We sat down with 'Heels' and 'Vikings' star Alex Ludwig and asked him to explain a few things—from playing a Barbie in a Nicki Minaj music video to how he got shredded for his 'Heels' role.
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00:00 Alexander Ludwig wants R-rated super freaky girl movie
00:03 with Nicki Minaj.
00:04 What it was supposed to be was Barbie and Ken
00:07 turn Mr. and Mrs. Smith and try to kill each other.
00:09 We got versions of it, but not quite.
00:12 It was a blast though.
00:14 Hi, I'm Alexander Ludwig,
00:15 and Esquire has asked me to explain a few things,
00:18 and I am very nervous.
00:19 I haven't read this.
00:21 Let's do it.
00:22 (dramatic music)
00:28 What would be your strategy for surviving the Hunger Games?
00:32 I mean, hopefully not getting picked,
00:36 but if you get picked,
00:38 I would have stuck with Rue till the end.
00:40 She seemed like the smartest and the best of us.
00:43 And when she left, it all went downhill from there.
00:46 She just stuck to the trees.
00:49 Kato should have stuck to the trees.
00:51 Alexander Ludwig wants R-rated super freaky girl movie
00:55 with Nicki Minaj.
00:56 How did you come to star in a Nicki Minaj video?
00:59 See, I knew that this was gonna come up.
01:02 I just knew it.
01:03 When I was in college, I roomed with this guy named Zubin,
01:06 and I remember he was so passionate about film,
01:09 and I said, "Dude, you wanna be in movies.
01:13 That's what you wanna do.
01:14 Do it."
01:15 He's since gone on to produce
01:16 the biggest music videos in the world,
01:19 one of which were from Nicki Minaj.
01:21 So he gave me a call, and he was like,
01:22 "Dude, can you just come do this?"
01:25 And what it was supposed to be was Barbie and Ken
01:27 turn Mr. and Mrs. Smith and try to kill each other.
01:30 We got versions of it, but not quite.
01:33 It was a blast, though,
01:34 and I don't regret it for a second.
01:36 Favorite tattoo?
01:37 Huh.
01:39 Well, this is my favorite tattoo.
01:41 Bambi.
01:43 That's what I call my wife, Lauren,
01:45 'cause her last name was Deer.
01:47 Favorite tattoo that I've worn for a role.
01:50 The one I had on my eye for Vikings, right here.
01:53 We put that in season four or five.
01:56 I thought that was really, really cool.
01:58 [laughs]
02:01 That's just me being silly.
02:04 Me being silly.
02:05 And that is not my dick.
02:06 I was taking Polaroids of Lauren every week.
02:10 She was pregnant, so we could just have something to remember
02:12 and then the egotistical part of me
02:14 wanted my photo taken, I guess.
02:16 I just took off all my clothes and I was like,
02:18 "Here, take a picture of me just so we can remember it."
02:20 She was like, "You're such an idiot."
02:22 So yeah, that's it.
02:24 And also I'm pregnant.
02:25 The internet is re-imaging you as Aquaman.
02:30 Thoughts?
02:31 You're almost there with a lot of these projects.
02:34 It's just kind of waiting for the right opportunity
02:36 that fits you.
02:37 And I think that I was very right, clearly,
02:40 to play a Barbie in Nicki Minaj's video.
02:44 So.
02:45 [laughs]
02:47 Oh God, that was crazy.
02:51 Can you explain this viral TikTok moment?
02:53 My little sister, Sophia, she sent me this and was like,
02:57 "Do you have any idea how many views this has gotten?
02:59 Like, you've gone viral."
03:00 And I was like, "What?"
03:01 While I was in Nashville, I was writing
03:03 and this lovely woman named Lauren, she's like,
03:07 "You look a lot like this guy from Vikings."
03:10 I was like, "No way, really?"
03:12 And then of course I ended up telling her that that was me.
03:16 And I honestly only think this went viral
03:19 because she is such a lovable human being.
03:23 So Lauren, if you're watching this, I love you.
03:26 And I hope to see you again.
03:28 Thanks for loving the show.
03:30 What country star, living or dead,
03:32 would be your dream collaboration and why?
03:35 Dolly Parton.
03:36 Just 'cause Dolly Parton.
03:38 She's an incredible human being.
03:40 She is an amazing performer.
03:42 The legacy she's left behind is unmatched.
03:45 And she really paved a path for those who came after her
03:49 and I mean, Jolene.
03:50 I would love to sing Jolene with Dolly Parton.
03:51 It'd be incredible.
03:52 What's your go-to karaoke music song?
03:56 ♪ I got friends in places where the whiskey drowns ♪
04:01 ♪ And the beer chases my blues away ♪
04:06 Damn, I'm blushing now.
04:07 What do you remember about working
04:10 with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
04:12 as a teenager on "Race to Witchmount"?
04:14 So much.
04:15 Dwayne was one of the first movie stars I ever worked with.
04:20 And he gave me his favorite guitar
04:24 because we used to play guitar together
04:25 when I turned 16 on that shoot.
04:28 I know I look 12, but I was actually 15.
04:31 I'll never forget working with him.
04:32 He really made his mark on me.
04:35 Any particular wrestlers you took inspo from
04:37 to create your character in "Heels"?
04:39 I'm supposed to plead the fifth on this one
04:42 for legal reasons.
04:45 But I think I can say I have a very close friend
04:49 named Adam Copeland.
04:50 So I called him for a lot of advice.
04:53 He was edge in WWE.
04:56 You're out there for the world to see.
04:58 You wanna do right by those people.
05:00 Putting on my character's costume for the first time
05:03 felt like, it was very exposing.
05:05 Part of me wishes that I, you know,
05:08 maybe should have packed a couple more socks in my bag.
05:13 How did you train to get this shredded?
05:15 I didn't think I was that shredded on "Heels."
05:18 For me, it was about getting your body
05:20 to look like what wrestlers would look like
05:23 and to a place where it could withstand the pressure
05:25 it was gonna be put under
05:27 doing these kind of intense sequences.
05:29 I will say that we always hear it
05:32 and we never listen to it, but it really is what you eat.
05:35 It's all about what you eat.
05:37 I literally tested myself.
05:38 I did a week of not working out and I just ate well.
05:42 And I think I looked better.
05:43 What's your favorite wrestler move? Explain.
05:46 Ace, my character in "Heels,"
05:48 is supposed to be this like local hero
05:51 and one of the most talented wrestlers out there.
05:53 I didn't have a lot of tricks in my pocket,
05:55 but like the one thing that I did have
05:57 was that I used to be a competitive freestyle skier.
06:01 So I feel very comfortable in the air.
06:03 So high flying is something I feel very comfortable doing.
06:07 That's my favorite move is running up the top turnbuckle,
06:10 flipping over my opponent, and then grabbing him
06:13 around the waist and slamming him to the floor.
06:15 We're just a bunch of kids.
06:18 Esquire, I think I have explained everything.
06:22 Thank you for having me.
06:23 Thank you for being relatively gentle.
06:26 And to the audience, I hope you enjoy "Heels"
06:29 and thanks for being a fan.
06:31 (upbeat music)