This article contains SPOILERS for Spartacus: House of Ashur Episode 3.
The Starz gladiator series Spartacus has never pulled its punches when it comes to fight scenes, but even by its own bloody standards, the showdown at the end of the third episode of Spartacus: House of Ashur is brutal. After being sent to the city of Capua on a secret mission for Ashur, the aging gladiator Korris (Graham McTavish) is set upon by a group of assassins in an alleyway. "Unworthy" spends a good amount of time building up how important McTavish's Doctore is to Ashur's ludus, so when half a dozen cutthroats corner him in the rain, viewers know it's a calculated move meant to leave Korris dead in its wake.
Of course, these assassins don't account for the sheer ferocity of Korris, a former gladiator who is one of the few to ever win his freedom on the sands of the arena. He cuts his way through them all in a two-minute-long fight sequence that easily stands out as one of Spartacus: House of Ashur's best to date.
We had the chance to speak to McTavish ahead of the show's premiere, and he shared details about filming this "very intense" fight scene, as well as some of the things he's most excited for fans to see in House of Ashur. And of course, we had to talk about his fantastic wig. Read on for the full spoiler chat!
Inside Spartacus: House of Ashur's Episode 3 alleyway fight
"That was a very intense one," McTavish said of the Episode 3 alley fight. "I mean, I have a few fight scenes that you probably won't have seen yet, but that was one of the more intense ones...street fighting, multiple assailants, all of that kind of thing. It was tough."
"We did a whole training for it, gladiator bootcamp, which was of all the boot camps that I've done, and I've done quite a few now, it was by far the hardest," he said. "You have to be a believable gladiator, that's the basic thing, really. And so in terms of your physical stamina, your fitness, your strength, all of those sorts of things...you have to raise your game for all of that."
"But there was a moment, I do remember during that fight, I'd just been smashed through a door and I'm lying on the ground," McTavish recalled. "And we were getting ready to do the next shot and I was lying there covered in dust and mud and blood and all the rest of it. And I did think, 'What are you doing? This is ridiculous.' You know, I was 63 at the time time, and I'm like, 'Good God, man, just relax, just put your feet up and have a margarita.'"
Despite how grueling both the gladiator bootcamp and the alleyway fight in particular were, McTavish sounds like he relished the opportunity to get his hands dirty and take on these intense physical challenges. "In all seriousness, I love doing those things. I absolutely love them," he admitted. "It's the stuff that you always dreamt about doing when you were a kid. So I get to do it in this, and it's wonderful."
When McTavish talks about the gladiator bootcamp being "very tough," you know he means it. The veteran Scottish actor has appeared in a number of fantasy and historical dramas over the years that have plenty of action, including The Witcher, Outlander, House of the Dragon, and The Hobbit movies. It begets a fun question: if Korris were to encounter any of McTavish's other characters he's played in the arena, which would give him the most trouble?
"Well, probably, Probably Dwalin actually," McTavish said. "He would probably give me the most trouble. He was the most ferocious of them, in terms of like his relentless fighting energy. But I think Korris would take him. I do, I think he'd win. Korris is pretty fierce."
What drew Graham McTavish to Spartacus: House of Ashur?
While McTavish has appeared in plenty of genre fare over the years, there's something about Korris as a character that is hitting differently. In shows like House of the Dragon and The Witcher, McTavish takes on a supporting role; Korris, however, is arguably the third lead of Spartacus: House of Ashur, along with Nick E. Tarabay's Ashur and Tenika Davis' Achillia. It's giving McTavish plenty of room to flex his impressive acting muscles along with all those actual muscles he built during gladiator bootcamp.
But what drew him to this role? Aside from the fantastic wig.
"Well, the wig was great," McTavish said, laughing. "I mean, the wig deserves an award. Absolutely superb wig. I didn't even know I was wearing it most of the time. I could be wearing it now, and I wouldn't know. It was great."
"But in terms of character, without doubt, the thing that I found the most interesting and rewarding was the chance to explore an emotional, tender, intimate relationship with another character," he added. "And that's something that I've really not had the chance to do on screen. I've had that on stage, but no on screen."
We got hints of the relationship McTavish mentioned in Episode 3, when Korris finds himself surprisingly drawn to the Roman noble Opiter, played by Arlo Gibson. Future meetings between the two are left in question, but already their interactions have given viewers a glimpse of another side of Korris.
"It really added a whole layer to that character," McTavish said. "And the idea that this man represses so much, that he's so frightened of his feelings, so frightened of giving himself to anyone, let alone Opiter...I think hopefully that's a really beautiful moment for people to see something much greater in the character than they'd expected."
As for what McTavish is most excited for viewers to see in Spartacus: House of Ashur overall, he said it's the "brutal honesty of the show."
"I think it's a very realistic portrayal of Rome," he explained. "I know quite a bit about Roman history and I think that all of the different kinds of characters that you have in the show are very truthful to what to the reality of Rome. And I'm very excited about that, and I'm excited for them to share in this frankly beautiful looking show. I mean, the cinematography in it, what they've done with it, how they've created that world so completely and believably...you will feel like you have stepped into Rome when you watch this show."
You don't have to just take McTavish's word for it; watch, and be transported. The first three episodes of Spartacus: House of Ashur are streaming now on the Starz app, with new episodes premiering Fridays until its season 1 finale on January 30, 2026.