Alexander Ludwig Talks "Vikings" & Shows Off Musical Talents

Hi. Hi. Wait. You were telling a great story before we started rolling.

I was telling a story about um

You're BFFs from grown ups 2.

My BFFs from grown ups 2. Yeah. Because I know you know David Spade and I was just texting him.

Is there a female in LA that doesn't know David Spade? Sorry, David. Just kidding, love you.

If not, they should because he's a very charming individual.

He's so charming.

Yeah, but it was great. Uh David and myself and Rock, we all went to a Aerosmith concert the other day. for all you people that don't you know, aren't like this with them. And we went to an Aerosmith concert together and Stephen Tyler stops the concert to announce that we were all there and it was it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

How many people were in this was it like 50,000? There had to be at least 50,000 people. I think I was at that concert. I think I remember this now. So when you go to a concert, what is your what is your like do you dance? Cause I feel like it's like an awkward thing when you're watching a concert. Like do you dance do you not dance?

Oh, I'm I mean, if you're sitting behind me at a concert, it's gonna be the worst seat in the house.

Well, you're awkward.

Because I'm going to be jumping around, going crazy.

You're that guy that everybody else has to stand up behind you.

Exactly. Especially when you're in the front row with you. They're like, "Can you please stop?" If you're going to do that, do you have to sit in the front row. I'm like, Sorry.

You're that guy. I love it. Okay, so the last time you were here, was for The Hunger Games.

Yeah, yeah. That little indie I did. That little tiny movie that nobody ever saw. Um but it's funny cuz now you're doing Vikings. And they're both physical roles, like sort of savage fighting, you know, that kind of thing. How is sort of the style different? Like when you're when you're prepping for it?

Well, I'm definitely not playing as much of an asshole as I was in Hunger Games.

But you're a Viking.

But yeah, it but it is a uh it's an incredible role to be a part of. And I'm so happy to be a part of it uh amongst such incredibly talented actors. Um the role is I mean, it's definitely a physical role. The reason I was so attracted to the role in the first place was you know, the violence and the actions is just a byproduct of how they lived. But it's really an intelligent show. And our and our writer, Michael Hirst really made it about the characters and it's very character-driven. And you know, I played a good guy in this one, which is great. Because that's I want people to see that side of me. And ultimately, down the road, that's exactly the kind of characters I want to play.

And then you can dance.

Genuinely good people. Exactly. And then then I can dance. Which by the way, my sister taught me how to do that dance.

No, I heard this. So your sister got you this role.

My sister literally, I owe it to her.

Your sister is how old is she?

My little sister Sophia Ludwig is 13 years old. Yeah, 14 now. Yeah. And she taught me the Napoleon Dynamite dance. Uh when I read for Peter Berg.

Ready to get up? You want me to get up and do it? Let's get up.

This is how it works. So you walk back and you hold your hands like this. Just like hold it a bit. And then you got to do this teapot thing. And this is about as far as I know. And then you got to go like this and shake your hips. And obviously when you obviously when you're doing a Navy SEAL movie, this is exactly what you want all the Navy SEALs to see.

Exactly. Exactly what you want going to sign up for a Navy SEAL movie they're going to do.

Yeah, so it's perfect.

Okay. And hey, okay, before you sit down. Okay. I'm going to call you out. You have a Miley Cyrus haircut at some point in this in this show.

I was just being a little particular about my hair and it was like, you know what, cut it all off. Let's just see how I can deal with it. And it was great. It really helps you like get into character when you see how you are.

You see how your Vikings like were ahead of their time because like Miley Cyrus is copying them hundreds of years later.

Really? I take I mean, I take credit for that haircut. I think

You're taking credit for that.

Miley Cyrus kinda stole it from me, but.

So how do you get your Viking on? Tell me like getting into the mindset of a Viking. You know, it's very much like a schoolyard brawl. It's it's not glamorized. It's not beastly. I just think of it being like just like wild and beastly.

That's a that's a good way to put it. Yeah, so you basically train and you practice, you know, weeks in advance and you come up with these extravagant kind of stuff. And by the time you're there, it's just showing you just have to make the most of it and you got you know, 30 people coming in. It's an actual thing. That's basically how you do it. And you basically try to dodge and not get hit.

So if you You take any hits by accident?

Oh, all the time.

I'm sure cuz those brawls are just like I saw it, you know, from the show. It's just these massive amounts of people just going hog wild.

If you if you don't come out with like a cut or two then you're not doing your job.

Then you have then you absolutely haven't done your job. Exactly. I think you have a romance. Like do you have a situation?

Yeah.

Have you done love scenes before?

