50 Fun Facts About Rome (HBO)

Rome was co-produced by HBO and which British broadcaster?

It was the first series on which the two companies worked together as co-producers.

Who are the two soldier protagonists of Rome?

Both are real centurions mentioned briefly in Caesar's Gallic War commentaries.

The real Vorenus and Pullo are mentioned in which ancient text?

Almost all of their adventures in the show are fictional.

Who plays Lucius Vorenus?

The role led directly to his casting as Owen Hunt on Grey's Anatomy.

Who plays Titus Pullo?

He later played the Punisher and Volstagg in the Thor films.

Who plays the scheming Atia of the Julii?

She earned a Golden Globe nomination for the role.

The show's historical consultant said Atia was mainly based on which real woman?

Little detail survives about the historical Atia herself.

Who plays Julius Caesar in season one?

He later played Mance Rayder in Game of Thrones.

Who plays Mark Antony?

He later played the serial killer Joe Carroll in The Following.

Who plays Brutus?

He went on to play Black Jack Randall in Outlander and Edmure Tully in Game of Thrones.

Who plays Servilia, Brutus's mother and Caesar's lover?

Her character becomes Atia's bitter enemy.

Who plays Octavia of the Julii?

She later played Stacey in Better Call Saul and earned an Oscar nod for The Banshees of Inisherin.

Which actor plays Pompey Magnus?

Pompey is shown as a general past his prime, trying to recapture the glories of his youth.

Who plays Cicero?

Bamber is also remembered as Mr Collins in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice.

Who plays Cato in season one?

The real Cato the Younger killed himself rather than live under Caesar.

Who plays Niobe, Vorenus's wife?

She later played Ellaria Sand in Game of Thrones.

Which two actors share the role of Octavian across the series?

Pirkis played the boy in season one; Woods took over for the adult in season two.

What is the name of Caesar's Greek slave and confidant?

He is freed in Caesar's will and later defects from Antony to Octavian.

What is the occupation of Timon, Atia's bodyguard and assassin?

He is Jewish, and his brother Levi appears in season two.

Ian McNeice plays which role, announcing state news to the citizens?

His exaggerated gestures became a fan favourite.

Who plays Cleopatra?

She appears as a guest in season one and a regular in season two.

Which future Downton Abbey actor plays Agrippa?

He later played Tom Branson, the chauffeur.

Season one spans Caesar's civil war up to what event?

It opens at the end of the Gallic Wars in 52 BC.

Season two ends with the suicide of Antony and Cleopatra after which battle?

That places the finale in 30 BC.

How many episodes of Rome were made in total?

Twelve in season one and ten in season two.

How many seasons had originally been planned?

Seasons three and four were to be set in Egypt, and season five in Palestine.

The planned fifth season would have covered what?

Heller telescoped seasons three and four into season two once he learned it would be the last.

Who co-created Rome with John Milius and William J. MacDonald?

He went on to create The Mentalist and Gotham.

At which studio was most of Rome filmed?

The production used six sound stages and a huge back-lot reconstruction of the ancient city.

What happened to a large part of the Rome set in 2007?

HBO said the fire started after season two had finished filming.

Which Doctor Who episode reused part of the Rome set in late 2007?

It aired in Doctor Who's fourth revived season.

What was the approximate budget for the 12-episode first season?

HBO put in about $85 million and the BBC $15 million.

The filmmakers coined what term for the clean, pressed-toga look they wanted to avoid?

They wanted a gritty, realistic city instead.

Which background performer was reportedly the real thing in his day job?

The season one DVD commentary notes many extras were their true professional counterparts.

Rome was shot in which video format, unusually for a prestige drama?

Producer Mark Hedgecoe said it sped up shooting and gave a 'filmic feel'.

Which director's first three episodes were re-edited into two by the BBC?

He said the cuts stripped out 'vital politics' and that he learned of them from an actor.

What was the title of the pilot episode?

It won a Visual Effects Society award and a DGA award for its director.

How many Emmys did Rome win for its first season in 2006?

They came for 'Caesarion', 'Triumph', 'Kalends of February' and 'Stealing from Saturn'.

Who composed Rome's score using live instruments from the ancient world?

He had just finished HBO's Carnivàle and later scored House of Cards.

Which cinematographer won an Emmy for the season two episode 'Passover'?

He later directed episodes of Game of Thrones.

How many viewers watched the pilot's first HBO airing in 2005?

With 11 re-airings that week, the total reached 8.9 million.

HBO marketed Rome with a custom theme for which web browser?

HBO spent about $10 million promoting the series.

How many UK viewers watched the BBC Two premiere in November 2005?

Numbers fell to 3 million by the season finale.

How was the series altered for its first Italian broadcast on Rai 2?

'Safe' alternative scenes had been shot specially for the Italian market.

Which Italian newspaper called the series 'historical misinformation' and Caesar a 'parody'?

It also called the Atia-Antony relationship 'ridiculous'.

Which HBO chairman announced in July 2006 that season two would be the last?

He cited the cost of extending the two-year BBC contract.

Which company financed the stalled Rome movie script Heller completed in 2010?

HBO Films said it would not be involved; by 2011 Heller was 'not holding my breath'.

Historical consultant Jonathan Stamp said the show aimed for what rather than accuracy?

He said 'we were not, however, making a documentary'.

What Rotten Tomatoes approval rating does season one hold?

Season two scored slightly higher at 89%.

Which historian called the series 'splendidly ambitious' in The Guardian?

Empire judged it 'not as good-looking as Gladiator, perhaps, but richer in history'.