Quick Chat: Spartacus’ Simon Merrells

22nd April 2013

With the legendary TV series Spartacus has come to an epic end on SKY, Simon Merrells who played Crassus – the richest man in the Roman Republic who brought Spartacus to his eventual demise – was interviewed on SKY Radio on Monday and was recorded as saying if there were to be a Caesar spin-off show now that Spartacus has died, he would “be in there like a shot”:

SKY INTERVIEW:

Is SPARTACUS done and dusted then? Will it come back in any way shape or form.. Can you give us some sort of hope?

“Well, you’re asking a mere actor – and obviously the makeup girls and the cleaners will find out before me. There has been rumbles about a spin-off, ah, a Caesar spin-off which could or could not involve my character Crassus, certainly historically they went on for a while. I have no idea to be honest, you hear rumbles but Steven De Knight and Starz are the people who would be talking about that.”

On SPARTACUS – Have you been surprised it’s got as popular as it has got?

Simon Merrells said: “I’m not surprised really because there were three seasons before I joined and when I auditioned and then got the job I did a lot of research and became, and became very impressed with it and then found out that it had this enormous fan base, which I wasn’t surprised by it because it’s a fairly unique show, there’s nothing quite like it on TV. I think The Guardian said “No show takes its remit to entertain as fully and as seriously as Spartacus” and I’d go along with that. No I’m not surprised, it’s a worldwide phenomenon – massive in the states. Here (UK) it’s got a big fan base, it’s more a culty thing here I think but it’s certainly grown over the years.”

You must have enjoyed working on Spartacus?

“Oh my god, yeah, job of a lifetime – fantastic experience right from the word go from being trained in boot camp which was painful but a wonderful experience, the peerless stunt team run by Al Poperton, those guys trained us all – got us all up to scratch. I think I lost about 9kg in three and a half weeks. And then there’s the double sword training, the stunt training, I learnt to ride – it was such an experience, I had the time of my life.”

Would you work with them again?

“Absolutely, they are a lovely bunch of people and I’d be in there like a shot”

The epic final season of the TV Series SPARTACUS: War of the Damned will be available to own on DVD and Blu-ray from 29th April. Starring Liam McIntyre as Spartacus, Simon Merrells as Crassus, Manu Bennett as Crixus and Dustin Clare as Gannicus, this epic conclusion of a legendary journey also introduces a young Julius Caesar into the story, played by Todd Lasance. The SPARTACUS final series “War of the Damned” will unleash a battle unlike anything ever seen before.

Creator and Executive Producer of SPARTACUS, Steven S. DeKnight has worked alongside fellow Executive Producers: Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Joshua Donen and Starz Entertainment to bring audiences an exciting, modern new look at the legend of Spartacus which has developed die-hard fans throughout its 3 seasons and prequel: Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and Spartacus: Vengeance. The series is inspired by the historical figure of Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 BC led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic.

Thom Leaman, Marketing Manager from Anchor Bay Entertainment said “We are delighted to be bringing the epic finale of Spartacus: War of the Damned to DVD and Blu-ray. Spartacus has continually rewritten the rule book as far as primetime TV goes – but I think it’s fair to say they’ve saved the best till last. Going out with a bang doesn’t even cut it! We’re incredibly proud to be part of this legacy of larger than life storytelling and we hope Spartacus fans will help us celebrate the breath-taking end to one of the most popular shows on the planet.”

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