Katheryn Winnick is a badass both onscreen – as the awesome Queen Lagertha – and offscreen.
And the 41-year-old, who plays the historical leader, shared an epic throwback to prove she’s always been fierce.
Taking to Instagram, she posted a picture of herself kitted out in her taekwondo gear as a teenager.
‘Always kicking butt, #flashbackfriday’ she proudly wrote. She’s wearing a black belt which pretty much means master level no matter what discipline – karate or taekwondo – we’re looking at.
It would explain why she can play the queen so effortlessly. She slays IRL.
Striking a karate-kid style pose, the actress showed the world her unequivocal heroine status, and her followers showered her with praise.
‘Fighting sexism every day,’ one remarked.
A fan talked about how much her three year old daughter idolised the actress. ‘My daughter is 3….she has pics of you on her wall. She’s jumping into BJJ soon…..excited for her to grow up knowing how to handle herself and have a genuine and true strength to her, like the energy you radiate!’
The Canadian actress talked to Entertainment Tonight about her martial arts history, and revealed she started taekwondo aged 16.
Not only that, but she’s also been teaching her female Vikings co-stars self-defence crash courses in what is the epitome of woman power.
‘I have a strong need to teach women self-defence,’ the star told the publication. ‘I want to give women all the tools they need, based on knowledge, to get out of situations.’
She added: ‘I think a lot of girls and women around the world can relate to being in a situation where their voices are not as strong, but hopefully they will have the courage and the confidence to be able to get out of the situation, and become even stronger, just as Lagertha did.’
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