Gladiator drama Those About to Die sheds light on Berber communities of ancient Rome

After a minor role in the Emmy-winning comedy Ted Lasso, British-Yemeni actor Moe Hashim is gunning for the big league in the sword-and-sandal drama Those About to Die.

Streaming on Starzplay, the 10-part series is set in ancient Rome's gladiator competitions with all the guts and glory. With an ensemble cast led by Anthony Hopkins as Roman emperor Vesapian and co-produced by Independence Day director Ronald Emmerich, the show hopes to ape the success of Games of Thrones and Rome through its mix of action and pulp drama.

Amid all that expectations, Hashim wants his part of Kwame, an African lion-tracker turned gladiator, to provide a different perspective on ancient Rome’s cosmopolitan society.

“It is one of the things that I love about this role because when you look at Roman history and in the TV shows and movies that we watch, they kind of underplay the influence North Africans had in the Roman Empire.” he tells The National.

“If we look back in history, we know that there was a North African emperor and families existed in Rome but not many people know about that.”

Those About to Die blends fact and fiction in its portrayal of the Flavian Dynasty.

The characters feature real-life figures like the aforementioned Emperor Vesapian, his son Domitian Flavianus (Jojo Macari) and the charioteer Scorpus (Dimitri Leonidas). They share the screen alongside fictionalised characters including Kwame, his fearless mother Cara (Sara Martins) and siblings Aura (Kyshan Wilson) and Jula (Alicia Edogamhe).

With their struggle for freedom and dignity forming the emotional core of the series, their roles also shed light on the Numidian population of ancient Rome, a Berber tribe inhabiting regions now considered as modern-day Algeria and parts of Tunisia.

A semi-nomadic people known for horsemanship and military prowess, Rome harnessed their abilities for decisive victories during the Punic Wars from 264 BCE until 146 BCE.

Despite the impact, Hashim says Numidia's legacy is not explored enough by historians. As a result, his portrayal of Kwame was guided by intuition.

“You think you can just easily research Roman history, but you really have to dig in deep and find the right articles and audio to really understand the influence of the North Africans,” he says.

“I couldn't actually pinpoint a North African gladiator. So in regard to that point, I kind of had to bring a bit of my own imagination involved in it. But just knowing what North Africans did and how they were seen in the research helped me build this character.”

Born in the UK, Hashim also drew upon his own roots for inspiration.

“My dad being from Yemen kind of infused certain aspects of the role together,” he says. “So when playing a character from that side of the world it didn't feel too foreign to me. It could be someone like Kwame in a previous life.”

Hashim’s appearance in Those About To Die will be followed by Denzel Washington’s turn in the upcoming Gladiator 2. Washington's role of power broker Macrinus, a fictional character, is reportedly inspired by Marcus Opellius Macrinus, the first Roman emperor from North Africa.

Hashim hopes for more powerful representations of Africans in films and series based in ancient Rome.

“There is a level of satisfaction and there is a level of responsibility because I know what this could mean for the younger generation to come and even the older generation who haven't been able to see a character like this on the screen,” he says.

“While I don't know exactly to what extent it means to people, I do understand what it means for me growing up when I was watching TV and whenever I saw a character like Kwame I felt something about it.”

Those About to Die is available for streaming in Starzplay in Mena, Peacock in the US and internationally on Amazon Prime Video