New Delhi, What would happen if Ramsay Bolton from “Game of Thrones” and Anthony Hopkins’ Dr Hannibal Lecter from “The Silence of the Lambs” crossed paths? Iwan Rheon, who played Bolton, says they would probably not get along.
The two Welsh actors are currently starring in the historical drama “Those About to Die”, where Hopkins plays Roman emperor Vespasian and Rheon is Tenax, an ambitious man who comes from nothing.
Hopkins’ presence was one of the aspects that attracted Rheon to the 10-episode series, streaming on Prime Video.
Asked about a potential crossover between two of the most famous antagonists in popular culture, Rheon told PTI in an interview: “It would be quite an interesting show if you put Ramsay Bolton and Hannibal Lecter . I don’t think they would get on.”
For his portrayal of Lecter, a cannibalistic serial killer who is also a brilliant psychiatrist in 1991’s “The Silence of the Lambs”, Hopkins, 86, won his best actor Oscar.
Rheon said Hopkins has been a childhood hero.
“Thank you for putting me in the same category as Sir Anthony Hopkins or one of his characters… He is an absolute god, in my opinion. He’s obviously been a hero as a Welsh actor growing up. For me, hopefully, it’s a long road ahead and just to get to watch someone like him is an honour,” Rheon said.
The 39-year-old said he was also intrigued about boarding the show directed by “Independence Day” fame Roland Emmerich.
“Those About to Die” is set in the first century CE where the Emperor Vespasian is to choose between two of his sons to hand over the thrones, a woman is looking to rescue three of her children from slavery and a bookmaker is searching to rise up in the society.
When he read the script, Rheon said he was surprised by how “fast paced” the story was as it offered an insight into the ancient Roman society, right from the Emperor to the lowest stablehand, slaves and the gladiators.
The actor, also a musician who recently completed recording an album, said he has always been interested in history and the show presented him with a unique opportunity.
“Who doesn’t want to be in an ancient Roman epic?” he said.
To prepare for the role of Tenax, the actor tuned into “The History of Rome” podcast by Mike Duncan, which helped him figure out the trajectory of his character.
“It helped me figure out where my character fitted in all of this in terms of time and everything that’s happened before…
“To understand the turbulence and Nero’s reign, and then the year of the Four Emperors, and then, of course, Vespasian and the 10 years of relative peace… But in peace, that’s when, historically, Rome always turned on itself. It was always very interesting to me,” he said.
The series will see the actor take on a grey role as Tenax, a child born on the streets who grows up to own Rome’s largest betting tavern as Vespasian is trying to get the Colosseum built to keep the public entertained.
Tenax is “morally dubious, but not a monster” like Bolton from “Game of Thrones”, said Rheon, praising both the shows for their writing.
” The characters were very well formed on the page. You very rarely have a character that’s quite as ruthless but as happy as Ramsay. We’re doing something like that in ‘Those About to Die’. He’s is a calculating, ruthless gangster really. But he has got a heart and compassion,” he said.
“Those About to Die” comes at a time when there is a lot of interest in ancient Rome in Hollywood, whether it is Ridley Scott’s much-anticipated sequel to his 2000 film “Gladiator” or Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project “Megalopolis”, which is set in a future America but references ancient Rome throughout its story.
Asked what could have led to this resurgence of stories around Rome, Rheon said the history of the Italian capital “shapes the Western world”.
“You can trace a lot of things that are happening to that , and geography and borders and, and that kind of thing. For us, it’s fixated in our ancient memory, but also, when you talk about, say, the United States, then it’s a republic, and they kind of looked at the Roman Republic as a sort of model. It’s just so deeply rooted in our cultural memory that we’re just completely transfixed by it,” he said.
While he is open to interesting characters wherever they may come from, Rheon said he wishes to play “a spy or a detective” next.
Besides Hopkins and Rheon, “Those About to Die” also features Rupert Penry-Jones and Sara Martins in prominent roles.
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