What they'll see is a different Spartacus than Whitfield's, and not only because a new actor is in the role. The actor understands and even expects the scrutiny of fans, who will no doubt be quite vocal on message boards, Twitter and Facebook after the premiere. The 29-year-old will be fighting as hard for fan acceptance as his character will be for the rights of the slaves he leads in rebellion against the Roman Republic.
That means more to an actor than you can possibly imagine," McIntyre said last week during a call with reporters. "To know that the person who made so wonderful was on your side, as it were, especially considering all the harrowing personal experiences he had to survive at the time. Whitfield died in September at the age of 39, but not before he gave McIntyre his blessing.
#Spartacus actor series#
Whitfield's illness delayed Season 2-Starz aired a six-episode prequel called "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" in 2011-and he eventually had to bow out of the series after his cancer returned. The Aussie actor assumed the role of the legendary gladiator after Whitfield, the wildly popular Welsh star of the series' first season, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. If he died, any one of his followers could carry on and say, 'I am Spartacus.'" Liam McIntyre will do just that when "Spartacus: Vengeance," the long-awaited second season, begins at 9 p.m.
"And that would be OK, because Spartacus isn't just one man it's a movement, the rebellion he launched.
"Who knows, maybe I won't survive this season," he said. DeKnight's penchant for killing off lead characters on what he would help make a hit series for Starz. When I first met Andy Whitfield in 2010, the "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" star joked about creator Steven S.