When Liam McIntrye’s agent told him to audition for the role of Spartacus, he didn’t take it too seriously. The actor was 45 pounds underweight to play another role, had a wafer-thin resume of small gigs and “never in a million years” thought he would actually get the part.
He went at it anyhow, submitting an audition video that contained the best acting he had in him, which is what he loved most about the character’s late portrayer, Andy Whitfield.
“I tried to keep him as human as he could be in impossible odds,” McIntrye tells TV Guide Canada. “I thought the easy way out would be to make him gung-ho. Andy didn’t do that, he made Spartacus this human being with faults … he was just trying to get by when his whole world was taken.”
McIntryre later learned that the key moment in his audition process came during a scene recreation with Claudius Glaber portrayer Craig Parker that blew everyone away. From there, he just kept going until he got the role.
“I just kept working really hard and because I never really thought I’d get it, I guess it sort of helped because you don’t put that pressure on yourself,” he shrugs.
Getting the role of the famous Gladiator on the Starz drama was a bittersweet moment. On one hand, the actor had just landed the role of his favourite character on television and knew that it would be a launching pad for his career. On the other, the fact that Whitfield had to drop out because of cancer was incredibly sad — even with Whitfield’s blessing on him in the role.
“The circumstances surrounding this show are so tragic, and even more so when Andy passed away,” McIntrye reflects. “Early on, I sheltered myself with the knowledge that he was going to get better. How do you follow one of your favourite actors?”
With support and encouragement from the rest of the cast and crew, McIntrye did what Australians like him do and put his “head down, bum up.” He got a military trainer, put himself through a strenuous diet and exercise routine, beefed up and learned to wield a sword.
“Thank God that he was willing to do the work that was required to take on this role,” says Starz managing director Carmi Zlotnik, who received weekly photo updates on McIntyre’s physical progress during his training period. “He not only has the acting chops but the ability to bring the kind of intensity and unique attributes that the role actually required.”
The results can be seen Sunday night, when Spartacus: Vengeance debuts. The show’s second season (last year’s offering was a prequel) opens with Spartacus and the rest of the Gladiators free from the ludos, but lurking in wait to seek revenge on those who wronged them.
“On the 29th, I want everyone to just take a minute and think of Andy and then enjoy what is honestly a really terrific show,” McIntryre concludes. “The team does such an excellent job. I’m the luckiest guy alive. Roles like this never come up.”
Spartacus: Vengeance debuts Sunday, Jan. 29, at 10 p.m. ET on The Movie Network/Movie Central.
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