Fans of the popular historical series were distraught when they were forced to say goodbye to Lagertha (played by Katheryn Winnick) midway through Vikings’ first half of season six.
In episode six, Death and the Serpent, the brave shieldmaiden was struck down by Hvitserk (Marco Ilsø), who had succumbed to madness.
Her tragic death was foretold by the Seer (John Kavanagh), who warned Lagertha she would be killed by a son of her former husband, Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel).
Despite the early warning, Lagertha’s death still struck a chord among the Vikings fanbase and started the new year off to a sad start when the episode aired in January.
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Although her time as Lagertha had come to an end, Katheryn Winnick stuck around for a while longer to lend a hand to the show’s production.
Two episodes later, Winnick made her Vikings directorial debut for episode eight, Valhalla Can Wait.
The star took to her Instagram profile to announce the exciting news that she had been nominated for a Women’s Image Award for Best Director.
She said: “So excited to announce that I got nominated for BEST DIRECTOR for my Directorial Debut on VIKINGS!”
Episode eight featured some pivotal moments as the first half of Vikings’ sixth season hurtled towards its climactic midseason finale.
Thankfully, Winnick demonstrated plenty of skill as a director and Valhalla Can Wait was well-received as a high point for the new season.
The star previously picked up some directing tips when she directed for the very first time on an episode of Wu Assassins, in which she also stars.
The Women Image Awards highlight the best achievements by women across film and television since they began in 1993.
This year, Winnick was nominated alongside director Chloé Zhao, who received critical acclaim for her drama film Nomadland ahead of the release of her Marvel blockbuster, Eternals.
The Vikings star’s performance as Lagertha was also recognised by the awards in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Hopefully her nomination in the directing category this year will pave the way for even more success in front of and behind the camera for Katheryn Winnick.
Vikings Season 6, Part 1 is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
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