*“Spartacus: House of Ashur” brings audiences into a daring new story where Ashur, having survived, rules the gladiator school that once enslaved him, and the boundaries of Roman society are tested in shocking ways.
Tenika Davis stars as Achillia, a fierce and powerful gladiatrix who challenges both tradition and societal expectations. When asked what excites her most about playing such a role, Davis said, “I would say my friends call me audacious in the way that I carry myself in life, and this character, to be able to play her with the fierce, resilient, unapologetic audacity that she steps into this world, it’s a dream come true.”
She added, “It’s game-changing, and I feel the responsibility really is that she’s never been seen in this world, and this type of character has never been seen on scripted television, so the audacity and amazing, empowering strength of being able to create that archetype and have a role model created for me, who was a little girl who didn’t have anyone who looked like me playing these types of characters, needed that. It’s empowering, but it’s also a responsibility that I’m really, really excited about undertaking.”
In “Spartacus: House of Ashur,” Achillia partners with Ashur to create a spectacle that shocks Rome’s elite. Davis explains, “Both Achillia and Ashur are underdogs in a world that doesn’t want them. They’re also in a place where they’re outsiders, and so Ashur and Achillia’s story actually parallels itself. She’s a Kushite woman that comes into a world that’s dominated by Romans, and that in itself is shock value,” Davis said.
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“The fact that she’s even broken out of slavery to somehow bust into the scene in a role that puts her in a position of power and strength. I feel like that in itself is a shocking thing, and of course, conniving Ashur would come up with this kind of idea to create that kind of shock spectacle in this world,” she continued.
Achillia’s battles are not confined to the arena. Davis said, “There’s all those external things going on, but internally she’s also battling. She’s battling with her past, and she’s battling to prove herself worthy in a world she hasn’t defined herself in. So that takes a lot of confronting those inner demons, but it also takes vulnerability, and that’s what she’s learning to find in this world.”
Davis noted that the role demanded intense physical and emotional preparation. “Oh gosh, it took everything. Every ounce of my nervous system. My stepfather passed away while we were filming, and I didn’t realize that part of having a difficult thing happen is also what it took for me to find that power and resilience and that ability to be vulnerable and say, Hey, I’m not okay and I need help. And that’s basically what this character was going through at that time. The costs were high, and it took a lot more than I expected, but I do believe we found the magic of her through all of those circumstances.”
“Spartacus: House of Ashur” expands on the original series’ legacy, offering a history-bending, erotic, roller-coaster experience. Ashur, no longer a slave, rules the ludus he once endured, and together with Achillia, he defies tradition while navigating Roman politics where betrayal is currency. The series, produced by Lionsgate Television for STARZ, is created by Steven S. DeKnight (“Daredevil”), with Rick Jacobson (“Ash vs. Evil Dead”) and Aaron Helbing (“The Flash”) serving as executive producers.
Davis honors the original “Spartacus” while making Achillia her own. “The original show, Spartacus… I give so much respect and admiration to the original men who played Spartacus, Andy Whitfield and Liam McIntyre. These two men definitely created an archetype and a world, but the world that we’re stepping into in Spartacus is a new chapter, and Achillia is going to have to find that gladiator within herself. So this is a fresh new telling, and it’s centered on power and legacy and defying expectations.
“So in this new telling, in this new fresh lens that we’re looking at, we are redefining history, finding new characters to fall in love with. And that’s basically, whether you love to hate them, you’re still going to love something about them. I’m excited for audiences to go on that journey with us so that they can find which ones will be their favorites in this telling of the show.”
The audacious new chapter in the world of “Spartacus” debuted on Friday, December 5, on Apple TV, and new episodes will stream weekly on Fridays on the STARZ app and all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms.
For longtime fans, the original series remains available on the STARZ app. “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” debuted in 2010, followed by the prequel “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena” in 2011, and the subsequent chapters “Spartacus: Vengeance” in 2012 and “Spartacus: War of the Damned” in 2013. With “Spartacus: House of Ashur,” STARZ delivers a bold, boundary-pushing evolution of the epic saga.
Watch our conversation with Tenika Davis below.
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Nick E. Tarabay Talks Ashur’s Return in ‘Spartacus: House of Ashur’ | EUR Video Exclusive
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