C L A U D I A B L A C K
INTERVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHY BY { John Russo
PRODUCED BY { Photohouse Productions
HAIR BY { Dionah
MAKEUP BY { Melissa Walsh
STYLING { Viggo Thurkettle
LOCATION { Los Angeles California
VIDEO{ Ken Waller Media
JR: The genre universe has a very passionate fan base and now the Spartacus franchise has been added to your resume. What excites you most about the genre roles you play and about stepping into the world of Spartacus: House of Ashur?
CB: I’ve been spoiled by both the genre itself and fans of it. I guess the upside of being such a little weirdo is that I am cast in complex, interesting roles. And I really feel as though I’m not only giving voice to the outer hedges of womanhood throughout time, the characters that find me help me in turn to find more remote parts of myself. The Spartacus gig itself is challenging. Our Executive producer warned me it was a “ meat grinder,” when offering me the role. It demands everything you’ve got. And tonally it’s a heady mix of requiring letter perfect precision with the archaic language with in other ways not taking itself too seriously. So it’s giving bold, broad brushstrokes in some ways; with the level of violence and bawdiness of the sex, and then served with poetic tongue-twisters. I think my masochistic streak said, “challenge accepted!”
JR: Your character enters a story centered on Ashur, a character fans already know from the original series. How would you describe the dynamic between your character and Ashur?
CB: Cossutia absolutely despises Ashur aka, “The Syrian”. Partly because Rome has just been through war with Syria, partly because he switches sides so she finds him untrustworthy. Partly because status is everything in this Empire and he keeps threatening to upend their well established social stratum. Though as I told Nick who plays Ashur when we started, it’s way more fun for me to give her a deeply private backstory that carries a personal secret. What I’ve conjured gives the dynamic more stakes, desperation and urgency.
JR: The Spartacus franchise is known for its intense drama, political maneuvering, and brutality. Where does your character fit within that power structure?
CB: The two things you should never be in a patriarchy is a woman and aging. Cossutia is being told that her relevancy is waning.
Her much older husband Gabinius no longer holds a lot of sway in the Senate and is losing footing as Ceasar increasingly asserts dominance. We get the sense that they have been a formidable couple and that Gabinius has benefitted from her strategic mind but now a new era is afoot and they are being out maneuvered and out played. Once Gabinius dies any status, privileges and freedoms she enjoyed will transfer to her horrendous brother in low and she and he daughter will suffer greatly. As her daughter lost her husband in the war and has yet to provide male heirs, matching her again to re-marry would better secure both their futures. We see her making secret unilateral decisions throughout the season in attempts to guard against their worst fate. She is willing at points to do almost anything. I would open each episode to read with a mix of slight trepidation and delight wondering what on earth she was going to do next.
JR: This series explores a “what-if” scenario where Ashur survives and gains power. (How does that alternate history affect the tone of the story and your character’s role in it?)
CB: I think the tone is similar to the original series. But the ‘what if’ gives it a lot of scope and that I find very intriguing. It means all the characters have been gifted a lot of possibilities over the course of the run. However long that may be.
JR: What kind of preparation did you do for the role – whether historically, physically, or emotionally – to step into this Roman world?
I studied Ancient Greece and Rome at school. It’s always interested me. I think to be honest at first my energy and focus had to go into the planning and prep for the movement order triggered by being away from my household for six months. Once I arrived in New Zealand I was highly motivated to get well. Covid was doing the rounds again and it did a total number on my brain function when it came to remembering lines etc. So I had to do a deep dive on memorization techniques and doing what I could to get inflammation down. Red saunas, cold plunges, float tanks, nutrition etc.
JR: Spartacus productions are famous for their stylized action and heightened performances. What was it like working within that very distinctive tone?
CB: It’s fun to play a character within this world who has both poise and ferociousness. It’s a great polarity. She’s far from a blunt instrument.
JR: Fans of the original Spartacus series often loved the morally complex characters. How would you describe the moral compass, or lack of one, when it comes to your character?
CB: No one ever thinks they are the villain in their own story. So it was always fun to find ways to fully own her treachery and explore the ways she justifies it to give her dimension. She is willing to get her hands bloody to save those she loves; she seems quite high on that list. She’s a sore loser carrying quite the karmic load. I am so curious to see what she becomes as her situation worsens.
JR: Without giving spoilers, what can audiences expect from your character’s journey throughout the season?
CB: I think we get to watch a rather regal bird get knocked off her perch. She f’s around and I think she’s going to keep finding out. But she’s not going down without a very scrappy fight.
JR: Finally, what do you hope longtime Spartacus fans and newcomers to the franchise take away from House of Ashur once they see the story unfold?
CB: I think it’s a real love letter to the original fans while also being enough of a stand alone story arc that newcomers can easily join in. It continues to grow it’s female fan base and luckily this season there are a lot of strong interesting female characters and I think a lot of couples watch it together now too. It’s bold, bawdy, violent and entertaining without taking itself too seriously.
Your favorite place to be…
In my bath, or on a new adventure, or in my den with my sons and our dogs under our soft blankets watching something stupid, inspiring or gripping. Or outside amongst the wild things on my feral land around my firepit with my besties.
When you are not focusing on work you are focusing on…
My crazy DIY projects around the house, collaborating with my sons, healing myself and supporting others to heal themselves. Making my salves, soaps and face oils.
If you could live anywhere in the world where would that be.
Probably far north Queensland or Fiji even though I almost died there once. Story for another time, perhaps.
If you could star opposite one actor who would that be.
I’m currently obsessed with Jessie Buckley. Hamnet and her performance in it both paradoxically destroyed me and brought me fully alive.
If you could choose one person who has passed to bring back who would that be.
I feel those I’ve loved and lost around me all the time. I don’t need to exhume them even metaphorically.
I’m going to leave them be. Out in the great mystery.