History's "Vikings" is a loosely fact-based tale of the titular Nordic conquerors and the many ways they influenced other countries ... and how other countries influenced them. The early seasons of the show focus heavily on the charismatic raider Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), and to balance things out, the show rolls out multiple magnetic foes for him and his people to face. After facing foes like Jarls Haraldson (Gabriel Byrne) and Borg (Thorbjørn Harr), things take a more kingly turn when Ragnar has to start dealing with King Eckbert of Wessex (Linus Roache) and Donal Logue's initially friendly King Horik of the Danes. Logue's Horik is one of the show's more complicated characters, and when he decides that Ragnar is a threat to his own throne, he proves to be a cunning and ruthless antagonist.
"At the time, it was just like Ireland, where there were four kings and different warring factions, and he was the most recognizable," Logue described his character's position to Complex. So in the show he's always being challenged."
On a funnier note, the actor also waxed poetic about the very cool — and very, very real — beard he sports as Horik. "Like most things in life, the beard always comes first. And it sends out some kind of pheromonal call to the universe that brings the roles appropriate to it. It was funny because I did a cool western called 'Tin Star' where it worked, but that didn't end up going as a pilot, and then I did this movie 'CBGB' and it worked, and then I agreed to do ”Vikings', and they said it was great and I should keep it, and then it worked for 'Sons of Anarchy,' and it definitely works for the Civil War-era, playing General Brendan Donovan on 'Copper'."
