As Uhtred of Bebbanburg, the hero of BBC2’s big-budget adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Saga, German-American actor Alexander Dreymon, 32, is rapidly gaining an army of fans, drawn to his combination of swagger, swordplay and a certain sparkle in his eye.

We asked him what’s coming up in the series, how he feels about being the new Poldark, and whether he can really make the man bun happen …

Q: What appealed most to you about the part of Uhtred?

A: He’s not perfect. He’s charming, but he’s got flaws. I like his cheekiness and the fact that he gets himself into really messed-up situations. He’s impulsive, and that’s fun to play – even when he’s faced with a life-or-death situation, he still wants to mess around.

Q: We seem to be inundated with historical epics right now – Game of Thrones, Vikings, The Bastard Executioner, Beowulf is coming to ITV – what do you think helps The Last Kingdom stand out?

A: I’m a huge fan of Game of Thrones – Tom Wlaschiha [who plays Jaqen H’ghar] is one of my best friends, and I really love watching the show. We’re a bit rougher round the edges. Nick [Murphy, who directed the opening episodes] actually put out a memo saying no thigh-slapping or goose-leg-eating. The idea was that while people living in this time are making history, they’re not aware of that fact.

Q: Had you read the Bernard Cornwell books on which the series is based?

A: Yes, and I’m glad I did because they’re magnificent, plus I didn’t have to track down historical sources because Bernard had done it all for me.

Q: As the series has progressed, the relationship between Uhtred and Alfred has come more to the fore …

A: Yeah, and it’s been great fun working with David Dawson [who plays Alfred]. He’s such a solid actor. I see the relationship between Uhtred and Alfred as a love story. It’s full of a mutual admiration but also hatred and it never stays on the same level.

Q: Talking of love stories – what about Uhtred’s own relationships? He seems to have got over Brida pretty quickly following his marriage to Mildrith last week?

A: [Laughs] Yeah, although I never saw the relationship between Brida and Uhtred as a classic romance. They’re really fuck-buddies who have a tremendous respect and love for each other, because they grew up together. I was a bit surprised at how fast Uhtred moved from one relationship to the next, but then I think it works because the show covers a great deal of ground, and there are lots of time-jumps.

Q: One of Uhtred’s biggest dilemmas is his search for a place to call home – did you relate to that desire to forge your own identity, no matter the cost?

A: I actually really related to that, because when I was growing up my family moved around a lot, and I’ve never really felt that I belonged to a specific country. As a child, it was really hard because I’d be thrown into a new school and have to make new friends, or I’d sit in class for months without speaking the language, but as I got older I welcomed the possibility of discovering new cultures and languages. With Uhtred, he knows that to get Bebbanburg he has to make compromises. He’d much rather run off with the Vikings and stay away from the pious Christians, but he knows that the Saxon way is his only way back to his goal.

Q: I have to ask – what’s the deal with the costumes? I’m obsessed by the fact Brida looks like she’s off to a rave in a field most weeks…

A: [Laughs] The costume department is brilliant and they really wanted a modern touch on the clothing ,but yeah, I’ve actually seen young girls walking around in very short fur coats like the one Brida wears. You can basically get Brida’s wardrobe at Zara.

Q: What about Uhtred’s man bun? They’re quite fashionable in certain circles right now – were you tempted to keep it?

A: [Laughs] Listen, before I did this series, my girlfriend would go to the bathroom and I’d spend all this time sitting outside, like the black hole of time, thinking, ‘What the fuck is happening in there?’ Since I’ve had this hairstyle for The Last Kingdom, I now know exactly what’s happening in the bathroom, and I have so much respect for people who have to spend that time on their hair every day.

Q: Grazia magazine called you the new Poldark after seeing Uhtred emerge naked from the lake – are you OK with that?

A: Well, you know, I feel very passionate about the show, and if that’s going to help people get into watching, then I’m fine with it. On a personal level, I don’t exactly thrive on the idea of being known as the guy who goes topless – because I also took my shirt off on American Horror Story: Coven – but I think in The Last Kingdom it’s mainly done in the right way. I’ll tell you what though, I wasn’t comfortable with the first time when Tom [Taylor] was pushed into the water as a little boy and then I came out, but the other scenes have been done with humour, and it’s not just about me standing there naked.

Q: We’re now halfway through the series. What can we expect to see happening as we move towards the end?

A: It’s really going to pick up the pace in the final episodes. We’ve had a couple of episodes that were more low-key and dealing with political strategy, but now everything starts to come together and there’s a lot more urgency. There’s so much at stake.

• The Last Kingdom is on BBC2 on Thursday at 9pm