On a recent cold afternoon, Starz wrangled a few dozen of us bloggers and media types together in one conference call with four of the stars of Spartacus: Vengeance. Queueing us up in line, we got to ask Lucy Lawless, Liam McIntyre, Viva Bianca and Peter Mensah questions about the past, present and future of the show, those graphic sex scenes and whether or Liam likes pants. Yes, his preference towards lower body attire was discussed.

Many of the journalists understandably tried to get as much out of the cast as possible, to get as many of the unanswered questions answered now. Things like “Who’s Ilithyia’s baby daddy?” “What will happen with Lucretia and Ilithyia’s relationship?” and more overarching things like Spartacus finding love, the absence of John Hannah a.k.a. Batiatus and whether or not the cast would be down for a big budget movie after the series wraps.

The hot topic was Liam taking over for the recently deceased Andy Whitfield, the actor who played Spartacus in the first season, Blood and Sand. The general consensus from both sides of the call was not only did Liam work his butt off but he also brought humility and dedication to the role. The rest of the cast unanimously sang his praises regarding his work ethic and output. The actor himself was very humble in accepting the praise and the weight of the role itself.

A repeated phrase was Lucretia being “bat-shit crazy”. Is she or isn’t she? Lucy was very professional in stating “you have to watch the show to find out”. She added that playing the character in that state was hard, “very hard”. She felt the urge more than once to go the “slapstick” route but “had to sit on that urge”. When Viva was questioned about who her “baby daddy was”, she was also quick to say watch the show. Lucy however quipped that it was “Lucretia with a turkey baster”. Now you know what kind of call we were on.

On whether or not she ever wanted to hop in the pit, grab a sword and become Xena again, Lucy responded “No, I’m quite happy sitting up high with Viva eating grapes”. No Warrior Princess action for us old-school geeks I’m afraid! She went on to state while there is no Xena in Lucretia, there is a bit of Lucy in her, just like there was a bit of Lucy in Xena. All actors agree they leave a little of themselves in the characters they portray.

At one point, Liam was asked what it was like saying “I am Spartacus!” for the very first time, especially since Andy had been the first Spartacus in the series. “Such a big line…much like saying ‘Bond, James Bond’”. He told us he wanted to do 100 takes but the crew had to say enough. Humbling experience for him, from start to finish.

What about those sex scenes? One blogger likened them to “softcore porn, that’s what makes them fun to watch”. Definitely not a turn on for the ladies nor the cast. The scenes were based more on brutality and exploration. “Slaves weren’t considered people back then”.

With Batiatus gone, Lucy was asked if she missed him. Beyond the fact that a cast mate was no longer there, Lucy said that Lucretia loved Batiatus and that love is absent. She misses that, because through it all, Lucretia really did love the man. They all said the shadow of Batiatus is still there, felt by all.

I got a chance to ask the cast if they would  be down for a full-blown movie after the series ended, much like 24, and the cast really liked the idea. Jokes were made about an investor and a budget, something about getting James Cameron to swing some cash but they all agreed a movie would be a fantastic idea. They continued with the notion that every week is akin to making a movie already so they could swing right into a silver screen version.

What about a videogame? Would the cast be willingly to lend their voices and likenesses to a digital version? Liam being an admitted gamer, was excited about the prospect. “Everyone wants to play as Spartacus, right?” The rest of the cast felt it was inevitable thing considering how the industry works, Viva pointed out there were some graphic novels floating around so why not?

The 90 minutes we sat together felt less like an interview and more like a bunch of friends hanging out, cracking jokes and having fun. Sometimes we hear of casts fighting in private but putting up a solid front to the public but I never got that feeling from these four actors. Three may have been around from the beginning but they welcomed Liam in like a long-lost brother. Their charm and sincere admiration for each other made my very first interview a much easier affair than I could have imagined.

Spartacus: Vengeance will start-up on January 27th on Starz. Sit down for an action and sex packed season! Will fans get all their questions answered or will they be left with more?

Related articles

• Spartacus: Vengeance (triggeredmadness.wordpress.com)
• Check Out The HAWT New Spartacus: Vengeance Cast Photos HERE! (perezhilton.com)