Netflix has a new show that's sure to confuse anyone searching for the third Thor movie. The Netflix series Ragnarok (out January 31) is coming-of-age story that combines Norwegian mythology — specifically, the idea of Ragnarok, a version of armageddon — with the very real issue of climate change. To put it simply, a teen, basically, has to battle global warming with the power of Thor. (Yes, the idea of Thor is involved. No, Thor: Ragnarok is no longer streaming on Netflix.)
Ragnarok is a Norwegian-language show, takes place in a fictional Norwegian town called Edda, and stars Norwegian actors. And with the main cast all being young, up-and-coming actors, there's been some overlap in the shows they've starred on before; namely, one particularly popular teen drama from the Scandinavian country. These guys know how to play a troubled teenager, this time there's just some supernatural elements thrown in and the stakes are world-ending level high.
Read on to find out more about the Ragnarok cast and their careers prior to joining an international Netflix series. (Or just to see pictures of them, so you can keep everyone straight while watching. Totally understandable if you're not up on your young Norwegian thespians, but you will be now.)
Magne (David Stakston)
The star of Ragnarok is David Stakston, who plays Magne, a teenager who moves to a new town and realizes he might be a god. Who amongst us didn't experience that during puberty.
Stakston previously starred on the Norwegian teen drama Skam, which sounds sort of like Skins, but with an added social media element.
Laurits (Jonas Strand Gravli)
Laurits is Magne's brother, and he's played by Jonas Strand Gravli. Gravli has appeared in several films and TV series, including Amundsen, about the first expedition to the South Pole, and Netflix's 22 July about the Norwegian terrorist attack that took place in 2011.
Fjor (Herman Tømmeraas)
Like Stakston, Herman Tømmeraas, who plays Fjor, also appeared on Skam, as well as the shows Stikk and Semester. Tømmeraas plays a popular boy at school, and the actor's pretty darn popular himself: He has over a million Instagram followers.
Saxa (Theresa Frostad Eggesbø)
Theresa Frostad Eggesbø plays Saxa, and you won't believe this, but she was also on Skam. (It really is like Skins, you go on it and it does amazing things for your career.) According to Netflix's press release about the show, Eggesbø is also a musician, who moved to Liverpool, England to explore her passion.
Gry (Emma Bones)
Emma Bones, who plays Gry, was previously on the series Home Ground about a woman soccer coach and played the lead character's daughter. And that series also featured Gravli on two episodes. A lot of overlap here.
(Isolde) Ylva Bjørkaas Thedin
Rounding out the main cast is Ylva Bjørkaas Thedin as Isolde. Like most of the other actors, she's only had a couple of other film and TV roles. She was in the film Phoenix and in three episodes of Beforeigners, a show from HBO Nordic.