Blue Jays’ Donaldson dons extensions, adopts a new accent for Vikings series
TORONTO — With his warrior-like hairdo and passion for history and Vikings, Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson was a natural fit to appear on the History series.
But the two-time all-star says his guest spot on this Wednesday’s episode isn’t necessarily the start of a new career.
“I’ve always been a big fan of history, honestly, and I really enjoyed the production and everything that was going on with the show, and I felt like it was a neat story and it was just something that I connected with right away,” Donaldson said from Orlando.
The episode sees the 2015 American League MVP playing Hoskuld, “a Viking warrior of great skill.”
Donaldson filmed the episode at in Wicklow, Ireland, in January 2016. He has Irish blood in him and was excited to visit.
“It was really cold there and it had been raining and we worked pretty late into the night that night, so there were definitely some elements that we had to work through,” he said.
“But I felt like that made it more real.”
Donaldson has several lines and had to learn a Vikings-style accent.
“Being from the south in the States, I kind of drag some words out, so they helped me focus on a few things and make it sound like it’s more Viking-ish,” said the Florida native.
Donaldson already had a Mohawk hairstyle inspired by lead character Ragnar but had to add an extension to make it even longer on top. He also got fake tattoos.