‘Dragons: Race to the Edge’: An Interview with Alfred Molina + Exclusive Clip

The new season of Dreamworks Dragons: Race to the Edge has premiered on Netflix today, continuing the adventures of Hiccup and the Dragon Riders, and introducing new enemies for the core group to battle. One of those enemies is a dragon hunter named Viggo Grimborn. Viggo and his twin brother are among Ryker’s band of dragon hunters who are looking to acquire the Dragon Eye for their own purposes. Aside from giving the Dragon Riders a bigger, badder villain to square off with, Viggo is a unique brand of villain in the Dragons universe in that he presents a very different type of threat to Hiccup.

Thanks to a generous opportunity provided by DreamWorks Animation, we were able to do a short interview with Alfred Molina, the multiple award-nominated actor who provides the voice for Viggo.

(NOTE: The following is information gathered from the interview, not the exact interview itself).

– When asked about how he came to know about the show: Alfred didn’t know about the show initially until he got the call to voice a new villain. He was familiar with the movies, which he loved, and that was part of the reason why he signed on.

– In comparison to his previous voice work in film and television, Alfred singled out the opportunity to play full-on villain Viggo Grimborn as different than anything he’s done before.

– In describing how Viggo was different from previous Dragons villains, Alfred described Viggo as the brains to his twin brother’s brawn. Specifically, Viggo’s refined sense of cunning and intelligence, combined with an intimate knowledge of dragons, makes him an intellectual rival to Hiccup. For the first time, Hiccup is facing a villain who is just as smart as he is. In particular, Alfred compares their rivalry to a complicated chess game.

– While careful not to spoil any plot points, Alfred does hint to an interaction between his character and Dagur the Deranged (David Faustino), as their paths naturally intertwine in their common goal of acquiring the Dragon Eye.

– When asked about what it felt like to be a part of the Dragons franchise, Alfred didn’t really consider the ramifications of that. Rather, he compared his role on the show as being like any other role he takes on (live-action or animated). To him, it all comes down to putting in the work and giving a worthwhile performance.

Even though the interview was brief, we were glad to have him speak to us about Dragons and it certainly got me excited to see his performance in the new season.

Thus, we simply end with this new clip, which just so happens to feature Viggo Grimborn!

Season two of Dragons: Race to the Edge is now on Netflix.

What do you think? If you have seen the new season, what are your thoughts on Viggo Grimborn (NO SPOILERS!)?

Edited by: Kajsa Rain Forden