Viktor’s storyline elicits a compelling range of emotions in the build-up to Arcane‘s season 2 ending. During an interview with ScreenRant, Harry Lloyd reflected on the biggest surprises he discovered while playing Viktor in Arcane, the importance of learning the lore of a fantasy setting to fully find a character’s humanity, and if he would like to see Viktor return to Runeterra after the wild events of Arcane‘s season 2 ending.
Harry Lloyd Dipped A Toe Into League Of Legends To Better Understand Arcane
“I would say that anytime I did get into the lore, it was helpful.”
Screen Rant: When preparing for Viktor, how much did you approach the greater lore of League of Legends, or did you focus entirely on the scripts and stories presented to you?
Harry Lloyd: I would say that anytime I did get into the lore, it was helpful. It just goes into more ideas. In terms of what we had to play, there was more than enough material on the page. The people who were working with us in these recording sessions were brilliant. This is not just, you stand there and do your line and come back tomorrow. I would go in every few months. We were doing a little bit from here or a bit from there, and you’re seeing where the animation has gotten to.
They want to hear from you. ‘What do you make of this?’ There’s a lot of back and forth. It felt very collaborative. If I’d ever say, ‘oh, so what about this? Is that because of this?’ They would mention something about the lore. It was the games and the scripts and the ideas that we had, it was talking to [ Arcane Co-Creator/Co-Showrunner Christian Linke ]… it was all kind of thrown into this big melting pot, which then turned into a masterpiece.
Finding The Grounded Humanity Amid Arcane’s Big Sci-Fi & Fantasy Elements
“For someone like Viktor, I had to learn everything I could about the high concept so I could throw it away and play the emotional beat.”
Screen Rant: This is a very expansive fantasy world, but Arcane is so focused on the very human drama at the core of the show. How did you approach that balance of tackling big high-minded fantasy while still retaining the very flawed human core of a character like Viktor?
Harry Lloyd: That’s a good question, I would say, for stuff like this, my job is to learn. For someone like Viktor, I had to learn everything I could about the high concept so I could throw it away and play the emotional beat. For me, I need to know all that so I don’t have to worry about it. I feel like, actually, to tell this story… if you have all the science that I didn’t understand, then you can throw it away.
But I have to know it before I can throw it away. That’s my kind of thing. In terms of the scene that you’re playing, the person opposite you is much more interesting [than the fantasy]. You’re reacting to the emotion, and the concept is just the context, frankly. It’s just kind of your background noise.
The Highs & Lows Of Viktor In Arcane Season 2
“Well, now that you’ve coined the term “Techno Jesus,” I feel it’s hard to escape that.”
Screen Rant: You got to play Viktor through some pretty big highs and lows. From lonely child to techno Jesus, which iteration of Viktor did you find most interesting to play?
Harry Lloyd: Well, now that you’ve coined the term “Techno Jesus,” I feel it’s hard to escape that. [ Laughter ] I very much found that big turning point in the season 2 episode “Watch It All Burn” to be very powerful. It’s when he goes back to Zaun. It’s the first time we’ve seen him go back to where he’s from with this new power. He doesn’t even understand what it is, and obviously what happens with him and Huck, that’s kind of the big shift into season 2 for Viktor. I just thought that was so beautifully kind of handled. When I was reading that, and then seeing the early kind of sketches of it, it was always quite exciting to see that.
Screen Rant: As a performer, how does seeing the character come to illustrated life through a process like Arcane impact your performance?
Harry Lloyd: I mean, if nothing else, it’s just massively inspiring. During my first session, I went to Riot for the first time, and I’d go in and see all these boards. And there is Viktor… he grows quite a lot. There’s quite a few kind of time jumps, and they’ve had every kind of stages, of how he looks like in profile at this stage. Just seeing the 1000s of hours of work before you’ve even started, it’s very inspiring. It’s quite humbling.
You think, ‘Wow, I’m part of a big army. We have a huge objective, and I’ve got my little bit to do.’ That makes you want to do your little bit really well, because the bar has already been set super high. It informs you in certain bits. ‘Oh, this is how he’s moving, and this is what he looks like.’ But at the same time, it’s just the volume and quality of work more than anything.
Where Could Viktor Appear Next After Arcane Season 2
“Frankly, I would like to see what is possible.”
Screen Rant: Given the scope of Runeterra, are there any corners of the world that you’d prefer to see Viktor appear at in potential future Arcane spin-offs?
Harry Lloyd: Great question. Yeah, all of it. [ Laughing ] Frankly, I would like to see what is possible. From what I know about this show, kind of everything is. I like when they follow the rules, and I like when they bend them and sometimes even break them a little bit, and I feel that’s very much in line with Viktor’s journey. So we shall see. In terms of their unexplored opportunities within the whole of Runeterra, we’ll see.
The Biggest Viktor Surprises In Arcane Season 2
“A lot of people really connect to [Viktor] for lots of different reasons, which has been very powerful.”
Screen Rant: What would you say has been the biggest surprise you encountered during your time playing Viktor?
Harry Lloyd: Well, first of all, everything. I turned up not knowing what I was wandering into at all, and I am so grateful to that I wandered into one of the greatest animated shows of all time. I really feel it, and I really believe it, watching it. So first of all, I feel grateful and embarrassed about how naive I was, frankly, at the beginning. In terms of what surprised me about Viktor, I would say the love that he has elicited from all kinds of different people. A lot of people really connect to him for lots of different reasons, which has been very powerful.
[ Arcane ] is a show that I think people do find their champion in. It’s more than just a character that they quite like, whether you play it or not. It runs deep. The storytelling, I feel it’s visually amazing. The music’s great. The special effects are great. The story is really deeply ingrained in… the ethos of all these characters and their stories. Even the characters with one or two lines, there are clues in there to suggest the whole backstory which exists out there for you.
It’s just rich, despite the fact that they are all very human. They’re not all exactly human, but they’re all very human in terms of the emotions and the conflicts and the impossible situations. No one’s got it easy, no one’s making easy decisions, and we can all relate to that, especially Viktor. I just loved being a part of it.
More About Arcane Season 2
Set in the League of Legends universe, Arcane focuses on sisters Violet and Powder (later Jinx) as they end up on opposite sides of a growing conflict between the wealthy utopia of Piltover and its dark undercity whose citizens wish to break away from their oppressors. Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, and Kevin Alejandro star in this animated adventure.
