Sky's Domina retells the political struggles of Ancient Rome through the rarely seen perspective of its women characters. The historical drama focuses on Livia Drusilla (Kasia Smutniak), from her humble and naive beginnings to how she became the first empress of Rome, showcasing the treacherous feats she'll accomplish during her rise to power.
Growing up amongst a violent civil war that erupted after Julius Caesar's assassination, Livia vows to one day marry Gauis (aka Emperor Augustus) and will use any means necessary to reach that level of dominance -- including murder, seduction and conspiracies. Her conniving ways are deemed necessary on her quest to obtain power for her sons, Drusus and Tiberius, with the overall goal of securing her eldest son's seat as the next emperor of Rome.
In an interview with CBR, Ewan Horrocks (The Last Kingdom), who portrays Drusus in the Sky Original series, shared what it's like acting within a period piece, the loyal relationship his character has with his mother and the chaos his character brings to the table.
CBR: Domina is filmed in Cinecittà Studios in Rome, Italy. The set looks amazing. How are you feeling about the role so far?
Ewan Horrocks: I'm pretty excited about it, actually. I won't lie. Yeah, it's kind of surreal seeing some of the shots and stuff, afterward. But yeah, it's really exciting stuff.
Domina is a story set in Ancient Rome that focuses on showing its power struggles through the female perspective -- specifically Livia’s rise to power. Knowing this, what excited you the most about working on this project?
I think to be involved in an ancient Roman project so early on in my career. It's my first job, so it's kind of surreal. And the fact that, as well, it's done from the woman's perspective. That's never really been done in this era before. And the scripts are really exciting. I remember reading the first few episodes, I was like, "Wow, I wonder where this is gonna go. This is really exciting." It was really a dream come true. It's an experience that I'll never forget.
What attracted you to portraying the character Drusus?
The fact that he lives in the moment, is probably the best way to put it. He's got a heart of gold. And he's very loyal to his family. He's very determined and driven, but he won't let anything get in his way. Having said that, you know, by doing that, some of his actions can be childish. And sometimes he can do more harm than good. But, he does have a good heart. And he tries to do right with the right intentions, but sometimes, he gets a little bit hot-headed. All of that is really exciting to see in the scripts as it unravels. It was really fascinating.
What was the most challenging aspect of bringing his character to life?
The scripts were -- it's not modern English. For improvising, it can be a little tricky. There are only certain things you can say. I'd never really experienced this properly before. I think that was the most challenging bit. For getting into Drusus, I found it very much in the script. When I read it, instantly, I had an idea. And then when I talked to the directors, we had the same vision. And I was like, "Oh, that's great!" It all came together on the set, really.
What was the most challenging aspect about acting within a period piece, especially one that's set within the time period of Ancient Rome?
I would say that sometimes the lines can be a little hard, particularly because it's just not how we speak nowadays. So, learning in that way as well, there's no way you can -- well, there are sorts of ways to make it free -- but, sometimes it's tricky, particularly if you have a speech to learn as well. It can be a bit like Shakespeare. It's quite wordy, and hard to learn. But, I loved every minute of it. It was a really good challenge and it was definitely worthwhile.
Without revealing too much, what relationship matters the most to Drusus?
Hmm, I would say his brother, Tiberius, who's played by Earl Cave. Drusus would do anything for his brother. He puts his brother first, you know, and it's kind of weird because them as people are basically polar opposites. Drusus is very much like, he's driven, he sees one goal and he's gonna get to it and everything else can move out of the way. Whereas Tiberius, he doesn't know what to do. He can see every option. That may be the reason that they were both polar opposites and why they get along so well. They know each other's weaknesses and strengths and they use that to their advantage. It's very interesting, you know?
What role does (or doesn't) Drusus play in Livia's rise to power?
He doesn't necessarily help her in terms of rising to power; but, he's definitely used as a bargaining piece. He is her son. He and Tiberius are the future of Rome. You know, she cares about him so much. And she'll do anything to help them. Without spoiling, the relationship is very complicated between the brothers and Livia, but she does always put them first.
What do you hope audiences will take away from Domina?
To see what really went into Ancient Rome and the reasoning why they did certain things. The whole show is based on the facts, and we've not gone off the facts, but we've sort have added reasons as to why those facts happened. And the whole show is about Livia's rise to power.
Domina stars Liam Cunningham, Alex Lanipekun, Peter Campion, Kasia Smutniak, Colette Dalal Tchantcho, Christine Bottomley, Matthew McNulty, Liah O'Prey, Ewan Horrocks and Earl Cave. The historical drama debuts in the U.S. on Epix on June 6.