Actor Dominic Purcell lives by the sword in his new role in Vikingdom Dominic Purcell in Vikingdom. DOMINIC Purcell expected the worst from his latest film, Vikingdom, but says he's been pleasantly surprised by the result. The film is released to DVD this month and sees Purcell play the lead of Eirick, the forgotten king of Jomsborg, who goes up against god of thunder, Thor. It was shot at a studio in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with a budget of nearly $16 million, which is modest when you consider the tens of millions spent on the average Hollywood CGI blockbuster. "It was a leap of faith really at the end of the day," Purcell told Confidential. Obviously I had my reservations. I just didn't get how it was going to work. I wasn't expecting the critiques to be glowing at all, probably because I am predisposed to pessimism but the critics in the States were kind of fair and good about it. They all realised it wasn't a $200 million movie but with the budget available to the guys, it was an entertaining movie. Known for being straight to the point, Purcell admitted the financial benefits of the project were also attractive. "The money was a factor," he said. I'm not one for this kind of genre, the whole Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and that kinda stuff just bores me to tears. But I read the script and I liked it. It is really that simple. Purcell, 43, is best known for his work on hit US show, Prison Break, having played Lincoln Burrows. Dominic Purcell as Lincoln, right, and actor Marshall Allman as LJ in Prison Break. His film credits include Killer Elite, Bad Karma, Blade: Trinity and Straw Dogs. Vikingdom also stars Conan Stevens, Natassia Malthe and Craig Fairbrass and required Purcell to be in peak physical fitness. That's not to mention having to wear hair extensions to fit with the theme. "It was a nightmare," he said. I walked around with a f***ing mop on my head for four months and it drove me batty. Seriously, I just didn't know what to do with all this hair. Of his buff body, he said: "funnily enough I lost weight." Purcell says he generally weighs about 96kgs and that he lost about 10ks for Vikingdom. Prison Break came to an end in 2009 after four seasons. "It has been a blessing," he said. The only negative thing is that people generally, you're talking about an industry that doesn't have a whole lot of imagination, they kind of see me as a bit of a neo paliothic type who broods a lot, which is true I am both of those but I also have a bit of range. He continued: "The want to explore as an actor is certainly there but the general consensus or the desire to put me into much more physically domineering kind of rolls seems to be Hollywood's penchant for me." In his personal life, Purcell is dating younger Beverly Hills 90210 star AnnaLynne McCord, 26. He regularly travels to Australia to visit his three young children. "Dave Warner the cricketer is a really good mate of mine so I plan to sit down and watch the cricket with him," Purcell said of his Christmas holiday plans in Sydney. The down to earth Purcell has opted to live outside of Los Angeles by the ocean, away from the craziness of the celebrity obsessed Hollywood. "LA is a bit too much for me," he said. I live by the beach about two hours out of the madness, which is great. Vikingdom is available now on DVD.