About the Characters

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.

"This is real locations", says JJ, "you know, not CGI or green screen, we ARE in the forest and mountains doing for real. So we've just got in and got scratched and bruised...

I'm doing my riding and fight scenes, the only double that I've had was for one shot of the tumble off the cliff."

Marshall is full of praise for his dynamic cast, particularly for his old friend Cunningham with whom he'd originally worked with on Dog Soldiers. "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".

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."