'Norsemen' characters Orm and Rufus may be BFFs in the show, but all is not what it seems for the bros of Norheim
'Norsemen' is a Norwegian comedy that is set in the year 790 and follows a group of Vikings. Riding on a very 'Game of Thrones' meets 'Monty Python' vibe, 'Norsemen' follows the Vikings as they deal with day-to-day life and conflicts. You'd expect power struggles, battle, gore and mayhem from a show that is based on the Vikings. But what you don't expect is dry-as-a-bone humor when dealing with conversations around gender equality, social commentary, identity, religion, culture, and even government models!
At the centre of this is the partnership between Orm and Rufus —perhaps the most enjoyable camaraderies in 'Norsemen'. In fact, creators Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen tell MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) in an exclusive interview that the duo is among their most favorite characters. "We love them together!" they unanimously say.
Played by Kåre Conradi, Orm is dumb and cunning at the same time. As Chieftain Olav's (played by Henrik Mestad) younger brother, he is next in line to lead the tribe and he is obsessed with this very idea and ends up acting like a douche to everyone else. Along similar lines is Rufus — he is a creative person, an actor brought to Norheim as a slave all the way from Rome. He thinks the Vikings are a bunch of inbreds living the primitive life. According to Rufus, they're not cultured, not intelligent, and a group that only resorts to violence.
The duo has a certain chemistry — for lack of a better word, according to Orm. It's almost fateful that the duo ended up finding each other from two corners of the world all the way in Norway. You can watch some of their shenanigans here:
"But their friendship is pretty much a one-way street. While Orm adores Rufus, Rufus views Orm as his chance of getting back to Rome or making Norway more like Rome," the creators say. Well, that is true. When Orm finally becomes Chieftain, he puts Rufus in charge of making Norheim a cultural capital.
"It is not like Rufus enjoys Orm's company. While Orm loves to be around Rufus and suck from his cultural teat, he doesn't necessarily appreciate it," they say. Sure Rufus loves being looked up to, admired, praised and flattered, but Orm's senselessness usually gets the better of him and he wishes he weren't in Norheim surrounded by all these "inbreds". "If they had made it to Rome, Rufus would probably have abandoned Orm in a second," note the creators.
Orm wants to be more like Rufus — he admires him and sees his as an opportunity to make Norheim a better place for himself. But the same can't be said the other way around.
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