Valhalla star Sam Corlett goes shirtless for Men’s Health

Aussie actor Sam Corlett is a rising star thanks to his breakout role in the hit new Netflix series Vikings: Valhalla.

And the 26-year-old Byron Bay local has now landed his first major magazine cover, gracing the front page of Australian Men’s Health, on sale now.

The handsome star goes shirtless for the cover, and rides his dirt bike on the beach for a series of inside shots.

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Meet the new Aussie hunk taking on Hollywood: Sam Corlett, 26, goes shirtless for Men’s Health after the success of his Netflix show Vikings: Valhalla 

In the accompanying interview, Sam reflected on his role in Vikings and his career goals, and also spoke of his private interests in yoga, veganism and the environment.

Sam said he never had his sights set on acting or Hollywood, but rather took up drama in school to help combat his anxiety, which soon evolved into an ‘obsession’.

He studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, before landing a role in the film The Dry alongside Eric Bana. 

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Rising star: In the accompanying interview, Sam reflected on his role in Vikings and his career goals, and also spoke of his private interests in yoga, veganism and the environment

After falling in love with acting, he landed a part in Netflix show the Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina.

But he said Vikings: Valhalla – the spin-off of Vikings which is set 100 years after the Lothbrok era – had been a game changer. 

In the show, which was released in February, Sam plays the lead role of Norse warrior Leif Eriksson, who was said to be the first European to set foot in North America. 

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‘I used to watch the original show with my dad’: Sam said Vikings: Valhalla had been a game changer for his career

‘I used to watch the original show with my dad growing up and so I knew that he’d be stoked if I ended up doing this,’ Sam said of his role in the sequel. 

‘I sat down at a Netflix meeting and they just said, “At a press of this button, it’s going to 222 million people around the world.” I still can’t grasp that idea.’ 

To prepare for his role as Eriksson, Sam tried his hardest to get into the Viking mindset by training like a Viking every morning before heading to the set in Ireland. 

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Leading man: In the show, which was released in February, Sam plays the lead role of Norse warrior Leif Eriksson, who was said to be the first European to set foot in North America

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‘Primal mentality’: To prepare for his role as Eriksson, Sam tried his hardest to get into the Viking mindset by training like a Viking every morning before heading to the set in Ireland

After morning yoga and meditation, Sam, who calls himself a ‘spiritualist’, would go for a 40-minute run before taking a dip in the freezing ocean and skipping a shower.

‘So getting amongst the elements in the morning, getting in touch with the body and jumping into the ocean, all of these helped forge a primal mentality. And so when I ended up on set, I felt like I’d entered that space,’ he said.

Sam follows in the footsteps of Aussie actor Travis Fimmel, 42, who played legendary warrior and king Ragnar Lodbrok in the original Vikings series.

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World-famous: ‘I sat down at a Netflix meeting and they just said,

Despite being an up-and-coming actor, Sam said he admires Sean Penn, who is mostly an activist these days, and hopes to eventually focus on writing/directing.

He wants to do more Australian productions and share stories of Indigenous people.

The latest edition of Men’s Health Australia featuring Sam Corlett is out now

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Read all about it: The latest edition of Men’s Health Australia featuring Sam Corlett is out now 


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