and order being run by biker gangs and various teen gangs who rob and kill at will, sometimes for no other reason than that they can, and if they see something they want, they take it. If anything Alexander Dreyton is a little old for the part right now, but as the character ages 5 years with each book, he will grow into it. I think his acting is quite subtle, when he saw Iseult for the first time he stopped in his tracks and his eyes widened slightly. No words were needed to express what he was thinking. As the story progresses, Utrecht will become a brutal killer with little conscience as that is what he knows. A bigger problem for me was casting actors who did not resemble the description in the books, and most baffling was changing Svein of the White Horse into two characters, Svein and Skorca when there was no apparent reason to do so.
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I'm not crazy about the opening monologue either, but I think Dreymon is quite good.
He is very good-looking and his acting is convincing.
It's the character that I find annoying, not the actor.
Of course everyone will say that the actor playing Alfred is so much better, but at the same time, the material he has to work with is far more interesting. His character is written as a complex, puzzling person, who is both fascinating and irritating. A great leader with a weak body... So much depth and so much material for an actor to work with.
Uthred is just a far less rewarding role. Even though he has all the inner conflict going on because of his Saxon/Viking identity, in terms of personality, he is very one-dimensional.
I think Dreymon has taken a tough character and made him great. At times Uthred acts impulsively and becomes aware of it. The smirk/smile that he gives nails the exact amount of charm needed to make me overlook his laps of judgement. At this point he has skill, but he is more of a scoundrel for much of the series rather than an hero.
Adrian Bower has to be singled out as well for Leofric. He is that steady rock of grit and character needed to anchor Uthreds arrogance.
Adrian Bower has to be singled out as well for Leofric.
I dunno if Dreymon is just a bad actor, or if he's crippled by the director's need to have everyone talk "Shakespearian." - Or like the OP said, he tries to sound "epic."
It never works.
It doesn't help that Emily Cox is so incredibly good. When they were together onscreen, the contrast was constantly embarrassing for Dreymon.
Still, I find myself rooting for him, which is something. - Just not nearly at the same level I root for characters in "Vikings" and GOT.
They got the right actors for Alfred and Leofric.
I wonder if Alexander Dreymon slept with the casting director. 😨Of all the actors in the world, they chose him. Why, I can't imagine.
transcendcinema.blogspot.com
Honestly, I was a bit shocked when I saw who BBC chose ( a bit too feminine) and didn't follow the show at all. But now after watching the whole season, he really grew on me. I imagend Uhtred to look more like Ragnar (Vikings) or even like Ragnar his brother in the show. I have to say I love the books but I hate Uhtred, so it's kinda weird that I really like show- Uhtred :).
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