By Ian Cullen Jan 26, 2012, 23:42 GMT
With the premier of Starz "Spartacus: Vengeance" tomorrow, everyone who is a fan of the show is wondering what new guy Liam MacIntyre will be like in the title role that was so memorably played by the late Andy Whitfield.
So Starz brass were put in the position of finding an actress that could take on the role, and they chose the beautiful Cynthia Addai Robinson.
But Liam MacIntyre isn’t the only person coming into the series to play an already established role.
At the tail-end of "Spartacus: Gods Of The Arena," Leslie Ann Brandt - who played Crixus' love interest Naevia - announced that she was leaving the show and would not return for "Vengeance."
In a recent interview for the SciFiPulse.net website, Robinson talked a little about stepping into an already established role and discussed her thoughts on Liam MacIntyre’s performance.
When asked about stepping into the shoes left by Leslie Ann Brandt
“It wasn’t something that hit me until I actually got to the set that I realised, ‘Oh my god!’ You know am going to be playing a role that someone else has already established. And before I was hired I hadn’t seen the show and once I’d got the job I sort of had a marathon viewing.
“I think Lesley Ann did an amazing job of establishing the character of Naevia and establishing that love story between her character and Crixus who is played by Manu Bennett.
“So it’s always tricky to be in a position where you have to carry the torch. Especially when its a love story that people are really invested in. So my main concern was just to make sure that I did that storyline justice.
“But at the same time the character this season. You know without giving anything away definitely has a different energy to her storyline from the previous season. So in a way I’m playing a different character.
“So I used what Lesley Ann had established as background for the character. But moving forward you’re going to see Naevia in a different light. So it was sort of like playing a character that was just unique to me and the story. Hopefully the people go with it. It’s always a tricky situation.
“And it is Liam MacIntyre and I that are in that situation, but obviously all eyes will be on Liam, but you know I think we we’re welcomed with open arms and I had a really great working relationship with Manu and that was really helpful to me as well. So yeah it was really a positive experience and after awhile it became a none issue.”
When asked to give her take on the new Spartacus
“I think the audience is absolutely going to love him. I mean he onscreen. I mean they’ve already released some early footage and behind the scenes stuff and he looks great and I think that the audience is really going to be able to warm to him very quickly and just get right back into the story. I’m actually real excited for people to see what he does on the show because I think they’ll love him.”
Your Talkback on this Story