popular thinking

AT HOME WITH ATIA

Polly Walker exposed to history in ‘Rome’ (Boston Herald)
When we first saw Atia of the Julii, Julius Caesar’s scheming niece on HBO’s Rome (tonight at 9), she was riding some Roman tradesman while servants tended to her nonsexual needs. Soon thereafter, we saw her naked in a bath, talking to her son (the once and future Augustus Caesar), then taking part in a bloody sacrifice ritual.
Actress Polly Walker is nothing like Atia, of course.
But Walker certainly has enjoyed seeing how American and British audiences have reacted to her character and the HBO-BBC production. The first-season finale airs Nov. 20 on HBO. In Britain, “Rome” debuted Nov. 2.
“It’s been quite weird, actually,” Walker said during a telephone interview from her London home. “Friends really love it. But I don’t know what it is about England. They get caught up with historical accuracy. It’s just entertainment. It’s just a soap. Does it matter?”
Consider that a rhetorical question. Caesar, Brutus, Mark Antony, Cleopatra, Cato, Cicero - the gang’s all here.
But Atia is the breakout star - the Roman you didn’t remember from the history books but most certainly recall after the show airs each Sunday night.
Already, viewers have seen Atia break up her daughter’s marriage (and have her husband killed), present her daughter as an unsuccessful gift to Pompey, and engage in several sex scenes herself, including a continued dalliance with Marc Antony. In a recent episode, Atia found out her own children had an incestual encounter, too.
“They’re quite caught up on the whole sex part of it,” Walker said of British viewers. “They were worried about it and shocked that it’s not on late enough. There’s much, much worse on TV that nobody says anything about. So I don’t understand the furor of seeing some bosoms. But there you go. Americans have been much less puritanical about it.”
Walker, 39, said producers have given her “total” leeway in sculpting her portrayal of Atia.
“And I was vaguely concerned about that,” she said. “I’ve never let loose like that. Is that good? Is that bad? