Dune: Prophecy star Travis Fimmel compares his role in the sci-fi prequel to his work on Vikings

Travis Fimmel is no stranger to on-screen violence. He played Vikings' Ragnar Lothbrok, and now he's taking on the role of mysterious solider Desmond Hart in new prequel series Dune: Prophecy. Working for Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong), Desmond has strong convictions, if cryptic motivations – and he'll go to any lengths to fulfill what he believes is his greater purpose.

"I enjoy making the reasons why people are violent, or the reason why people fight," Fimmel tells 12DOVE when we ask how Dune: Prophecy compares to Vikings when it comes to brutality. "To make it high stakes enough and to get behind a character, or to want to play a character, you really gotta make it meaningful to carry out such acts. But a lot of the way, it hurts him hurting other people. It hurts him physically and emotionally. But, at the same time, I think he sort of gets off on it."

Physically brutal acts aren't the only forms of violence in Dune: Prophecy, either. "I think when Alison [Schapker, showrunner] writes these characters, they always have so much depth to them," Fimmel's co-star Jodhi May, who plays the Emperor's wife Empress Natalya adds.

"Similarly, I think as a portrait of motherhood, Empress Natalya is a very unconventional example of that. I like the fact that she examines this mother-daughter relationship that is full of conflict and a mother who is not necessarily always particularly maternal," she continues, referring to her character's relationship with her daughter, Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina).

"It's an alternative representation of motherhood, but there's an emotional violence in there, and there's an emotional violence in the Sisterhood because there's so much about repression. It's about this discipline of channeling your emotions, but also repressing them."

Dune: Prophecy premieres on HBO and Max on November 17 and releases the following day on Sky and NOW in the UK. For more, check out our Dune: Prophecy release schedule and our Dune: Prophecy review.