I have, yeah. You're I have. No, no, no, not like the real thing.

Yeah, I wrote the book on that. No, no, no. I'm very romantic guy in real? I feel I picture you being a very romantic person.

I think I'm a bit of a romantic, yeah. I love I love all that stuff.

What's like the nerdiest corniest? I mean when you were younger, did you do anything really special for a girl?

Nerdiest corniest, when I I think I might have done some really weird stuff with my teachers probably.

What? Teachers on your teachers?

I had yeah, I might I might have done some like, you know, giving roses to my teachers that I had big crushes on and stuff.

Oh, you went for the older woman.

Always for the older women.

Really? Oh, okay. So all the women out there that are, you know, over 21, or in their 70s you got a shot.

You might have a shot.

So wait, we have a guitar here. Because you're a musician. I know you were did you write a song or you did something with is it Tid? The

Well, no yeah, the DJ. Um, we we wanted to work together for a while. And we were recording something together, but um, we never released it yet because it's just been hectic with it, you know, he's been traveling and I've been um, you know, working. You know, I one thing I found recently is that if you really want to be great at something, you have to focus on one thing at a time. And if I had to go tour and I had to go, you know, act, it would have just been a nightmare.

So go go ahead. I mean, so what are you gonna play? I mean, what do you

Well, I didn't even know I was playing, first of all.

We like putting people on the spot here.

I can like do a little something. Sure.

What have you got?

That's something I learned in New Orleans. That's about it. That's a little New Orleans. Things a little out of tune, but I I I can make it work. I know, sorry. Sorry. Being very Canadian. Is when you're in love it's all you dream of. A moments of smiles and laughter ever after. A love that goes too deep, yeah, that you can't breathe. Just use your eyes, to no surprise. We found our paradise. Something like that.

Oh my gosh. I'm putting the guitar away. We have acoustic performances in here all the time. You didn't even

Yeah, but not bad ones.

No, but this was that's insane. You're so talented. And I'm so I'm so appreciate. I'm a little of a clunk. I didn't think you were gonna sing. That was really shocking.

I wasn't going I wasn't going to either.

That was fantastic. And this is what I didn't know about you that you are because we just had the Olympics and you are a skier. Like you are a freestyle skier. And when I hear freestyle, I think flipping in the air.

Yeah, that's uh I grew up kind of just doing that. I always said to myself, you know, if acting kind of hadn't taken off the way it has, um, I would have loved to go into freestyle skiing.

Wow.

But I'm in talks with Red Bull about doing some stuff together. So I'm really excited about that.

So before I let you go, I I read a great story about when you were 9 years old, you wanted to be an actor. And you stole your mom's phone or something and you called did you call

Yeah, when I was yeah, when I was 9 years old, I uh my parents were always worried about, you know, kids getting into the Hollywood industry.

Because your parents are in the business.

Yeah, my my my mom used to be an actress and um and I, you know, grew up loving uh movies. And they were worried about me getting involved because, you know, as we all know, kids can get really swayed by the Hollywood industry.

But then one day, without telling my mom, I went through her contacts and I called her old agent when I was 9 years old being like, I want a meeting.

And she was like, You're nine.

Imagine that little voice.

Yeah, seriously. She's like, who's this girl on the phone? Uh and I was like, you know what? And she was like, you know what, if this guy's enough balls to give me a call at 9 years old, I think it's worth meeting. And I turn my crowd. I really appreciate that.

So how did you get to the meeting? Did you drive?

I told my mom immediately. She I needed a way there and and I give her all the credit in the world because she drove me not only that one but to every audition since. So I mean, until I could drive.

So if I could give you uh the number of anybody, who would you call? And want to like meet with for, like other director, who would be your sort of ultimate?

Scorcese. Yeah, Scorcese. Yeah is uh in you know, Peter Berg who I love but I worked with. So um him and I are already very close. So I can call myself.

He's on your list. Check.

There you go. But um yeah, I love Martin Scorcese and uh I met Stephen McQueen recently who I think is a spectacular director. He directed 12 Years a Slave. Um I've just been really happy with the way, you know, my career's been going right now and um I just look forward to working with, you know, I always try to surround myself with people who are better than me. Whether, you know, directors, actors, everything because I think you can learn so much. And I think if you're ever the best person on a set, you need to get out because, you know, you're not going to learn anything there. Then you shouldn't hang out with David Spade anymore. He Just kidding, love you, David. Love you.

You love David. And that brings it full circle. I think we're going to go out with a love you, David Spade. Thank you for coming in. Great to see you again.

Thank you so much. So good seeing you. Thank you for that Serenade.

Oh yeah. Made my day.

Yeah, no problem.