Spartacus: Blood and Sand S01E01

There is no life without you...

Erin Cummings discusses her graphic role in an exclusive interview with iesb.net...

Did you ever have any hesitation in doing the nudity on this series, or was it just about the context of it?

Erin: The way I feel about nudity, and how I think a smart actor approaches it, is that nothing can be done without putting thought into it. Every nude scene, for me, is on a case by case, show by show, episode by episode and even scene by scene basis. I don't think that there should be a general assumption of, "Oh, she'll do nudity," for any actress or actor. And, if you're going to do nudity, there is a way to do it.

In Spartacus, I'm the love interest to the lead actor and I am playing a character that is very well-rounded. Sura is not just there for the purpose of showing a naked body. She is there for showcasing a relationship, and it takes a very strong actor to be able to portray that role. The sex scenes are just one small part of that. In that context, I went, "Yeah, okay." I always look at it and say, "Is this a role that I would play otherwise? If she didn't have the love scene and there wasn't any nudity, would I really want to play this role?" And, if the answer is, "Yes," then you really have to go, "Okay, well then let me figure out what they're asking me to do, sexually speaking, and what I'm comfortable with."

IESB: Did it help that you knew and had worked with so many of the people involved with the series?

Erin: Knowing that Rick Jacobson had been brought on really made it a lot easier for me because I knew that Rick would never put me in a position of doing something that I felt uncomfortable with. And, I had read the script, so I knew how it was described. There was love scene that I had read, in a very early draft, and I called Steven DeKnight and said, "I am not doing that. That is not going to happen." Starz and the producers never made me feel pressured to do anything that I didn't feel was right and true for the character. When there was something that I went, "You know what? I don't know if this is really how Sura would go about this," they were very open and willing to make it work for the character. With most actors, if they want you to do X, Y and Z, whether it's sexual, physical or whatever, unless you give the actor a reason why their character would do it, they're not really going to be interested.

For me, playing the wife of Spartacus, I felt like the love scene was integral to telling the story of who they were. If you have the perfect marriage, it's not just about communication or having an understanding of one another. It's also about the chemistry and the passion that two people have for one another, and I think our scenes really showcase that. It was beautifully shot and I'm very proud of those scenes because I think they were very well done. I never found any of the love scenes to be gratuitous, in any way. Also, because of the fact that Andy was with me, every step of the way, wearing just as little clothing as I was, we went into it together. We said, "If we're going to do this, we're doing it together," and it made it a lot easier to be able to have him going through that with me.

Television Series: Spartacus: Blood and Sand (S01E01- The Red Serpant)
Release Date: January 2010
Actress: Erin Cummings & Viva Bianca
Video Clip Credit: raziel02
Video Clip Info: [25,60 Mo; 3 min 20 sec; 3 videos]



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