Nick Tarabay has revealed that getting the call to return as Ashur in Spartacus: House of Ashur was a “brilliant surprise”, more than a decade after his character was killed off in the original series.
The 50-year-old star spoke exclusively to GB News about being resurrected for the highly anticipated sequel series, which explores an alternate timeline where Ashur survives Naevia’s attack and is rewarded by the Romans for helping bring down the slave rebellion.
Mr Tarabay remembers the moment he received the call “like it was yesterday”.
“It was a brilliant surprise. I was pleasantly surprised because once the show was done, I thought it was done – he’s done, he’s dead, we’ve moved on,” he said.
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Nick Tarabay said getting the call that Ashur was returning was 'a brilliant surprise"
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“Almost twelve years later, I was in France when Steven called me and said, ‘I’m thinking of reviving Spartacus… featuring you.’ It was one of those moments where dreams really do come true.”
He admitted he was so excited by creator Steven S. DeKnight’s pitch that he “couldn’t sleep for two years until we started shooting”.
Ashur remains one of Spartacus’ most polarising figures, with fans unable to decide whether to love him or hate him.
Mr Tarabay said that complexity is exactly what he relishes about the role.
Spartacus: House of Ashur
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“That’s what I love about Ashur. He’s full of emotions, full of colour,” he explained. “As actors, we don’t often get roles like that to sink our teeth into. And this season, you’ll see even more layers to him.”
The actor said fan reactions, whether furious or enthusiastic, are a huge compliment.
“He provokes emotions in people, and I love that. When someone comes to me and says, ‘Man, I f****** hated you,’ I’m like, great, we connected. I moved you. I triggered something in you. Then you have to ask yourself: why were you triggered?”
Mr Tarabay said he connects strongly with Ashur’s relentless survival instincts.
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Nick Tarabay and Spartacus: Hosue of Ashur cast
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“He’s a survivor through and through, and I connect with that,” he revealed. “Growing up in Lebanon during war and then coming to the United States to try to make it, that was survival.
"I’ve been through a lot, so that part of Ashur resonates deeply.”
However, he noted one key difference: “What I don’t connect with is he kills people, I don’t, ” he laughed.
“But everything else… we’ve all manipulated, lied, cheated at some point. I can see a little bit of all of that.”
Spartacus: House of Ashur premieres on December 5, 2025, on Starz in the US and on December 6, 2025, on MGM+ in the UK.
The first two episodes will be released on the premiere date, with one new episode available each subsequent Friday.
The new release comes twelve years after the last Spartacus series, Spartacus: War of the Damned, which concluded on April 12, 2013
Stepping back onto the Spartacus set in New Zealand was an emotional experience for Mr Tarabay and the cast.
Nick Tarabay said that if Ashur were in the real world, he would probably take up real estate
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“When Rick Jacobson took me to see the sets before filming, it was surreal,” he said. “It looked exactly how I remembered it. It was like I was transported back in time. A real ‘holy s***’ moment.”
He said the scale of the new season, combined with updated technology, has taken the series to another level.
Mr Tarabay, 50, said the physical preparation for the role was intense.
“I’m a very physical guy, but Spartacus is different. It’s extremely demanding,” he said. “I love chocolate and sweets, there’s a fat boy in me, but I had to cut all that out.”
He hired a personal trainer, and upon arriving in New Zealand, underwent “gladiator camp”.
“It’s four hours every day: grappling, jiu-jitsu, boxing, weapons training, CrossFit. For a whole month. By the time we finish, we feel pretty good.”
Emotionally, he said the process required total commitment.“My job is to honour the writing and tell the story. It’s drilling, drilling, drilling, putting myself in uncomfortable places. There’s no way around hard work.”
The original Spartacus fandom is famously intense, but Tarabay said the real pressure comes from within.
“I always want to honour the fans,” he said. “But the pressure is what I put on myself. I always want to make sure I deliver, especially as a lead. You don’t want to mess it up.”
On the pressure that drives him, Mr Tarabay said: “It pushes me to work harder and farther than I thought. And that’s exactly what this show does, it pushes you.”
Which modern job would Ashur thrive in? MrTarabay has an answer.
“Real estate,” he said. “Real estate is power. He’d buy land, take control, change laws. Everyone says politics, but I say real estate.”
He laughed when asked whether Ashur had inspired him personally.
“I do have some real estate, but not the way Ashur would think about it! I’m doing it just for me," he laughed.