What a creep! That is what many Game of Thrones fans must have thought when the sadist Ramsay Bolton first appeared. His actor, Iwan Rheon, can now be seen together with Sara Martins (Paris, je t’aime) in the gladiator series Those About To Die on Amazon Prime. In a role that he as “even more merciless” describes.
The Spectacle by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day), who directed several episodes, tells the story of Tenax (Rheon), among others. He earns his money as a betting office manager in ancient Rome with chariot races… and sometimes has debtors murdered in the shadows of the gutter. We talked to Martins and Rheon about Bolton, the appeal of bloody games and podcast obsession on set.
Moviepilot: Those About to Die is out now, Gladiator 2 will be in cinemas at the end of the year. What is the appeal of gladiators and ancient Rome?
Sara Martins: Many things that happened 2000 years ago are still valid today. Thanks to TV series and all that stuff, we think we are at the peak of entertainment today. But that is nothing compared to Ancient Rome. The series shows how to build a society: politicians have to offer people entertainment. And people still want to see fights and blood, even if that is illegal today. Through bloody series we also satisfy the thirst for blood in society.
Amazon Prime Video
Sara Martins in Those About to Die
Ivan Rheon: In the Western world, everything reminds us of Ancient Rome. The US political system is based on the Roman Republic. The Founding Fathers had Rome in mind when they drafted the Constitution. The city of Cincinnati is named after a Roman general. There are so many parallels. Maybe things haven’t changed that much since then.
Iwan, one of your best-known roles is the cruel Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones. Your character Tenax in Those About to Die is also cold-blooded at times. Did Game of Thrones prepare you for Those About to Die?
Ivan Rheon: You learn something new with every role. But they are very different characters. Ramsay just likes to hurt people, it’s his hobby. Tenax is different. But he is perhaps even more merciless: he is not even cruel because he wants to be. He is cruel because he has to be. He grew up on the streets of Rome and had to fight his way to the top. To stay at the top, he has to be merciless. But later you realise that he is not merciless. He has compassion.
Amazon Prime Video
Iwan Rheon as Tenax in Those About to Die
Sara, your character Cala follows her enslaved children to Rome. What was important to you in your portrayal?
Sara Martins: It was meant to show the diversity in Rome. Rome conquered many territories and so there are people of different origins in the city, whether from Numidia or Germany. I like that it was a mega-city whose society consisted of many different cultures and classes. Cala embodies the African history of Rome. But it also shows that there were other fights outside the arena. That many warriors existed, not just those with swords.
How did you prepare for your roles?
Sara Martins: I started with a podcast – and three hours later I was a Rome specialist. [lacht]
Ivan Rheon:
[lacht] This is a lie, this is mine Answer! I have I And I became unbearable.
Sara Martins: No, you became an expert. I knew that if I had a question, I could ask Ivan. You definitely immersed yourself in Ancient Rome.
Ivan Rheon: I had to understand a few things. First of all, I had to understand how Rome started. Nobody knows exactly. The origin is a myth. But I had to know who the Roman emperor was. [Vespasian] was. When he was born. What it was like for him to live on the streets as a child. How he became emperor. It’s incredibly interesting. And it all makes sense. I can only recommend the podcast “History of Rome” by Mike Duncan.