Seven Kings Must Die star Alexander Dreymon calls return "bittersweet"
The Last Kingdom actor is bidding farewell to Uhtred of Bebbanburg.
Alexander Dreymon has detailed the "bittersweet" experience of reprising his The Last Kingdom role one last time for Seven Kings Must Die, ahead of the film's release on Netflix later this week.
The feature-length special brings the story of noble warrior Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Dreymon) to an end, as the young King Aethelstan (Harry Gilby) finds himself on the brink of forming what we know today as England.
Dreymon has played this character for almost a decade, appearing in five seasons of The Last Kingdom, which started out on BBC Two in 2015 before being snapped up by Netflix from its third entry.
But while Uhtred has been a life-changing role, Dreymon told RadioTimes.com that Seven Kings Must Die has made it easier to bid farewell to the character.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
"Having the two-hour special at the end of it was such a blessing because it let me off easy," he said. "I knew I had that bit of time left. And to be honest, I've spent so much time with the character [that] letting the character go was the easier part of it all.
"The hard part is just knowing that you won't work again with all of these people in that same configuration. I am friends with a lot of people from the crew and all of the cast so I am seeing the people again.
"But it's such a special thing to just be in this world together and see each other every day," he added, "and spend that time together in the mud. As crazy as that sounds, I'm going to miss that the most."
Read more:
- Yellowstone star addresses Kevin Costner exit rumours: "Nothing is forever"
- Ghosts star on tear-jerking last ever episode: "It's very final"
The Last Kingdom season 5 was initially dubbed the final chapter, before the surprise announcement of Seven Kings Must Die – but this really is the end, with Dreymon saying he has no further plans to return as Uhtred.
He added: "It was definitely bittersweet to be in all of these places knowing that it was going to be for the last time. But it was also a wonderful way to say goodbye and pay my respects to the time that I've had there."
Seven Kings Must Die is available to stream on Netflix from Friday 14th April 2023. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
