We needed a big, muscular guy that you could believe could swing a sword without falling over.” When I first saw his original audition, I thought he was really great, but I immediately dismissed him because physically he wasn’t right for what we needed. He was all knobby knees, skinny arms and sunken chest. “He got incredibly thin for another role. But Whitfield’s cancer returned and he formally bowed out of the role and urged everyone to continue without him.Ĭasting McIntyre as the buff Spartacus required more than a little faith in the power of weightlifting. Initially, writers had conjured up a six-episode prequel, “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” to give Whitfield time to undergo treatment and recover before returning to the role. Whitfield took a break from the series after its first season after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The 29-year-old is assuming the role of the Roman gladiator who leads a slave rebellion in the cable series originally played by Andy Whitfield, who died last year from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This from a man who finds himself in three-hour gym sessions four times a week to convincingly portray the brawny, lead role in the Starz series “Spartacus: Vengeance.” His devotion to muscling up is not just vanity: It suggests his desire to prove himself worthy. “What happened to six-minute abs?” the Aussie inquired by phone. in Sydney, Australia, and Liam McIntyre has just posed one of the most serious questions facing actors like him who often have to bare their beefcake physique clad in nothing but a shred of a loin cloth.

Spartacus vengeance