History Trivia / Rome

* FakeNationality: Most of the actors are British or Irish. Not a single Italian in sight for the Romans, nor Greeks for the Ptolemys. Oddly enough, the few Italian actors present don't play Italians, instead playing 'barbarian' characters who, genetically and culturally, were far more related to the Britons. Chiara Mastalli (who is ''actually'' Roman) plays Eirene, a German slave from beyond the Rhine, while Giovanni Calcagno plays Vercingetorix, a chieftain of the Gauls.

* IronyAsSheIsCast: In a cast where most of the actors are Northern Europeans who speak English ,(a Germanic language), actress Chiara Mastalli , literally the only one born and raised in Rome...plays a Germanic slave.

* ActorAllusion: When Mark Antony meets Publicus Servilius (played by Simon Callow) in the episode "Egeria," Servilius asks him, "Forgive me, have we met before?" They have. Simon Callow and James Purefoy were both in the film ''Film/BedroomsAndHallways'' (where, incidentally, we get to see Mark Antony and Lucius Vorenus make out.)

* Irony as She Is Cast: Originally, there were plans for five full seasons. If not for the cancellation, the second and following seasons could have depicted history with the same eye for details as the first one. To quote creator Bruno Heller:

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Originally, there were plans for five full seasons. If not for the cancellation, the second and following seasons could have depicted history with the same eye for details as the first one. To quote creator Bruno Heller:

* FakeNationality: Most of the actors are British or Irish. Not a single Italian in sight for the Romans, nor Greeks for the Ptolemys. Italian Chiara Mastalli plays main character Eirene, who is from beyond the Rhin.

* FakeNationality: Most of the actors are British or Irish. Not a single Italian in sight for the Romans, nor Greeks for the Ptolemys. One Italian Chiara Mastalli plays main character Eirene, who is from beyond the Rhin.

* FakeNationality: Most of the actors are British or Irish. Not a single Italian in sight, nor Greeks for the Ptolemys.

* ExecutiveMeddling

* FanNickname: Atia of the Julii: "[[Series/TheOC Julii Cooper]]"

** Writer Bruno Heller learned that HBO cancelled the show when he was halfway into writing the second season. The result: ~15 years of history compressed into 8 episodes, plus a subplot with Timon and his brother that goes absolutely nowhere (since then HBO execs admitted that the cancellation was probably a not a good idea).

** When the series first aired the BBC edited the first three episodes down to just two, without director (and executive producer) Michael Apted's knowledge. The official reason given was that the BBC felt British viewers were [[ViewersAreGeniuses already familiar with Roman history]] and so a lot of the background information was unnecessary. Apted believed the ''real'' reason for the cuts was [[SexSells sex + violence = ratings]] (and given the BBC later screened all four seasons of ''TheTudors'' - a series not acclaimed for its fidelity to British historical truth[[note]](compare to the self-same BBC pulling ''Series/TheRatPatrol'' after six episodes in the '60s)[[/note]] - Apted may have been right).

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** Interestingly enough, some of the characters have [[RetroactiveRecognition relocated to]] [[{{Series/GameOfThrones}} the Seven Kingdoms]]...
*** Marcus Junius Brutus is Edmure Tully.
*** Caesar himself is the Wilding King, Mance Ryder.
*** Niobe is Ellaria Sand, paramour to the Red Viper himself, Oberyn Martell. She has a thing for bad boys, apparently.
** Lucius Vorenus is also known as [[{{Film/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians}} Poseidon]]. [[HilariousInHindsight Extra hilarity]] when you realize that the King of the Gods is [[{{Series/GameOfThrones}} Ned Stark]].
*** He also voiced [[VideoGame/ModernWarfare Soap MacTavish]]
** Marc Antony is [[Series/TheFollowing Joe Carroll]].
** [[GreysAnatomy Dr. Hunt]] has an epic bromance with [[TheThreeMusketeers2011 Porthos]].
** Herod once pounded the beat in [[Series/TheBill Sun Hill]].
** [[Series/DoctorWho Winston Churchill]] is the forum's newsreader.

*** He also voiced [[ModernWarfare Soap MacTavish]]
** Marc Antony is [[TheFollowing Joe Carroll]].

* WordOfGod: According to the creators, Vorenus [[spoiler: survives his wound in the series finale, and goes into hiding with his family somewhere in Germania.]] A feature-length movie that started out from this point was in the works, but apparently succumbed to DevelopmentHell.

*** Niobe has a thing for bad boys, as she is the paramour to the Red Viper himself, Oberyn Martell.

--> "The second [season] was going to end with the death of Brutus. Third and fourth season would be set in Egypt. Fifth was going to be the rise of the messiah in Palestine. But because we got the heads-up that the second season would be it, I telescoped the third and fourth season into the second one, which accounts for the blazing speed we go through history near the end."

* HeyItsThatGuy: Titus Pullo is the ThePunisher.
** [[DogSoldiers Werewolves ate Vorenus' platoon.]]
** [[Series/DoctorWho Winston Churchill]] is the Forum newsreader.
** Ray Stevenson (Pullo) played Volstagg in ''{{Thor}}'', and Kevin [=McKidd=] (Vorenus) was originally cast as Dr. Donald Blake in the same movie before the character was cut from the script. Had he stayed in, [[HeterosexualLifePartners Pullo and Vorenus]] would've gotten [[WhatCouldHaveBeen a pretty epic reunion]].
* HeyItsThatVoice:
** [[CallOfDuty Soap MacTavish]] is Lucius Vorenus! It must be ''deeeeep'' cover black ops.
** [[DragonAgeII Bethany Hawke]] is Atia's cooking servant.

* HeyItsThatVoice: [[CallOfDuty Soap MacTavish]] is Lucius Vorenus! It must be ''deeeeep'' cover black ops.

** [[DogSoldiers Wherewolves ate Vorenus' platoon.]]

** [[DoctorWho Winston Churchill]] is the Forum newsreader.
** Ray Stevenson (Pullo) played Volstagg in ''{{Thor}}'', and Kevin McKidd (Vorenus) was originally cast as Dr. Donald Blake in the same movie before the character was cut from the script. Had he stayed in, [[HeterosexualLifePartners Pullo and Vorenus]] would've gotten [[WhatCouldHaveBeen a pretty epic reunion]].

* HeyItsThatVoice: [[CallOfDuty Soap MacTavish]] is Lucius Vorenus! It must be ''deeeeep'' cover black ops.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Titus Pullo is the ThePunisher