How often does the cast of Those About To Die think about the Roman Empire? They reveal the answer and more in these interviews.
Those About To Die explores the dark and gritty side of the Roman Empire. The underbelly. The gladiator competition and the blood and gore that comes along with it.
The drama series premieres on Peacock July 18th ans stars Anthony Hopkins, Iwan Rheon, Sara Martins, Tom Hughes, Jojo Macari, Moe Hashim, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Gabriella Pession, and Dimitri Leonidas.
A fun trend on TikTok felt more like marketing for the new Peacock series Those About To Die when women everywhere were asking men how often they think about the Roman Empire. Strangely enough, the answer seemed to always be — a lot.
How Often Does The Cast Of Those About To Die Think About The Roman Empire?
When we sat down with the cast of Those About To Die, who quite literally lived in the Roman Empire for months while filming, we had to ask them how often they think about it.
Gabriella Pession (“Antonia”): I think about the Roman Empire very often because I live in Rome. I live across the street from the Palatine and the Colosseum so for me, it is hard not to think about it. With the show, I see Rome everyday, but to see how they lived and exploring that was super fun.
Dimitri Leonidas (“Scorpus”): Quite a lot, obviously, recently. Everyday last year. I thought about it so much. It was perfect timing. The memes were going around and I’m in my Chariot gear outfit, watching these and saying you know, everyone’s thinking about us. I probably did think about Ancient Rome a fair amount [before the show]. I remember a friend of mine was obsessed with this 300 hour podcast about Ancient Rome. When I started doing the show, I suggested it to Iwan and he listened to it three times!
Moe Hashim (“Kwame”): To be honest, I thought about it so much, that I thought we actually came up with it while we were filming. I thought someone from production leaked something.
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (“Viggo”): For the past twenty years, I have thought about the Roman Empire, maybe once a week or once every two weeks. I thought that was just me, but apparently it is everyone – or a lot of people.
Jojo Macari (“Domitian”): We were discussing this before, and it’s slightly embarassing, before shooting the show, nowhere near enough. We filmed the show in Rome and as soon as you land in Rome, it is impossible not to be sucked into it. I was filming the show for almost nine months, and for that, every second of every day.
Tom Hughes (“Titus”): We were there for months, filming in Rome, you couldn’t avoid it. Not that you would want to. If in life, you have a quota for something, I think all of my moments of thinking about Rome are condensed in that one summer.
Iwan Rheon (“Tenax”): For me, there was a period of time where I probably didn’t think about it that much, but then there became a period in time where that was all I thought about for eight months. And now I’m still thinking about it. It is hard. I can’t remember what it was like to not be thinking about it every day.
Sara Martins (“Cala”): I thought I wasn’t thinking about it, but to be honest, I’m living in Europe and everywhere I look is legacy of the Roman Empire. I didn’t have to think about the Roman Empire, it was within my life, every day.
Be sure to watch the full interviews with the cast of Those About To Die to learn more about the incredible sets, costumes, and more.
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About Those About To Die
Those About To Die is an epic drama set in the corrupt world of the spectacle-driven gladiatorial competition, exploring a side of ancient Rome never before told — the dirty business of entertaining the masses, giving the mob what they want most…blood and sport.
Those About To Die premieres on Peacock on July 18th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.