IGN talks to the new Spartacus, Liam McIntyre, about awkward nude scenes, painful boot camps and why he'll always be a gamer.
We're just a day away now from the unleashing – nay, the unsheathing! – of Spartacus: Vengeance on Starz. As you all know, the titular role of Spartacus had to be recast after star Andy Whitfield dropped out of the series due to his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A disease that ultimately, and tragically, claimed his life last September. Having gotten Andy's personal blessing to continue the series without him, EP and creator Steven S. DeKnight led a global casting call to find the new Spartacus. Liam McIntyre, Andy's fellow Australian, won the part after a rather extensive auditioning process; described by DeKnight as the search for an actor who exudes a "sense of pain and compassion."
IGN had a chance to speak with Liam McIntyre about his new role, giant billboards with his face on them, awkward nude scenes, painful boot camps and why he'll always, no matter what happens with the series, be a gamer.
IGN TV: I follow you on Twitter (@Liam_J_McIntyre) and a while back you posted a pic of a giant billboard of the show, with you in it, and you seemed to be a bit shocked. How are you dealing with things?
Liam McIntyre: I'm really good at dealing with things on the outside so inside me I have no idea what's truly happening. So when people ask me "Are you ready for this?" I'm just like "Sure." When stuff comes up I can usually deal with it or when things go out of control you just switch to a mode where you can step back and go "All right. I'm fine with this, no matter what's happening." So there's part of that in me. But also, who has their giant face in Times Square? That's ridiculous. [laughs] It's mental. I was in a movie theater when I saw it, looking to see what movies were playing. It's not real life. It's a crazy world. But, yeah. I'm fine with it. I'm dealing with it. But I really don't get it. It's a double-edge sword. It's so crazy that it's almost okay.
