'Vikings' Star Alexander Ludwig On Nicki Minaj Music Video & 'Heels' Role | Explain This | Esquire - video Dailymotion

Esquire

We sat down with 'Heels' and 'Vikings' star Alex Ludwig and asked him to explain a few things—from playing a Barbie in a Nicki Minaj music video to how he got shredded for his 'Heels' role.

Transcript

00:00 Alexander Ludwig wants R-rated super freaky girl movie

00:03 with Nicki Minaj.

00:04 What it was supposed to be was Barbie and Ken

00:07 turn Mr. and Mrs. Smith and try to kill each other.

00:09 We got versions of it, but not quite.

00:12 It was a blast though.

00:14 Hi, I'm Alexander Ludwig,

00:15 and Esquire has asked me to explain a few things,

00:18 and I am very nervous.

00:19 I haven't read this.

00:21 Let's do it.

00:22 (dramatic music)

00:28 What would be your strategy for surviving the Hunger Games?

00:32 I mean, hopefully not getting picked,

00:36 but if you get picked,

00:38 I would have stuck with Rue till the end.

00:40 She seemed like the smartest and the best of us.

00:43 And when she left, it all went downhill from there.

00:46 She just stuck to the trees.

00:49 Kato should have stuck to the trees.

00:51 Alexander Ludwig wants R-rated super freaky girl movie

00:55 with Nicki Minaj.

00:56 How did you come to star in a Nicki Minaj video?

00:59 See, I knew that this was gonna come up.

01:02 I just knew it.

01:03 When I was in college, I roomed with this guy named Zubin,

01:06 and I remember he was so passionate about film,

01:09 and I said, "Dude, you wanna be in movies.

01:13 That's what you wanna do.

01:14 Do it."

01:15 He's since gone on to produce

01:16 the biggest music videos in the world,

01:19 one of which were from Nicki Minaj.

01:21 So he gave me a call, and he was like,

01:22 "Dude, can you just come do this?"

01:25 And what it was supposed to be was Barbie and Ken

01:27 turn Mr. and Mrs. Smith and try to kill each other.

01:30 We got versions of it, but not quite.

01:33 It was a blast, though,

01:34 and I don't regret it for a second.

01:36 Favorite tattoo?

01:37 Huh.

01:39 Well, this is my favorite tattoo.

01:41 Bambi.

01:43 That's what I call my wife, Lauren,

01:45 'cause her last name was Deer.

01:47 Favorite tattoo that I've worn for a role.

01:50 The one I had on my eye for Vikings, right here.

01:53 We put that in season four or five.

01:56 I thought that was really, really cool.

01:58 [laughs]

02:01 That's just me being silly.

02:04 Me being silly.

02:05 And that is not my dick.

02:06 I was taking Polaroids of Lauren every week.

02:10 She was pregnant, so we could just have something to remember

02:12 and then the egotistical part of me

02:14 wanted my photo taken, I guess.

02:16 I just took off all my clothes and I was like,

02:18 "Here, take a picture of me just so we can remember it."

02:20 She was like, "You're such an idiot."

02:22 So yeah, that's it.

02:24 And also I'm pregnant.

02:25 The internet is re-imaging you as Aquaman.

02:30 Thoughts?

02:31 You're almost there with a lot of these projects.

02:34 It's just kind of waiting for the right opportunity

02:36 that fits you.

02:37 And I think that I was very right, clearly,

02:40 to play a Barbie in Nicki Minaj's video.

02:44 So.

02:45 [laughs]

02:47 Oh God, that was crazy.

02:51 Can you explain this viral TikTok moment?

02:53 My little sister, Sophia, she sent me this and was like,

02:57 "Do you have any idea how many views this has gotten?

02:59 Like, you've gone viral."

03:00 And I was like, "What?"

03:01 While I was in Nashville, I was writing

03:03 and this lovely woman named Lauren, she's like,

03:07 "You look a lot like this guy from Vikings."

03:10 I was like, "No way, really?"

03:12 And then of course I ended up telling her that that was me.

03:16 And I honestly only think this went viral

03:19 because she is such a lovable human being.

03:23 So Lauren, if you're watching this, I love you.

03:26 And I hope to see you again.

03:28 Thanks for loving the show.

03:30 What country star, living or dead,

03:32 would be your dream collaboration and why?

03:35 Dolly Parton.

03:36 Just 'cause Dolly Parton.

03:38 She's an incredible human being.

03:40 She is an amazing performer.

03:42 The legacy she's left behind is unmatched.

03:45 And she really paved a path for those who came after her

03:49 and I mean, Jolene.

03:50 I would love to sing Jolene with Dolly Parton.

03:51 It'd be incredible.

03:52 What's your go-to karaoke music song?

03:56 ♪ I got friends in places where the whiskey drowns ♪

04:01 ♪ And the beer chases my blues away ♪

04:06 Damn, I'm blushing now.

04:07 What do you remember about working

04:10 with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

04:12 as a teenager on "Race to Witchmount"?

04:14 So much.

04:15 Dwayne was one of the first movie stars I ever worked with.

04:20 And he gave me his favorite guitar

04:24 because we used to play guitar together

04:25 when I turned 16 on that shoot.

04:28 I know I look 12, but I was actually 15.

04:31 I'll never forget working with him.

04:32 He really made his mark on me.

04:35 Any particular wrestlers you took inspo from

04:37 to create your character in "Heels"?

04:39 I'm supposed to plead the fifth on this one

04:42 for legal reasons.

04:45 But I think I can say I have a very close friend

04:49 named Adam Copeland.

04:50 So I called him for a lot of advice.

04:53 He was edge in WWE.

04:56 You're out there for the world to see.

04:58 You wanna do right by those people.

05:00 Putting on my character's costume for the first time

05:03 felt like, it was very exposing.

05:05 Part of me wishes that I, you know,

05:08 maybe should have packed a couple more socks in my bag.

05:13 How did you train to get this shredded?

05:15 I didn't think I was that shredded on "Heels."

05:18 For me, it was about getting your body

05:20 to look like what wrestlers would look like

05:23 and to a place where it could withstand the pressure

05:25 it was gonna be put under

05:27 doing these kind of intense sequences.

05:29 I will say that we always hear it

05:32 and we never listen to it, but it really is what you eat.

05:35 It's all about what you eat.

05:37 I literally tested myself.

05:38 I did a week of not working out and I just ate well.

05:42 And I think I looked better.

05:43 What's your favorite wrestler move? Explain.

05:46 Ace, my character in "Heels,"

05:48 is supposed to be this like local hero

05:51 and one of the most talented wrestlers out there.

05:53 I didn't have a lot of tricks in my pocket,

05:55 but like the one thing that I did have

05:57 was that I used to be a competitive freestyle skier.

06:01 So I feel very comfortable in the air.

06:03 So high flying is something I feel very comfortable doing.

06:07 That's my favorite move is running up the top turnbuckle,

06:10 flipping over my opponent, and then grabbing him

06:13 around the waist and slamming him to the floor.

06:15 We're just a bunch of kids.

06:18 Esquire, I think I have explained everything.

06:22 Thank you for having me.

06:23 Thank you for being relatively gentle.

06:26 And to the audience, I hope you enjoy "Heels"

06:29 and thanks for being a fan.

06:31 (upbeat music)

'Vikings' Star Alexander Ludwig On Nicki Minaj Music Video & 'Heels' Role | Explain This | Esquire

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