Hardly more than 20 years ago, HBO took a gamble on its first foray into epic television. The series that resulted, burned brilliant and bright. And briefly, as the gargantuan portrait of how a centuries-old republic transitioned into permanent one-man rule only lasted two seasons before the premium cable network pulled the plug on Rome—prematurely as they later admitted.
While the difficulties of bringing Rome to the world ended up acting as a kind of test run for Game of Thrones and the glut of epic and “cinematic” television shows that followed, the 22 episodes masterminded by showrunner Bruno Heller between 2005 and 2007 remain a beloved favorite two decades on because of their scale, their writing, and most certainly their acting. To this day, many count Ciarán Hinds’ portrayal of Gaius Julius Caesar as their favorite interpretation of the man who almost became dictator for life in the Roman republic—at least until his longtime friends and colleagues skewered him to death with knives on the senate floor.
Cool, surprisingly compassionate (except to the Gauls), and intensely intellectual behind his curt smiles, Hinds’ interpretation of Caesar carried himself like a consummate gentleman, even as such airs belied a bottomless appetite for power, prestige, and still further honors. In 2005, it was a thrilling example of epic storytelling and a re-contextualization of a familiar history lesson about how the charisma of one man—and the blueprint he left for others after his death—transitioned the greatest power of antiquity into a permanent autocracy. By the end of Rome, Caesar’s adopted heir Octavian (Simon Woods) claims his title is simply “first citizen,” but his power over the ghost of the Senate and his homeland is ironclad after the last of his enemies have been silenced.
In other words, it plays differently now, including to Hinds who we caught up with earlier this month to discuss his new film Midwinter Break. And during our conversation, the Irish actor admits he never dreamed they were making a cautionary tale for the modern world when going back to the time of Caesar and Cleopatra.
