Why Vikings star Travis Fimmel doesn’t Instagram

SINGAPORE — Travis Fimmel may look truly impressive in his role as Norse hero Ragnar Lothbrok in the History Channel series Vikings, what with all the battling and swashbuckling; but the real Fimmel is a self-proclaimed “country boy” who would “rather be at home on the farm” than anything else.

During our telephone interview, it became clear that the laid-back Australian is a lad’s lad with a laissez-faire attitude. Even though he first shot to fame as a Calvin Klein underwear model, Fimmel mumbled: “I haven’t been a sex symbol.”

He looks just as smouldering playing a Viking ruler but Fimmel isn’t buying into all the bells and whistles that come with being a star. “My hair takes 40 minutes and the costume takes 20 minutes to get into. It means I have to get up an hour earlier in the morning. I really don’t give a s*** what I look like,” he said. “I’d rather be at home on the farm. It’s just a job — making money.”

Don’t get him wrong though, the 34-year-old enjoys what he does. “You’re always trying to get on a show like this — there aren’t many,” he said. “You do a lot of dumb stuff before you get to do a good show.

“It’s just great to be involved in a show that’s so well written. There are no egos on set. It’s the best opportunity in my life.”

Besides working at making his character relatable, Fimmel said filming in Ireland gave him the chance to enjoy nature. “I like being out on the ocean and rowing,” he said. “We were off the coast of Ireland and there were 20 of us rowing the boat. It sets you back in time. We shoot an hour away from Dublin and there are beautiful lakes. It’s good to go to work in beautiful locations.”

He continued: “I’m a country boy, so I really appreciate the country. I love fishing, so I fish between takes on set. During lunch, I go for a fish.”

Is he any good? “Nah, I suck.”

And don’t expect the Australian Rules Football enthusiast to Instagram any scenic shots, too. “I don’t do any of that computer stuff. I don’t Instagram or Facebook. I don’t like all that s***,” he said. “I’m a quiet person. There are just some people who want to be seen all the time. My life’s not that interesting, to put it on the Internet.”

Some gaming geeks might disagree: The actor, who starred with Patrick Swayze in the 2009 television series The Beast, is currently filming Warcraft, the movie based on the immensely popular video game World Of Warcraft.

And what of Season Two of Vikings? “It will be a lot better than Season One. There’s a lot more conflict and more adventure. We go to England and Ragnar meets his match in an English King. And he’s got his hands full with his wife and children as well,” he said.

That sounds interesting enough for the Internet to us.

The second season of Vikings starts Feb 28 on History Channel (StarHub TV Ch 401).