About the Characters

Centurion's writer/director Neil Marshall kept an open mind about who might play the roles in centurion prior casting. He wanted to concentrate fully on writing the characters. Even so, Michael Fassbender was attached to the lead part of Quintus Dias very early on.

"We stuck with him and he stuck with us and it was really question of belief on both parts", confides Marshall. "I totally believed that he could carry the part off and he believed in us making the film that we set out to make".

The part of Quintus intrigued Fassbender: "We know that Quintus' father was a famous gladiator who won his freedom in the Coliseum. I thought that was quite interesting: somebody who lives in the shadow of his father, and feels like he's got a lot to prove. He basically volunteers for the post in Briton to prove himself. As the film progresses, he's thrown in a position of command. I thought it was quite interesting to play with his doubts and the journey of the man; how he actually steps up to the plate and takes command. We know at the beginning he’s very much for the ethos of Rome; he totally believes in it. As the film moves on he becomes disillusioned with the Roman Empire."

But alongside the interesting personal and political journey of his character, Fassbender also relished the opportunity to be involved in all action movie. "Neil's unashamedly going towards that adventure theme genre, which I really like. You know, he doesn't sort of get stuck in what would apparently be a British film. He just goes with his inspirations, which are a lot of action and adventure films."

"Michael brings a huge number of qualities to the role" says Producer, Robert Jones. "I mean, he's a fantastic actor as we've seen in other films like, most recently, Steve McQueen's Hunger, and Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. He can ride and he can fight, so he's not just in it for the acting. He enjoys the action."

"I think what makes Michael so great." Says Marshall, "is that he's fearless. He will pretty much try anything. He isn't afraid to run through the snow half naked or whatever. There were never any complaints. He was utterly professional throughout."

Indeed, it fell to Marshall and Jones, to rein Fassbender in on occasions. "I had to hold him back, actually, from doing his own stunts a lot of time. He wanted to do the riding through the fireballs; he wanted to jump off the cliff into the river, which was a really dangerous stunt. He would say, 'Let me do it. I'd love to do it."

Marshall has no doubts his faith in his leading man was repaid handsomely. "It worked. I mean, it was a fantastic working relationship and he delivers a storming performance."

Director and producer also knew the dynamism of the film would rely on the strength of the supporting cast of Romans. Marshall rounded up some of the most hotly tipped and acclaimed young actors working in the UK today. David Morrissey, JJ Field, Riz Ahmed and Noel Clark all signed up quickly. Marshall was also able to secure Liam Cunningham with whom he'd originally worked with on Dog Soldiers.

Marshall is full of praise for his dynamic cast, particularly for his old friend Cunningham. "He's just a pleasure to work with. Put him in a character like this, as this kind of veteran, grizzled, hard-case soldier, and he just eats it up."

Marshall turns to his casting of Morrissey: "I never believed that we could get him for this film. He really got into it. I think it's also the kind of part he doesn't often get offered – to get to do sword fights and stuff like that, I think he really enjoyed that side of things."

David Morrissey, who plays the battle-hardened soldier, Bothos: "The great thing as an actor is you're constantly asked to do different things and for me, it's been really enjoyable to get involved in something that is so action packed. Learning to fight; getting back to riding, which is something I like doing; all the action stuff – I really enjoyed it."

"I think I've been lucky in finding actors that get into their stride pretty quick," says Marshall. "I know that there are some actors out there who didn't really get into it until seven or eight takes. Well, I don't think I've ever gone to seven or eight takes," he laughs.

Another contributing factor to the on-screen fluidity is the off-screen camaraderie of the actors. Michael Fassbender describes the dynamic of the cast of fugitives: "There's a great variety of personalities in the mix there and also a lot of talent. We just sort of clicked really quickly. There really wasn't that much time to sort of bond. Everybody quickly stepped up to the plate. There were no egos crashing around on set. We were all just working together which makes life a lot easier".

Dominic West, who plays the charismatic leader of the Ninth legion, General Virilus, was an important contributor to the energy of the production – both on and off screen.

Neil Marshall: "Dominic brings a real kind of brash energy to the role. I'm sure the spirit of Oliver Reed possessed him. Certainly, during his opening sequence where he's drinking ale in a bar and arm wrestling and getting into a big brawl and stuff like that, he brought a real kind of sense of scale to it; a real weight."

Marshall knew he needed a large performance for this role. He was looking for a dynamic general that Marshall believed the men would happily die for – a force of nature.

West enthuses easily about the part: "It's great because he's ideal general. He's adored by his men, and adores his men. He treats everyone really well and drinks and fights alongside his soldiers. It couldn't be more fun to play – until we had to do the cold bit."

The delivery of rousing speeches is something in which West revelled and excelled in equal measure. West explains that Virilus' role was to fundamentally rouse his troops into being prepared to follow their General into any situation, in west's words "goading them into hatred of this unknown, unseen enemy."

Resident comedian West frequently found a way to break the tension despite or maybe because of intense periods of filming. Being able to snap in and out of character meant West would deliver his lines with expert seriousness and then deliver a line off camera that would floor the crew.

Marshall: "As soon as you call 'cut' Dominic will crack a joke or something like that. David Morrissey was the same. Some of his best jokes came straight after you call, 'Cut'. He'll just run off a line or do something physical or whatever. They had the set in fits of laughter all the time."

And if West is pushed on what the ultimate appeal of the role of General Virilus was: "Well, it was the fact that I have a mud wrestle with Olga Kurylenko that really decided me that this was the sort of work I ought to be doing at this stage of my career."

The Picitish warrior, Etain – hunter of the surviving Romans – was another demanding and physical role. In terms of new experiences, one of the biggest tests for Kurylenko was appearing on horseback. She had had limited experience with horses before, going as far as to say she'd "never touched a horse" in her life, before laughing. "I didn't really even know how to sit on a horse. So it was a challenge for me because I had to go from not riding a horse ever to galloping in the movie."

Marshall is pleased with the dedication Kurylenko showed and her determination to become adept at horse riding and battle sequences in such a short space of time. Marshall confirms the training was intensive: "We put her through some fairly rigorous riding training beforehand. It was absolutely essential. Her character spends fifty percent of the movie on a horse, so she really got stuck into it."

Kurylenko's character Etain is driven by a brutal experience she suffered at the hands of the Roman invaders. It is explained that she had her tongue cut out and was raped by the Romans who also murdered her parents. Without speech, she is defined, more than any other character, by her physicality. Marshall understood he was asking for a lot from his performer. "That was the toughest part," he admits. "We've got this incredibly physical role but she's not able to say a word. How do you embrace that? Olga totally did."

"It's the first time I've had a part like that," admits Kurylenko. "All you have is the senses, your movement, face expressions. I really looked at her as an animal; not a human. At some point, the Romans say she's part wolf; a she-wolf. I think she's a little wild."

In contrast to Quintus, who faces a dilemma about his role, Etain has a single, pure aim. As Marshall puts it, "She has one thing on her mind and that's killing Romans."

Kurylenko's performance had to personify the Pict’s resistance to Roman oppression. In the end, Marshall was more that satisfied that she'd achieved it. "She'd got a really expressive face. I mean, on camera it comes alive and though her eyes. You can see the sheer venom behind the look."