On Friday night the second season (or third, if you count the prequel) of Starz's gladiator drama Spartacus returns for Vengeance (though you can watch it online now). And this time the show—which we swear is just like Downton Abbey except everybody is naked and kills each other—is slightly different. After Andy Whitfield, the show's lead, passed away last year he was replaced by relative unknown Aussie Liam McIntyre—a man who is currently being thrust, abs first, into the world of celebrity. We caught up with him this week to talk about what his mother thinks of him running around in his underwear, seeing a giant billboard of yourself on your first trip to Times Square, what to expect this season and about just how hard it is to get tickets to see The Book of Mormon (hint: even stars can't get tickets).
Thanks for talking with me, Liam. Is this your first time in New York City? It is. Oh, it's so exciting and there was snow just like I always wanted.
And everyone is treating you okay? Yeah, really, no this is like a dream. It's great, man.
I have to imagine this whole process has to be kind of surreal, I mean, going into the lead role in a show that already exists and has a fan base and all that? Absolutely everything about it is so unusual. It's such a unique experience for me, on like five or six different levels.
Were you aware of the show before you were cast? Loved the show. My friends sat me down and said 'you have to watch this show it's fantastic' and I dutifully agreed. And so yeah, that's one of the reasons that it's so odd—it's very strange to be asked to do a role that was already portrayed by someone you already loved. It's not a happy place but, you know—it is an odd situation for sure.
Absolutely. So I'm going to skip the sad questions on the assumption you're already getting asked about that from everyone. I am—suffice it to say that it is such a tragedy. It's just such a sad thing.
You seem to pick up the pieces pretty nicely, at least in the first episode that I saw. Aw, thanks man. I could sleep at night under all the pressure knowing that, if nothing else, I've worked harder on this than anything else I've done in my whole life probably put together.
And so, how does one prepare for a show where you don't really wear clothes? Ha-ha. With much difficulty. And you probably don't want to start like me who, is pretty worried about his body just as a general note, regardless of how much training he's done. I think being filmed in my underwear essentially would probably be up there with my top fear when I was training in acting. So, uh, goodie! Hooray! That's the chum I got to start with.
If this man says he is "pretty worried about his body" what hope is there for the rest of us? (Starz)
Mmmmmm... In the way I portrayed it to her? Pretty much, yes. In the way it actually happens? I don't imagine so much, no.
So you did a bunch of training though, I assume, once you got cast?
No, I did a bunch of training on the provisor that if I did it, I might get cast. So I spent four months training because I lost 45 lbs. to do another role just before they said, 'Hey! How would you like to be a gladiator? Or at least one of history's most famous gladiators?' I went, 'I don't think I look right, but sure, I'll go and have a crack at that!' And, so, I don't know what it was that made them call me back again—I still think it's madness, but they kept me around and said, here, lift these until you can look good enough and then we'll consider you. So four months later they said, 'sure, let's take a chance.'
That had to have been nerve wracking. Once you got it though, was the set a fun place? When I've watched the show I just have to hope that you guys are laughing the whole time. Oh, well, we have a blast. Absolutely. But, I mean, sometimes it gets very serious when there is some big emotional stuff. And also when there is nudity—they treat that with a lot of respect. But for the actors involved in the nudity? You either laugh or cry so we usually go for the laughing option.
Good, I mean, the scenes you guys do... In the first episode of the new season alone, you're flat out having a conversation while having intercourse and I just can't imagine you can do that with a straight face. You have to when they're rolling but, yes, I remember in that scene—just after the first two hours—and you're going alright, we're pretty much naked, so you own it. And then looking behind me at the sound guy holding his boom mic and you are going, 'You got eight hours of that back there, buddy, that sucks. That is a rough job.' And so I feel for the crew. I mean, our job is horrible, but, you know, in the sense that it's not normal—but they're the ones that have to stare at a guy's ass for like the next eight hours. That's not that much fun.
I imagine the costume crew is very popular on set? Not on those days. Not on the days where you woke up at four in the morning, and it's a Monday, and you step into your trailer and you find a small square of fabric with some sticky tape around it and you go, 'ah! so it's one of those scenes...'
