‘Those About to Die’ star Sara Martins discusses her Roman Empire

Sara Martins is ready for battle. The French actress stars in Peacock’s new epic Those About to Die as Numidian immigrant Cala, a relentless mother who follows her children to Rome when her daughters are sold into slavery and her son becomes a gladiator during the Flavian dynasty. Martins’ desperate ferocity makes her a standout in an impressive ensemble that includes Sir Anthony Hopkins and Game of Thrones’ Iwan Rheon. Here’s what the star has to say about stepping into Cala’s sandals.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What inspired your performance as Cala?

SARA MARTINS: I felt like I knew this woman because she’s so many women, especially in my family. My grandmother was really fast in learning another language, how to behave in this new culture and raise children in it. Cala’s story reflects those migrant women who immigrate for the best for their family.

 How does Cala differ from the rest of the characters?

Most of the other characters are driven by the pursuit of power, whether it’s politics, fame, or money. But Cala’s motivated by saving her children. The blood on her hands is for her family’s sake. But Cala does have the spirit of a killer too. She’s intelligent, fierce, and sometimes scary.

How did you get into the mindset of an ancient character?

The costume does a lot. The minute you put on this heavy costume that has been handmade, you can’t be yourself anymore because it’s so distant from trousers, sneakers, and everything. When you walk, you don’t walk on concrete — you walk on stones. So immediately you’re in another person’s life. We also developed a Numidian accent, so I knew that I had to be really specific on some sounds, and focus on the speed of speaking, how to chop words in the right way. And doing that helped me give gravitas to the character

How does Those About to Die make us think about the Roman Empire in new ways?

We are always so attracted to that period, and here we get to show the dirty backstage. We always have the image of the Romans being really filthy rich in a beautiful big city —  but for that city to hold together, it took so much work of slaves and the poor. 

What can ancient Rome tell us about contemporary society?

We have learned nothing. We still live the same way. It shows the appetite in the human heart for violent scenes. That’s why the Colosseum was built, because it’s smaller than the Circus Maximus, so we can get so close that we smell the blood. I think we still have that appetite for morbid images — and it’s beneficial for the politicians to entertain people, to keep them quiet. Obviously we are living in less violent times now, but I think we have learned it’s inherent in human blood to like blood, unfortunately.

All 10 episodes of Those About to Die are now streaming on Peacock.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

A version of this story appears in EW’s complimentary Comic-Con 2024 Preview print edition, being passed out in San Diego throughout the convention.