Why So Blu?

Comic-Con 2011: Spartacus: Vengeance – Roundtable Interviews

Spartacus: Vengeance is the name of the show.   It’s the second full-length season of the highly successful Starz premium television show, Spartacus: Blood and Sand.   Need I say anything more?  Seriously.   This is the moment we have all been waiting for ladies and gentleman.   This is the real deal.   And today we are here to celebrate everything Spartacus.   Hold on tight.   Just like the language and gratuitous nudity the cable television show offers, you never quite know what to expect and besides…I like to keep people guessing.   So it gives me great pleasure and honor to provide you, our readers, with exclusive roundtable interview coverage and photos recorded/taken with the stars of the hit series, Spartacus.

The interview roundtables were held on Friday, July 22nd at the beautiful Hilton Bayfront hotel.   The star participants included Liam McIntyre, Lucy Lawless, Manu Bennett, Dustin Clare, Katrina Law and executive producer Steven S. DeKnight.   They were all on hand to discuss everything related to the prequel, the first season and the hotly anticipated second season…no holds barred.   I will present them below in the order as they were conducted (please excuse the poor iPhone pictures).  For anyone that does not want to listen to the audio interviews in their entirety I was also nice enough to very briefly summarize what was said by each actor.   Why?  Because I’m such a nice guy!

Liam McIntyre (Spartacus) and Steven DeKnight

Newcomer Liam McIntyre claimed he was already a big fan of the show before trying out.   He said he lost so much weight for the role.   He talked about his rigorous diet and the boot camp he underwent last September.  He said there were two days in particular that were the toughest.

DeKnight talked about Andy Whitfield’s departure from the show and his wishes to want the show to continue.  He said he was not trying to cast to recreate the physical appearance of Andy, but instead for talent.

Lucy Lawless (Lucretia)

Lucy recounts how her character lost a lot in Season 1.  She said her character will fight for survival in Season 2, but she’s got a master plan and endgame in sight.  She also talked about the show’s great writing.  She went on to admit that she is a bit nervous without John Hannah this season.   She says that Viva Bianca will bring more intrigue to the show.  She finished by talking about the sheer amount of money that goes into the show and how her character in Season 2 will initially be desolate, but will quickly get her mojo back.

Manu Bennett (Crixus)

Manu commented on how the scripts for the show are great.  He said in the second season there will still be a struggle between his character and Spartacus because of their different nationalities.  He said the second season will have lots of retribution.   He claims the appeal of the show is that viewers love the show and the characters no matter if they are villains or good guys.  He expanded upon his love for working on the show by saying that the actors are allowed to give insight and ideas about their characters to Steven DeKnight.  He says nothing stays the same.   He also said that camera and special effects have upped the game and that the aerial landscape shot in the Season 2 trailer will blow you away now that they are out in the real world.

Katrina Law (Mira)

Katrina says that Mira’s biggest journey in Season 2 is figuring out who she is, how does she fit into this new world and what does it mean to be free.  She says that Mira loves Spartacus because of the tender way he acts and how he treated his wife.  She claims there are not a lot of pranks on the set because there is a lot of ground to cover and tight shooting schedules.  She commented on the brilliant one liners we all came to know and love from the show.  She said they just finished episode 6 before breaking for a short hiatus.  She is excited to see Mira’s journey.  When asked, she said the actors get the script 1-1.5 weeks beforehand.  She also said we will see a lot of female slaves this year.  She went on to say that the sets are so varied and she is really proud of the show.  She is appreciative of her role.  She finished by saying that she watched the prequels as a fan much like the first 10 episodes of Season 1.  And oh yeah…I can’t forget this.  She called me out at the table and asked me if I interviewed her before.  When I said yes, she said she knew my name was familiar.   Needless to say, I had a sh1t eating grin on my face.   That full interview can be found here.

Dustin Clare (Gannicus)

I don’t know what it is about this guy, but I loved him in the prequels and he really impressed me in person, but I digress.   Dustin shied away from the initial question asked of him because he cannot giveaway the plot of Season 2 and how the characters will all meet up.  He says his character has a strong sense of purpose and won’t be swayed by anyone.  He would not elaborate on any character relationships.  He did know ahead of time that he would be in Season 2.  Lucky man!   He confirmed that 5 years of fictional time has elapsed between the prequel series and Season 2.  He said he was not included in the hunt for Andy’s replacement.  He also said he did a musical in Australia.  He said there will be romantic subplots and women in his life in Season 2.  He said gladiator school was hard and again and not easy at all.   He expanded by saying that he doesn’t eat a lot and does lots of stunts.   He finished that thought by saying the stunt team was nominated for an Emmy for the fight scene in episode 6 of the prequel and that the fight scene took 8 days to film.  He answered my final question by saying that Season 2 will both be about revenge and being hunted.

So let me ask.   Are you all as excited as I am?   Because…I cannot ‘effing wait!   Gladiators!

Season 2’s trailer premiered first at the Comic-Con panel on Friday, July 22nd.  It has since been shared with members of the press.   Make sure to check it out below as well as some of our exclusive balcony pictures I snapped of the cast at the Hilton Bayfront hotel.   What a beautiful view!   Enjoy!