Andy Whitfield brings warmth and a convincing physical presence to action roles that could settle for muscle alone. We rate the conviction of his Spartacus more highly than the series around him, though the writing leaves him too often playing determination.
Fi1m perspective
The fighting in Spartacus (2010) gives Andy Whitfield plenty of opportunity to look formidable. He handles demanding action with limited use of doubles, yet keeps the desire for freedom clear beneath the violence. His slightly roughened delivery blends British and Australian inflections without making the voice the chief thing we notice. There is warmth in him, and a sense of loyalty that keeps toughness from becoming his only quality. Those qualities give us something to watch beyond the fighting.
The move from Gabriel (2007) to Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010) brought the chance to sustain a central character across a series. The former was his first major film role, as an archangel in an Australian supernatural action film; the latter was his breakthrough lead. In the series, the physical casting makes sense, but the writing too often stops there. Its repeated demands for determination leave too little space for the warmth that makes Whitfield worth watching.
In Steven S. DeKnight's series, the supporting players have a distinct advantage. John Hannah's Batiatus and Lucy Lawless's Lucretia are given schemes to pursue, while Whitfield is often asked to demonstrate determination once again. They are more entertaining, and the difference is not hard to account for: controlling other lives gives them more to play than enduring that control. We grew impatient whenever another graphic injury took time away from Hannah and Lawless's scheming.
That is a limitation of the material, though it still limits our enthusiasm for the performance. Whitfield cannot cure the repetitive violence or supply the plotting that Spartacus lacks, and his central role does not make him its most rewarding performer. His achievement is to keep the struggle for freedom worth caring about even when the series seems keener on the injuries. Try Spartacus for him if lurid historical drama is already to your taste; his conviction will not make it a gentler evening.
Biography
Andy Whitfield (17 October 1971 – 11 September 2011) was a Welsh actor and model. He was best known for his leading role as Spartacus in the Starz television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010).
Whitfield appeared in several Australian television series, including All Saints (2004), The Strip (2008), Packed to the Rafters (2008) and McLeod's Daughters (2008). He starred in the films Gabriel (2007) and The Clinic (2010). He had previously worked as an engineer after studying at Sheffield Hallam University.
Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2010. He died from the disease in Sydney, Australia, on 11 September 2011.
