He’s one of Hollywood’s hottest rising stars.
But Australian-born Travis Fimmel has confessed that he does not like being in the limelight.
The 45-year-old Viking actor has admitted that he could live without performing and being in front of the cameras altogether.
‘I’ve never once enjoyed [acting], not once,’ Travis admitted in the latest edition of Esquire.
The Boy Swallows Universe star described his work as ‘just a job’ and added: ‘I mean, it’s deep work-wise – you have to be deep to continue working. But I don’t get bogged down in it.’
The one-time model, who was born in the small town of Echuca in Victoria, also revealed he would happily return to country life – but he hasn’t made enough money to retire.
Travis also confessed that he kept focusing on his acting career because he did not know ‘what else to do’.
‘What keeps a carpenter working all the time? What keeps anyone getting up in the morning and going to work? What keeps us doing it?’ he questioned.
Famed Aussie actor Travis Fimmel (pictured) has admitted that he has not ever ‘enjoyed acting’
‘I’m very happy for people who love their job – jealous and happy. But [acting] doesn’t do it for me. I’m not driven by it.’
Travis also said he would rather be ‘at home’ in Australia than spending time away but he has kept working overseas because it is a way to build a high profile.
Travis hit it big in 2002 as the first male model to land a six figure deal to pose exclusively for Calvin Klein for one year.
He went on to appear on dozens of billboards across LA, causing traffic jams in the area due to the raunchy nature of his images.
Travis said he would ‘retire’ but has not made enough money to quit. Pictured: Travis in the Australian made Netflix streaming hit Boy Swallows Universe
The character of Jerry ‘Smith’ Jarrod from Sex and the City is said to have been inspired by Travis, who also appeared in spreads and on the covers of magazines like W.
Since then, Travis has turned his attention to acting.
He first made waves in the acting world in 2003 after landing the leading role in Warner Bros. series Tarzan.
However it wasn’t until 2013 when Travis really hit the big time, scoring the iconic role of Ragnar Lothbrok in the hit TV series Vikings, which aired between 2013 and 2017.
He went on to appear as Anduin Lothar in Warcraft (2016) and starred in the science fiction series Raised by Wolves (2020).
Travis made a name for himself in 2002 as the first male model to land a six figure deal to pose exclusively for Calvin Klein for one year
In 2023, he appeared in two Stan Original series – Black Snow and Caught.
While Travis is based in LA, he spends plenty of time in Australia and even recently started his own Aussie lager brand Travla with MasterChef judge Andy Allen.
Travis also made a huge impact in the Netflix hit streaming series Boy Swallows Universe.
Adapted from Trent Dalton’s iconic novel, Boy Swallows Universe is an extraordinary tale that explores the trials and tribulations of two brothers – Eli and August – who grow up in 1980s suburban Brisbane.
Travis won a legion of fans in 2013 when he scored the iconic role of Ragnar Lothbrok in the hit TV series Vikings. Pictured: Travis in the acclaimed series which ended in 2017
The Vikings actor plays the role of drug dealer Lyle Orlik in the hit show, and is seen wearing an array of daggy 80’s-style outfits while sporting a shaggy salt-and-pepper beard and mullet and an earring.
The performance earned him a Logie awards nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
The Brisbane-filmed show has stormed into the Netflix global Top Five streaming chart, with 3.8 million viewers watching it in the first four days of its release after it dropped in January.
The drama also reached the top ten in 47 countries, including America, the UK, Canada, France, Germany and Australia.
Travis will soon be seen in season two of Stan’s crime drama Black Snow and HBO’s sci fi drama Dune: Prophecy.
