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Rare beauty: Natassia Malthe stars in KRU’s Vikingdom, a local feature film that is set to open in September.

A Hollywood actress returns to her roots for one of Malaysia’s biggest films this year.

NORWEGIAN actress Natassia Malthe has been in the entertainment industry since the mid-1990s. She made her big screen debut in the teen drama Disturbing Behavior (1998), where she starred alongside Katie Holmes, James Marsden and Nick Stahl.

Since then she has appeared in many movies and television shows like This Means War, Halloween: Ressurection, Elektra, Stark Raving Mad, Wish You Were Here, Fallen and Fringe.

Now, with a co-starring role as Brynna in KRU Studios’ Vikingdom – The Blood Eclipse, Malthe hopes to expand her acting career in Asia.

In an interview in Kuala Lumpur recently, the gorgeous model-turned-actress said that she had been trying to make a name for herself in the region for the past three years. Unfortunately, she had not been too successful.

“I guess it was due to the fact that I didn’t know anyone here. I needed to know the right people in the industry here.

“But I am glad that after all my efforts, I landed a role in Vikingdom. This is timely because I really want to expand (my career) in Asia before returning to Hollywood,” said Malthe, who is half Malaysian. The actress revealed that her mother hails from Sabah. “She met my dad (who is Norwegian) on a trip to Toronto, Canada.” Malthe is currently based in Bangkok, Thailand, where her father resides. Handpicked by KRU Studios to be the leading lady in their big-budget feature film, Malthe, 39, said that she was more than happy to be in Vikingdom.

“I like being the only girl among guys ... and kicking them!” she said, half-jokingly.

The action-adventure tells the story of a Viking warrior named Eirick, who must face his violent past and lift the sword to face Thor, the God of Thunder. Thor is on a mission to gather key ancient relics that will allow him to continue ruling over and conquering mankind. However, he needs to do this before the once-in-800-years Blood Eclipse, which is happening soon. It is now up to Eirick to stop him.

Malthe stars alongside US actor Dominic Purcell (of Prison Break fame) who plays Eirick, and Australian actor and former wrestler Conan Stevens (Game Of Thrones, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) who plays Thor. Other actors include Craig Fairbass and Jon Foo.

Malthe explained that her character Brynna – Eirick’s love interest – is a woman of principle. “My character has a lot of integrity, and she gets to kick a lot of big Vikings (around). Brynna is also a loner and her own person,” she said.

She added that the action scenes in Vikingdom were hard yet fun to do.

“Seriously, the fighting scenes were pretty awesome. Yes it was difficult as we had to learn the steps and memorise the choreography. I got a couple of minor injuries – sprained my ankle, broke my finger. But I only realised my injuries when we completed the filming!” she said with a laugh. Malthe thinks that her 20-year training in ballet has helped a lot in keeping her flexible.

“I guess I’m lucky to be able to do my own stunts. (Ballet) helped me to be flexible and move well. I just love action movies and the stunts, the fight scenes – you get such an adrenaline rush.”

Vikingdom was mostly shot in Malaysia, in several locations such as Kellie’s Castle and Gua Tempurung in Perak. Malthe noted that being half Norwegian and half Malaysian, this meant something special to her. (Norway has a strong historical and geographical link with Vikings.) She also said that her working experience with the KRU Studios was a pleasant one.

“I guess when you were working in a Hollywood production, it is such a big company that nobody really bothers about anyone unless you are a big star or something. But working for Vikingdom I felt so at home. Everyone was so cool and easy to work with,” she shared.

The movie’s trailer was released in March and the CGI-heavy production looks slick and promising. For updates and more information on the movie, checkout Vikingdom’s Facebook page (facebook.com/Vikingdom) or subscribe to their YouTube channel (“VikingdomTheMovie”).

Vikingdom – The Blood Eclipse is expected to be released nationwide in September.