Season two of History’s critically acclaimed series Vikings premieres on Thursday, February 27, 2014 at 10pm ET/PT with Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) back leading his people on explorations of foreign lands. Every aspect of Vikings‘ season two is ratcheted up, with more brutal action scenes and more suspense, and with the continuing evolution of the complex relationships between the key players intensifying over the course of 10 brand new episodes.

In support of Vikings‘ second season, Fimmel took part in a conference call to discuss what viewers can expect from this new much-anticipated season.

Travis Fimmel Vikings Season Two Interview

How difficult was it reprising the role for season two?

“On any job, the first weeks you feel like you’ve done the worst job in the world. You always want to re-shoot the first week of work on any job because you sort of haven’t gotten into it yet. But we know everybody on set; we work with a couple of the same directors. We’re all friends. It’s a very friendly set so it’s not too hard to get into it. The sets and the costumes are so good, they really help put you in that world again.”

What’s Ragnar’s relationship with his family like now?

“He’s all about his children. He wants to have a lot of children – as in the history books. It really messes him up when his son chooses to go live with his mother, but it’s great to see him when he comes back. Ragnar feels like he’s missed out on an education while he’s been gone. He feels like his son should be with his father, and he didn’t want his wife to leave in the first place. So, he’s pretty heartbroken and distressed about it, but he’s certainly happy when he gets his son back.”

How does Ragnar evolve in season two?

“He changes a fair bit. It’s really tough after he loses his son. He doesn’t necessarily have the fun and the adventure isn’t as strong as it used to be for him. But he really wants to help out his own people and his community, you know? Him going West isn’t about the discovery as much anymore as it is him trying to help his people survive and have lots of food, and all that sort of stuff. He wants to better his community.”

Can you say anything about how Ragnar and Rollo (played by Clive Standen) are going to get along this season?

“Yeah, that’s going to be pretty hard to ever trust Rollo again. But he’s blood and the most important thing to Ragnar is family and his blood. There’s certainly big obstacles to overcome with Rollo, but they have a big arc this season – the two brothers. It’s a lot different than last season. It’s not as simple as last season, so I think the audience will really enjoy our relationship this year.”

Is every little action specifically mapped out beforehand or are you allowed freedom in playing scenes?

“No, everything is done in the moment. Michael is such a great collaborator and he doesn’t restrict you in any way. It’s great to work with somebody who’s so collaborative and it’s great to work with directors who let you do stuff like that.

We never do exactly what’s on the page. We’ve got a lot of freedom. It’s just a very collaborative experience. Nothing is set in stone.”

What’s it like handling all the physical aspects of playing Ragnar?

“It’s just a big part of the show – the fighting and that. I’m getting too old to do it. [Laughing] I’m happy for other people to do my sort of fighting. I try to avoid it. I’m a bit lazy to do that stuff. It’s better than trying to remember lines, though.”

There’s a time jump this season. How difficult was that for you to play out?

“It’s difficult in a way. We don’t have the biggest budget and we don’t shoot in continuity, so it’s hard to do a physical change for the four years, other than the boy getting huge. No, I don’t think their life changes that much. They went through a bit of a famine and a plague, so I don’t think they did that much. They had children, obviously, but I don’t think they did a lot during that period so it wasn’t too bad. You get right back into going West again in the second episode.”