It is no secret that I have a slight obsession with Spartacus: Vengeance, specifically when it comes to the topic of Gannicus (Dustin Clare)! In season two, we have yet to catch a glimpse of our beloved hero from Gods of the Arena but I hear whispers that he is set to return in episode 5. (I can confirm I have seen episodes 1-4 and Gannicus is not in any of them)
And only two episodes later, we can expect Saxa (Ellen Hollman) to make her presence known to Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) before setting her pretty eyes onto Gannicus. Who can blame her right?
I had the pleasure to speak to Ellen last week and she promises her character will not just be strong but also vulnerable. Sounds a lot like Melitta no? There might be a comparable love match between them after all!
So far from what we have heard about Saxa we know she is “the first female German warrior to join the ranks of Spartacus. She’s fierce, fun, intelligent and a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. In other words, she will kick your ass and have a laugh about it later.” But I wanted to know what Ellen could tell us about Saxa that we have not heard already.
Everyone talks about how strong she is and how she doesn’t take any shit and she kicks ass. But she also has a very empathetic and heroic side which I think is a true hero in a sense because she is also sensitive to other peoples hearts as well. She also encompasses being a woman because being a woman, she empathizes with death and struggle and she’s not just this total bad ass. She does allow herself to be feminine and vulnerable so she also allows a strength to come through as well.
There is strength in allowing yourself to be vulnerable and that’s a really beautiful thing that you will see glimpses of from Saxa, but not the whole time by any means.
Is that what Gannicus ends up liking about her? Ellen isn’t telling but we tried our best to get her to talk about what happens between her and our favorite gladiator!
Without giving too much away, she has a keen eye for him and the difference between every other man or woman that she has chosen to conquer–because she’s just a “take what she wants” “when she wants” kind of gal. Gannicus is more of a challenge because Saxa sees Gannicus as her equal.
She doesn’t feel that she is superior to him, hence why it’s a slow burn. Slowly but surely, she goes in and he becomes a special case and you won’t get any instant gratification with the relationship it’s something that procures.
This season, Ellen joins the ranks of Liam McIntyre who took over the titular role after Andy Whitfield had to pull out due to medical reasons. Did being a newbie like Liam create a bond between him and Ellen?
With Liam, I was instantly his little sister and he was my little brother. We both looked after each other and we both bonded. It was also because everyone was so welcoming to the both of us that I never felt like the new kid on the block. Everyone was so welcoming and so happy to have us.
We were basically a breath of fresh air, we were new blood and everyone welcomed that. Now I call him Lee Mack!
Ellen’s character Saxa comes in after being rescued by Spartacus. How does she acclimate to Team Spartacus…specifically with the women like Mira (Katrina Law)?
Oh I do not like Mira at first! I’m not a big fan of the Mira Camp in the beginning because she’s competition! I’m so used to being the alpha female in every situation and she is the alpha female especially for the rebel camp. You will see we are basically at each others throats from the very beginning.
She approaches things in a cool, calm, collective, and calculated manner where I tend to basically jump in the shallow end to see how deep it is. Saxa is the kind of girl who doesn’t burn bridges, she winds them up with dynamite and watches them explode!
She’s impulsive, she’s brash, and she’s ferocious and Mira’s more calculated and there’s trepidation in her because Mira’s not a warrior. So it’s kind of when you see two bulls fighting each other, they just want to prove which one is alpha.
That’s what I first think of Mira.
Speaking of women, will Saxa have any interaction with Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) or Ilithyia (Viva Bianca)?
That’s a tough one to answer without giving anything away! I will just say Saxa has fixed revenge against all Romans regardless of who they are and where they come from.
The people that have enslaved us on the ship were Romans and it was not necessarily clarified as to whether or not it was Lucretia and Batiatus but it actually isn’t. But it’s still Romans, that breed of people is our enemy. That is how I can answer that one without giving away too much.
Anyone who has Roman blood running through their veins is an enemy of Saxa.
I tried one last time to get some details behind Saxa’s relationship with Gannicus. But series creator Steven DeKnight has his team locked up pretty tight! This is what Ellen had to say:
They have us on a tight leash! I actually gave away a major plotline and I revealed it during an interview and the people actually printed it and translated it!
Here is what she said in the aforementioned interview with Zap-2-It:
“Forget the tease, I’ll give away an entire plot line with one of Saxa’s lines: ‘Warum hast du die römische Hure nur freigegeben, um im Gegenzug nichtserhalten?’
Which roughly translates to “Why have you released the Roman whore when you get nothing in return?” Ellen might have gotten in trouble for giving that away but 4 episodes in and I don’t exactly know what she is talking about!
Don’t forget to tune in for all new episodes of Spartacus: Vengeance, Friday nights at 10pm only on Starz. Also, make sure you follow Ellen via Twitter here. She is so funny and entertaining, I think you guys will love her!
