Series veterans Kratos and Atreus were always going to be the main stars of the Santa Monica Studio epic God of War Ragnarok, but the more you play its 30+ hour campaign, the more its cast of new faces threaten to steal the show. It's the performances from the likes of Laya Hayes (Angrboda) and Richard Schiff (Odin) that remain in the brain after the credits roll.
The emotional journey of Thrúd is another highlight, as she battles familial problems and tries to focus on her efforts to become a Valkyrie. To learn more about the journey of becoming Thrúd and her experiences working on God of War Ragnarok, we caught up with who brought the character to life: Mina Sundwall. It turns out she loves Thrúd's big biceps the most. Who wouldn't?!
Push Square: How did the opportunity to work on God of War Ragnarok come about for you?
Mina Sundwall: I auditioned! At the time the project was under a cover name, with a description of this rebellious girl stuck in a family that wants her to stay home while her brothers get to fight. I loved that she was headstrong and opinionated, with a big attitude. When I found out that what I had booked was actually God of War, I knew the fun had just begun.
What was the experience like in general? Did anything about the role surprise you?
It was a learning experience, for sure. The mocap is an interesting blend of theatre and film that I wasn’t expecting. Sensors around the stage pick up your movements, and a handheld camera picks up the details of your facial expressions. In theatre there are moments that lack the closeness and intimate details that a camera allows you, and in film your body movements can be restricted by what is in frame. With this, there was somehow both and neither of those obstacles. Everything you do is captured. It was a lot of fun to play, especially since Thrúd is so much stronger and more buff than me. I got to walk around like I had those biceps… ha!
How would you compare working on the set of a video game to that of a TV show? For example, the motion capture equipment that creates a digital representation of you instead of a camera that's recording your literal acting.
It took some time to get used to shooting scenes with absolutely no idea what the world will look like. And not the "nothing" that I mean from previous TV experiences, where you're on a set that has a fraction of the world built for you to interact with before VFX. I mean a blank room with a stick of foam to represent what will be your sword. We got to see visual examples of how each scene would look, and then I just hope what I’m doing works, haha.
How did you get into the character of Thrúd before recording? Had you read up much on who Thrúd is in Norse mythology beforehand?
I did some serious studying! I read up [on] Thrúd, Thor, Modi, and Magni in Norse mythology as well as everything I could possibly find on the previous game (I don’t know how many hours of my life I’ve spent watching gameplay of the first game). I made myself a giant booklet. It felt like I was back in school.
What were some of your favourite scenes to record?
It is really hard for me to pick, but the scene with Thor outside of the tavern holds a special place in my heart. I like that it creates an interesting dynamic in a "who is parenting who" situation. It was one of the more challenging ones to film, and I’m pretty sure we made a couple of people cry (sorry, not sorry guys). I also had a great time working with Sunny on our various adventures. And, of course… the idle poses and Thrúd personality moments that you see throughout the game.
Speaking about the game in general, what were some of your favourite moments and scenes?
I loved the sequence with Angrboda, and I do love the scenes between Thor and Kratos at the end. But every time there was a new sequence in the game I’d go: "Oh, that’s my new favourite moment."
We would like to thank Mina for taking the time to answer our questions. Was Thrúd one of your favourite characters in God of War Ragnarok? What was the best scene featuring her? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Comments 24
Thrud was awesome one of my favourite characters in Ragnarok
Great interview! She was a fantastic character. It was always good to see her when she popped up on screen. Hopefully we see more of Thrud in future games!
Serious Amy Pond vibes from that pic of the actress.
Great interview, hope to see more of this type of content in 2023.
GOW:R’s cast in general is brilliant but Thrud definitely stands out. She’s really mature. She knows who she wants to be, her role in the family (no spoilers) & is open minded when she has to make choices unlike the rest of her family.
Also it’s interesting that she mentioned that the mocap work is a blend of theatre & film. I think production & writing/story telling are the next big changes we can expect in games (as seen by the writers room at ND). It’s much harder to have gameplay innovations when your stuck to developing to a console even more so when developing with the lowest common denominator in mind (last gen/switch).
her character design is sick , probably the dopest female character design i’ve seen since juri from street fighter . pay the designer a raise ! 😍
Probably one of the best parts of the game, hands down.
I hope we get to play as Thrud and Angrboda in the next game(along with Atreus lol). Watching Thrud fight side by side with you with her cool moves always made me think "It would be cool to play as her", same with Angrboda.
Hopefully Sony Santa Montica gives us the chance to play as those two amazing characters.
@Keyblade-Dan Same. Her and Angrboda. Their time alone with Atreus was some of my favorite moments, in an other-wise brutal game. Two female characters done perfectly right, in my opinion, and didn't feel forced. Wouldn't mind additional IP that included them.
She was awesome in the game.
@nomither6 I agree, everything about her look stands out especially the hair
@WallyWest it was the hair for me too . actually was pondering if i wanted to do that with my hair .
Playing Ragnarok now, but Odin and Thor acting so far have been great! I didn't get to her yet, so big spoiler alert, haha.
So far, it's an outstanding game. The only issue is that it's outstanding because God of War was outstanding, since it's exactly the same game with a different story.
I haven't played the game yet, but she did a really great job as Penny in Lost in Space, so it was fun to learn that she's getting into video game voice acting as well.
I really enjoyed her character and enjoyed seeing her interactions with the other characters.
Nice interview. Interested to know why they chose not to model the character on her physically and only use her voice and motion.
Thrud was for sure a standout character, a great surprise!! Love the actress too, I was really happy when I saw her there!! You should ask her if she played the games, and what games she like. I am curious now.
On one of the spoilercasts he took part in Eric Williams (the game director) said that the writers worked really hard on mirroring and contrasting characters in the narrative. It's something I loved in particular about the game, watching the Kratos/Atreus dynamic versus the same for Thor/Thrud. Absolutely masterful writing, brought to life by great casting and performances - including Mina/Thrud.
@rjejr she looks nothing like Nicole Kidman
@freddquadros @RenanKJ @Fight_Teza_Fight @Keyblade-Dan
Just here to say I love all the Sora and KH pictures, hopefully KH4 will be good fam!
Thrud was easily one of my favorite side characters, really impressive the cast Ragnarok has.
On the other hand a character that I felt very little, pretty much nothing for was Freyr. Maybe it was his personality, maybe he didn't have enough screen time, but he just didn't land for me. The people in the camp were more interesting.
@TraCuz- oh yeah, very eager for the next chapters in the Kingdom Hearts saga!!
@SystemAddict 😂
@TraCuz- I can't wait the first trailer was incredible I'm dying to explore Quadradum and see more of Strelitzia outside of Union X ^__^
She is one of the many highlights in the game. So many things make it such a fantastic experience.
Digital entertainment at its finest. Hope more from Sony in 2023 at this level.
Thrúd was amazing, 👍 to Mina for a fantastic job.
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