AUSXIP Spartacus News & Multimedia
Cast Page - Peter Mensah

With its addictive combination of nudity, sex, action and plots even thicker than the blood spurting in its gladiatorial battles, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" was a big hit for Starz when it premiered in 2010. But when Andy Whitfield, who played the title role, was stricken with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the prequel miniseries "Gods of the Arena" was made in the interim in the hope that he'd recover. Tragically, Whitfield succumbed to the disease last September, and the role was recast with Liam McIntyre. "Spartacus Vengeance" premieres Jan. 27, with Spartacus spearheading a slave rebellion — and Roman troops under Gaius Claudius Glaber — the man responsible for Spartacus' wife's death — on a mission to crush it.

"It's not an easy journey, both interacting with the other members of the group and for him personally, a man that never really wanted this mantle," said creator/writer Steven S. DeKnight during promotion for the series that included a Hollywood premiere, noting that the reluctant hero transitions "from a more singular individual to, by the end, a leader of men, and that journey is very difficult."

Getting the role was just as tough. McIntyre had lost 45 pounds for another project and had to bulk up with a trainer and grueling heavy weight workouts to achieve a gladiator-worthy body, but the experience was worth it. "It was and still is one of the most exciting things I can even imagine, let alone have the privilege of doing," he said, though Whitfield's death hit him hard. "You can't imagine how sad that day was," he said of the moment news came to the set. "Andy's left the most amazing legacy you could possibly hope for and it's the reason I have a job now. It's such an honor to have such a big responsibility. I just try to work really, really hard at giving it as much life as I can in the way I find possible and hopefully the Spartacus character has the same spirit as Andy brought to it so wonderfully."

This season, the titular theme of vengeance "drives everybody and brings them together but it also tears them apart," said DeKnight. "When you have such a dark emotion as vengeance, your relationships with other people become twisted." That couldn't be truer than in the case of Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) who somehow survived the massacre at the House of Batiatus and seems to have gone mad — or is she crazy like a fox? Her relationship with frenemy Ilithyia (Viva Blanca) "will continue to be enriched, lots of ups and downs there, lots of skullduggery in the parlor. Buckets of torment are coming my way, and I enter into a relationship with a man that I never paid attention to before. In the end all of Lucretia's dreams come true," promised Lawless, who is an ambassador for New Zealand Greenpeace and is building a massive garden at her Auckland home.

Her co-stars weighed in on their own environmental efforts at the premiere. McIntyre pointed out his native Australia's "impressive emission standards and carbon trading and systems with rainwater" that he's always followed. Manu Bennett (Crixus) said he has recycling bins and uses eco-friendly cleaning products at home, but buys disposable diapers for his new baby, his third daughter. In "Vengeance," Crixus' goal is to find his slavegirl love Naevia (Cynthia Addai-Robinson, pictured right), and there's ongoing tension between him and Spartacus. "There are a lot of twists and turns" ahead, he promised.

Click here for full article

Actor Liam McIntyre in action mode as Spartacus

Betrayal, sword-fighting, romance, more sword-fighting, treachery and, yes, you guessed it, even more sword-fighting — just another day in the lives of the beefy, beautiful, cunning and often desperate characters in the upcoming STARZ cable TV series Spartacus: Vengeance.

Premiering Friday, January 27 at 10:00 p.m. EST/PST, Spartacus: Vengeance is the second season of and sequel to the popular Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which aired last year on STARZ. In its finale, "Kill Them All," Spartacus led a brutal rampage at the House of Batiatus that paved the way for a new and uncertain future for him and those around him.

Spartacus: Vengeance picks up just a few weeks after that massacre. Capua is in an uproar. The gladiators have escaped and formed an uneasy alliance. Spartacus wants revenge on the man responsible for killing his wife, but he will soon understand his life is about something greater than avenging Sura's death. His mission is to build an army, set free the slaves and topple the Roman Empire.

Spartacus: Vengeance stars Liam McIntyre, who takes over from Andy Whitfield in the title role of Spartacus (Whitfield was forced to leave the role due to illness), Lucy Lawless as Lucretia Batiatus, Peter Mensah as Oenomaus, Craig Parker as Glaber, Viva Bianca as Ilithyia, Manu Bennett as Crixus, Dustin Clare as Gannicus, Nick E. Tarabay as Ashur, Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Naevia and Katrina Law as Mina.

Last week, Liam McIntyre, Lucy Lawless, Viva Bianca and Peter Mensah (who joined the call later on) chatted on the phone with me and other journalists about their work on Spartacus: Vengeance. The following is an edited version of our Q & A (beware of minor spoilers). Enjoy!

Lucy, your character of Lucretia is crazy when the season starts and she comes upon Ilithyia, who's taking care of her. Lucretia doesn't really know that Ilithyia isn’t her friend and hates her. Does she find out Ilithyia’s bad side as the season progresses?

Lucy Lawless: Or does she find out mine? I don't want to give away too much. Needless to say, Lucretia and Ilithyia continue to have a very fraught relationship. My character has to work very hard to make Ilithyia care about her again, or at least need her, because Ilithyia just wants her dead.

Click here for full article