 Set in 13th century Ireland, Bernthal plays The Mute in the film.Due to the actor's preference to stay in character on film sets, he chose not to speak to the cast or crew for the first few weeks of production.Bernthal was praised for his acting, with "The Hollywood Reporter" remarking that Bernthal "steals the film with his intense, nearly wordless performance... with his buff physicality and commanding presence filling the screen".