Warning: spoilers for Spartacus: House of Ashura Episode 4 is ahead.
Listen: I didn't hide my love-hate relationship with Spartacus: House of Ashura. New Starz The show is filled with astonishing violence (screams the final mutilation in episode 2), but for me there's little beneath the surface.
Nick E. Tarabay thinks fans will “really love” the fight scene in Episode 4 of Spartacus: House of Ashur
“That particular scene took five, maybe even six days to shoot,” Shaw-Smith tells me. “It was amazing. He describes such a huge journey in such an epic way, where we go from arriving and being in a certain emotional state to suddenly going full throttle.”
“The scale of the emotions and what was required of us was the most exciting thing to film because it required total immersion. The scenery was so epic. We had all the amazing supporting actors, our whole incredible stunt team led by Alan Poppleton. Many of our scenes are about more above than below, all the intrigue and politics of the Roman elite. So to suddenly be in the thick of things, to be on the stage of a big battle, was the greatest challenge.”
Black adds: “I loved that scene. I think she might be one of my favorites from the whole shoot. I mean, it's wild work at this pace. I say the real villain is the schedule because he is so ambitious. If (producer) Rick Jacobson hadn't been able to get a lot of the original department heads together, it would have turned into an unintentional comedy throughout.”
“There's a very dangerous line to walk: 'Are we going to pull this off or is this going to fail gloriously or ignominiously?' And they are in their element, all these department heads. I also don't know if any other director other than Maya (Vrvilo) could have directed this episode. She was just able to mentally understand what was absolutely necessary for us to be able to meet the challenges of this really ambitious schedule.”
“I think once we all got through that construction, we thought, 'Oh my God, maybe we haven't embarrassed ourselves all the way here.'
And for Tarabay? “I have an amazing moment in episode four. Ashur is in it for a reason. And the way it ends, the actual words and the way it was shot, it's such a romantic and beautiful moment that I just enjoy. Our director was wonderful the way she captured the moment with lighting and everything. This is a moment of “awe.” It comes to the right place, turning from cruel to something sweet. I think the fans will really like it.”
If they call me a fan… mission accomplished.
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