“It was a very sweaty day for me under the toga, and quite a nervous day,” admitted Jojo Macari (Sex Education, Masters of Air) of shooting his first scenes with Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins in Peacock’s fascinating new epic series, Those About to Die. “Obviously, you know, this guy’s a blooming legend. But also in my head, I’m like, ‘Okay, I’ve got to go and do a scene with this guy, and he’s an actor, and he wants to do a great scene too, so it’s going to be okay.’ At which point, Anthony walks in and comes immediately up to me and gives me a fist bump, [saying], ‘How’s it going, Jojo? How’s it going… what’s happening?'”
That’s enough to set somebody at ease. Macari and Tom Hughes (Franklin, The English) are among a massive all-star cast in the massive drama set in the corrupt world of spectacle-driven gladiatorial competitions. The duo play brothers Domitian and Titus, respectively — Titus is the eldest son of Emperor Vespasian (Hopkins), and the apparent heir to the throne; Domitian is an ambitious younger viper, and Titus’ rival to that throne.
Those About to Die shows off a side of ancient Rome never before explored with this much depth, from the wealthy and the commoners to those gritty fight scenes and chariot races, both of which were done for sport in front of massive crowds. This wildly fascinating intersection of sports, politics, and dynasties was not lost on Macari and Hughes, who appreciated their moment acting alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins.
How Anthony Hopkins Put the Actors at Ease
After that initial Hopkins fist bump, Macari said, “I instantly [felt] at ease, and from that moment on, amazing. Every day was an absolute pleasure and a privilege.”. Meanwhile, Tom Hughes revealed more about how that day unfolded in real time, noting that he “couldn’t agree more [with Jojo]” about Hopkins’ demeanor. “I mean, if this was intentional from the schedulers or the producers, it was really smart,” Hughes explained, adding:
“So the first day Anthony was in, myself and Jojo both had quite a few heavy scenes with Anthony, one-on-one. They scheduled a big one for the morning for JoJo, and a big one in the afternoon for me. And so it meant that we both had a moment where we could just meet Anthony as our characters, but more importantly, as the people we are, you know.”
“So, me and JoJo, the night before, we’re going, ‘This is going to be something special,'” continued Hughes, “and then as I walked in [the set] as JoJo was walking out, clearly JoJo had a good time, and he just gave me a wink, and he was like, ‘It’s great man.’ I was like, ‘Okay, it’s great, good.'” He went on to say:
So I walked in thinking, ‘What do I do?’ And just like Jojo, Anthony was chatting to people, got straight up, walked across the room, shook my hand, and was like, ‘Hey man, I’m Tony. It’s like, good to meet you.’ And then it just felt like, ‘Right, we just get to work.’
“And then it just felt like, ‘Right, we just get to work.’ You gotta kind of put all the thoughts of everything happening in your head, out of your mind, and just play the scene,” added Hughes. “He was just the best person to act with in the world. He was just constantly playing and pushing and supportive and alive and smart. And yeah, it was a dream.”
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Those About to Die sets out to be another mix of blood, nudity, and violence, but it has a lot to live up to.
A Sweeping Epic Unlike Any Other
Set in Rome in 79 AD, Oscar-winner Roland Emmerich (The Patriot, The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day) is supervising director of the series and directs five episodes of Those About to Die, his television directorial debut. As the series begins, Emperor Vespasian (Hopkins) is cherished as the founder of the Flavian dynasty. He has ruled Rome for a decade and assured stability after years of civil unrest. Vespasian also initiated work on the Colosseum, aka the Flavian Amphitheater, knowing how much people craved the blood sports of gladiators and animal hunts.
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The cast includes Gabriella Pession, Rupert Penry-Jones, Pepe Barroso, Eneko Sargadoy, Goncalo Almeida, Sara Martins, Moe Hashim, and many others. Peter Travers impresses as the visual effects supervisor, working with an elaborate LED wall for the shoot. “I don’t think that there has been a show about ancient Rome that’s going to hit the same sort of scale, and just how huge and enormous and expansive this show is, and how it delves into parts of Rome that people have never seen before, and how every single storyline is gripping,” said Macari about the series’ lavish production quality and what he felt will blow audiences away. Hughes added:
“The Roman Empire is something that’s always been worth looking into, from a dramatic sense at least. And throwing into that
the scale of the builds, the sets
— they were just overwhelmingly big and showed you the grand scale of things. And then the technological advances that have been used on this that hopefully make it thrilling and give it an angle cinematographically that people haven’t seen before.”
“Then bring in an actor like Anthony and give it to Roland, and his understanding of how to create these fantastic films that also hold their size and scale with such effortlessness,” added Macari. “Hopefully, it’s going to be a really wonderful world to immerse yourself in.” No problem there. Catch Those About to Die on Peacock, beginning July 18. You can watch it through the link below: