The Last Kingdom's Alexander Dreymon Would Use His Fur To Nap Between Takes

Historical fiction can be the perfect bridge between learning and entertainment. While viewers might not always be keen to crack open a book on medieval history, sell it as an epic saga of violence, romance, and bloodshed, and you've got 'em hook, line, and sinker. This is precisely the approach that BBC Two and Netflix's "The Last Kingdom" takes.

Based on "The Saxon Tales" by Bernard Cornwell, the series charts the real-life conflict between the Saxons and the Danes and their struggles over the control of England over 1,000 years ago. While having five seasons to tell the story was already a great gift for fans, the new film, "Seven Kings Must Die," will serve as the proper ending for the series.

Alexander Dreymon plays the central character of Uhtred in "The Last Kingdom," and though shooting in such harsh conditions could no doubt be taxing, the actor took solace in the comfort of his furs between takes. "Toward the end of it, I remember between takes just taking my fur off and lying on it wherever I was standing," the actor told Variety. "Just lying down and taking a power nap for however many seconds I had before the next take. I was so tired, so exhausted."

Though Alexander Dreymon clearly acclimated to his role on "The Last Kingdom," being that he stuck around for five seasons and a movie, the actor says he had a rough go of it back in Season 1. "There was just so much prep work to do. That first season, that's really all I did. I just worked," the actor recalled in the same interview.

Still, Dreymon also remembers how thrilled he was to join a series like "The Last Kingdom." "Starting the show was just so exciting. Everything was new," the actor said. "I had been doing horseback riding when I was a kid when I was living in South Dakota. So I was so excited about getting back on a horse and having that be part of my job," Dreymon explained. "What a luxury."

Though the show is now at an end, considering how revered "The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die" is by critics and fans alike, it looks like Uhtred and his fellow warriors have gotten the send-off they deserve with this closing chapter of the series.