This article contains SPOILERS for Spartacus: House of Ashur Episode 5, "Goddess of Death."
The status quo shifted in a major way on last week's episode of Spartacus: House of Ashur, and it feels like there's no going back. While the gladiatrix Achillia (Tenika Davis) fought her own devastating duel in the arena, Ashur (Nick E. Tarabay) found himself beset with his own adversaries at home following the arrival of Gaius Julius Caesar (Jackson Gallagher) and his wife Cornelia (Jaime Slater). Caesar is a historical figure who needs no introduction, and he and Cornelia made every inch the impression you'd hope for such an important power couple.
From taking command of Ashur's household resources, to holding a party at his villa in Caesar's own name, and even bedding down with Ashur's personal house slaves, Cornelia and Caesar made their presence known and never let up for a second. And it looks like that dynamic is going to keep evolving, because while Caesar announced at episode's end that he was departing Capua, Cornelia revealed she's staying behind to continue meddling in Ashur's affairs. What could go wrong?
We spoke with Cornelia actress Jaime Slater ahead of the premiere of Spartacus: House of Ashur, and discussed how she went about embodying this powerful woman on screen, what inspirations she drew from history and fiction, what's ahead now that Cornelia has taken up residence in Capua and more. Read on for our full interview, edited for clarity and length.
WINTER IS COMING: Cornelia absolutely owns every scene she's in, just like you absolutely own every scene you're in as an actress in this show. Can you talk about how you approached embodying that side of the character?
JAIME SLATER: Well, thank you. So, I mean, she's very high status, obviously. And so I kind of worked with this image of a crown always being on my head to kind of give myself that regal status, that bearing. And she very much uses her body and her sexuality like a weapon, and so I'm sure you've noticed the dresses are very cleavage forward. That was also something I kind of built into her bearing, the way she carried herself, it was like a suit of armor for her. And so just to kind of start with this physicality...it's kind of outside in, then I stared to feel like I owned the room and it was so informative with everything else.
WiC: What was your research and preparation like for this part? Were there any other like fictional characters that you were inspired by when you were building that character?
JS: No, I mean, Cornelia Cinna is a real person, but this portrayal of her is fictional. So there wasn't a lot of historical research for me to do, but I did go back and view the original iteration of the show just because I wanted to make sure that I was maintaining the same tone and feel of the first show.
WiC: So what has your relationship been like with the original show? I assume you had seen it before joining House of Ashur?
JS: Oh yeah, I was a fan when it originally came out. So, fan from day one.
WiC: Did you have any pinch me moments working on this show, where you were on set and it was like, "Okay, I am in the next Spartacus"?
JS: Yes, absolutely. When I first got to Auckland and went to set, I was just doing a set visit and when I walked into Ashur's villa, I got really emotional because it felt like I walked through my TV screen. I was like, "How am I here? How is this real?" It was very, very cool.
WiC: That's awesome. So what was the most fun part of filming this show for you?
JS: Oh, I mean, it was all really fun. The costuming was amazing, it was so physically informative for me...the gowns are beautiful. And the people were a lot of fun, you know, I really loved everybody that I worked with.
WiC: By the end of the fifth episode, Cornelia has decided to stay behind in Capua to take charge of Ashur's household. Can you tease a little about what's ahead in her journey after that stellar introductory episode?
JS: Oh, bad things. Bad things. She's...just watch out. Yeah.
WiC: What are you most excited for viewers to see this season?
JS: I think this show goes to places people aren't expecting. And I'm excited for those reveals...Episode 6, it just ratchets up.
We're halfway through the first season of Spartacus: House of Ashur. The sixth episode premieres this Friday, January 2nd on Starz and the Starz app, with new episodes following weekly until the season finale on January 30.