On Friday, April 14, the international new film The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die will be released on Netflix.
Ilona Chevakova also starred in the fifth season of The Last Kingdom series. Carnival Film & Television Limited
It is by no means usual for Netflix’s giant productions to feature Finnish actors. The Last Kingdom – however, this is the case with the success saga. At the end of five production seasons, the British series has been made into a movie, which stars Pekka Strang and Ilona Chevakova.
Warm welcome
Chevakova was also involved in the production in its fifth season in the role of Ingrith. At that time, the series was also starred by a Finnish name, an actor creating an international career Jaakko Ohtonen.
Seven Kings Must Die Chevakova went into the shooting of the film with a light heart, as she knew for the most part what was to come. The Last Kingdom has been filmed for seven years in Budapest, and impressive sets have been built on the spot for filming.
– It was nice to return to filming and the role of Ingrith, as I already knew in advance that it is known that there are also Finns involved and that we will certainly be welcomed with open arms, says Chevakova.
Pictured is Ilona Chevakova in the role of Ingrith. Carnival Film & Television Limited
And Chevakova’s expectations are fulfilled right away on the set.
– The reception was exactly as it had been the previous time.
For Strang, the filming was also a new experience in the sense that his character King Anlaf differed significantly from the previous roles he has played in his career.
– Portraying an ancient warrior was not at all familiar to me. Maybe I even alienated it a bit, so the role was therefore particularly interesting, says Strang.
In practice, Anlaf’s role also meant that the work required even more patience than usual – especially when it comes to sitting on the make-up artist’s bench.
– Every day I sat for 3-4 hours while my hair was sewn and all kinds of things like that. The masking made the working days quite long. And when we move in such a time that cleanliness is not the thing, it took a long time to remove the mask, Strang states.
Giant production
The production of films and TV series in Finland is at an international level, but of The Last Kingdom the production team of such giant productions is significantly larger in size than usual Finnish productions. This one did of The Last Kingdom from filming a very special experience for Finnish actors.
– Everything was much bigger there. If there was a scene where there were horses, there were actually several dozen of them there. Likewise, for example, there could be hundreds of assistants in battle scenes, Chevakova says.
The crew for The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die was huge. Carnival Film & Television Limited
– Yes, I was initially nervous about how everything works in such a large production, when I had never been involved in something similar. It felt like I’ve stepped into pretty big boots, Chevakova continues.
The film was shot last year, and Strang also remembers the scenes where there were huge crowds especially vividly. Even in retrospect, he is horrified to think about the conditions under which the fast-paced scenes were filmed.
– The battle scenes were such that they were done quite quickly, and for such a first-timer, swinging those axes and being among the horses felt quite dangerous at times, Strang laughs.
Sweaty cranberries still ache on his forehead when Pekka Strang recalls the battle scenes of The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die. Henri Kärkkäinen
During filming, it also became clear to Chevakova that Strang’s fear was not completely unfounded.
– Once it happened that a horse stepped on my leg. It might have been my own fault as I was supposed to be taming the horse when the accident happened. Fortunately, however, I was able to quickly pull my leg out from under me, and nothing more serious happened. However, the filming was stopped for a while when they checked that I was definitely all right, Chevakova recalls.
Both actors are now looking forward to the audience’s reaction.
– The Last Kingdom was not familiar to me until I was asked to the series. I’m of the opinion that the saga has its own fan base, and they know best if my role works or not.
– It’s exciting when you know that the whole world is watching that series. Even my sister in Australia! Chevakova states.
The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die on Netflix April 14. You can find program information for streaming services at Telku.