Stories from the set

After the end of the first season, production of the series was suspended due to the unexpected diagnosis of cancer in Andy Whitfield, who played Spartacus. The producers intended to wait for the actor's recovery and not begin filming the second season until then, but when the disease began to progress and Whitfield finally left the series, a recast was held, and Liam McIntyre was chosen for the lead role. Andy Whitfield died in September 2011.

Andy Whitfield, the actor who played Spartacus, died in 2011 at the age of 39, roughly the same age as his character. Some historians claim that Spartacus was between 37 and 40 years old at the time of his death in 71 BC. Most are of the opinion that he was 38 years old.

To film the orgies, the producers hired a specialized company from New Zealand and instructed its representatives to do on camera whatever came into their heads.

Throughout the first season, Spartacus endures mockery and abuse because of his Thracian origin. Nevertheless, some historians believe that Thrace was one of the provinces whose conquest was especially difficult for Rome precisely because of the ferocity of the Thracian warriors.

The wooden training swords used by gladiators seem light, and handling them seems not difficult. In fact, such swords were heavier than iron ones. This was done specifically to make it easier to parry blows from the gladius (Roman short sword).

Between seasons 2 and 3, a feature film was planned, but the screenwriters realized that too much would have to be cut to avoid an NC-17 rating (no one 17 or under admitted) from the Motion Picture Association of America, so the idea was abandoned.