NEW MAN: Manu Bennett as Crixus alongside new Spartacus Liam McIntyre, in the hit show Spartacus Vengeance, which is filmed in New Zealand for American network, Starz.
Spartacus is well known for its swords and steamy sex scenes, but it's the scars that are leaving a lasting impression on some of the show's actors.
Particularly for Manu Bennett who, quite literally, bears the scars of his role as Crixus in the hit show, which is filmed in New Zealand for American TV network Starz.
Now in its third season, Spartacus: Vengeance tells the story of history's greatest gladiator. Despite its violence and explicit scenes, it has taken the world by storm with fans worldwide clamouring for more.
Well known to New Zealanders as Street Legal's Matt Urlich, as well as roles in Shortland Street, Xena: Warrior Princess and The Strip, Bennett is relishing his role as the former champion gladiator ousted by Spartacus, even though it's about as demanding as any role can get.
Bennett vividly recalls one fight scene where the right sword wasn't swapped out before the cameras began to roll. His opponent thrust the sword at him, cutting him across his pectoral muscle – the scar from which is still visible.
"The thing is that if I hadn't moved out of the way, he would have stabbed me right in the heart," he says.
"But, you know, these are one in a thousand, one in a million things. You learn from the mistakes and you get better and better at it." Bennett says it's the sophisticated fight scenes and the dedication to its fighting sequences that sets Spartacus apart from other shows set around the same period and he's proud to be a part of it.
"The amount of time we put into our fighting sequences would have to be unparalleled. It's a constant mechanism and we're very proud of putting our bodies on the line.
"We've got an incredible stunt team that are working all day and every day on fight sequences. There's not a time when our fighting gym isn't active, whether it be people training to stay in shape or whether it's people going through their fight sequences," says the athletic actor, who has played representative rugby and trained as a classical dancer.
And his rugby training has put him in good stead for this role. He likens each fight scene to playing a game of rugby and putting everything on the line to win, or in this case, putting everything on the line to give audiences a true sense of what it takes to be a gladiator.
"Literally, it's like playing a game of rugby. If we don't finish with some blood and bruises, it's like we never played. That's literally the way I see it. If I was to walk off a fight scene and didn't have blood coming from somewhere or didn't have some skin coming off, I haven't done my job."
The role has also given Bennett the chance to reconnect with one of two relatives that also received the acting gene – he's related to both Temuera Morrison and Cliff Curtis, the former of whom played Doctore in the prequel Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.
Bennett says he first discovered they were related when Morrison was in Australia to promote Once Were Warriors. Morrison invited him to have a drink with him, but Bennett stood him up.
"I saw him years later at the Lord of the Rings premiere and he hadn't forgotten. I went back all those years and thought, `Oh my lord, what an arse'. So I've spent all that time trying to make it up to him," he says. "Working with him was quite befitting of the relationship I had with him, anyway. We had a great time and I helped lead a haka that sent him off from the show and I've really got to know him a lot better and become good friends."
Bennett – who was working as a labourer when he landed the role of Crixus – says while he's thankful to have been able to work with Morrison, he's even more grateful to producer Rob Tapert, who he credits for keeping so many New Zealand actors in work for such a long period of time.
"For any of us in New Zealand it's been a huge opportunity and we're all in huge gratitude to him," he says.
"He's brought so much money to this country and so much employment, he should be knighted. He stays below the radar but if it wasn't for him there'd be families in this industry that wouldn't have food on the table. We're all very lucky to have him out there creating these shows for us."
Spartacus: Vengeance, The Box, tonight, 9.30pm
- © Fairfax NZ News
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