How do you prepare for some of those scenes—like when you're going and you're slaughtering a bunch of people in a brothel. I mean, what do you think about? I presume you aren't doing method acting there... Oh, yeah, I went to Turkey and slaughtered a bunch of people in a brothel just to see what it felt like. No, I didn't do that. Don't print that. I think—to a certain extent you can't acknowledge it too much. You gotta just work on why you're there as a character. And, it that case, Spartacus had a very definite purpose and, also, the added bonus of wanting to save innocent civilians. So slaughter the bad guys—as was the style of the time—and leave the good ones as best you can. The fact that most of them are naked and it's in super slowmotion is something for the after effects department, you know, the special effects department, to look after.
And beyond all the nudity and mayhem, are there fun things to look forward to these season? Yeah, this season—where do I start? Everything's just crazy but there is an amazing event halfway through that just—I don't even understand how they filmed it. And then I understand even less what is, I guess, essentially a two episode finale sort of—[episodes] nine and ten is this big event—which just blows epsisode five out of the water. And I'm like—I read it on set and was going 'this cannot be filmed' and pretty much every other professional there was supporting my theory. And yet, somehow they did. I do not know how the people in New Zealand do what they do and get it completed. It's amazing work.
That is so good to hear. It's such a big spectacle. And people die that you just don't expect—it just comes out of nowhere and the tables are turned on characters that you always thought were one way and then they aren't. It's just amazing.
Oh, good. Well, I hope Lucy Lawless gets to live a little longer. [sort of spoiler!] I was really happy she survived. She is phenomenal this season. Like, phenomenal. I love her and Ilithyia (Viva Bianca)—their relationship is brilliant.
So I've got this theory that Spartacus has a lot in common with the show of the moment, Downton Abbey...
I saw that, yes! That was interesting. It's funny on a level but then I kind of see what your saying.
Well, I mean, to be fair, yours is just bat-shit. You guys have a bat shit crazy show. As long as you're all clear on that. Ha! Sure.
And I have a lot of people who've I've suggested it to come back to me and say 'why did you have me watch this soft core porn? And why can't I stop watching?' You know it's weird-- I always find it funny when I read people's account of the show—I did it before I was even on the show—where, ultimately, they go, 'oh, it's just a vehicle for porn and violence.' And I'm like, 'did you watch the show? Or did you just get told that and then watch the show and try to fill in the blanks.'
Maybe their just watching with the sound off? Well, yeah. I don't know how people can just go, 'Oh, story. I don't think so.' It's kind of based on the story...
So, besides the fact that you now have your chest all over the subway in New York, and I'm assuming on some billboards-- Yeah, like in Times Square. That was a weird experience! Walking through I'm like, huh, Times Square, this is wha? Okay, maybe I should run.
That is not the way most people have their first visit to Times Square. No. Very rarely unless you're the Coca-Cola bear or something.
Exactly. But even with all the posters a lot of people haven't actually seen the show, so can you give me a brief line that you might persuade a regular New Yorker to watch? Ugh, I want to have a really cool, zinging one line about how it is sexy and violent, but, God, is it interesting. And it's one of history's greatest characters. It's just fun to watch. It's just fun.
Speaking of the history, you're aware of where it all ends, right? No, what happens? I have done no research on this character at all. Spoiler alert though, right? Seriously, what I love it going on the Internet and seeing people go, 'Uh, yeah you know he dies in the end, right?' And people going, 'Hey! No spoilers.' And you're like, really? That's just called history.
Ah, the Internet. So, one last question. Do you have anything that you are really looking forward to doing in New York to wrap up your first trip? Oh, man. I saw Spider-man...that was interesting. But I wanted to see Book of Mormon and I couldn't get tickets. Curse you and your popularity, Book of Mormon! But if I had time, and I don't think I do, God did I ever want to go to Madison Square Garden and see anything. And hey, well done Giants! I'll see you in the Superbowl against my Pats.
There's definitely tickets if you want to get to the Garden but Book of Mormon...nice to hear as a layman that even Starz couldn't get tickets for you. Ahh, it's a tough world, isn't it? I'll find a way. I will find a way.
Well, thank you so much for talking with me and I look forward to episodes five, nine, and 10 now. Yeah, well, obviously the other ones are total garbage and don't watch them at all. No, no! It's all epic, but those three are just phenomenal. If you've never seen the show and you didn't have any interest in watching it, I still think you should watch them just because I'd be impressed if you didn't like them.
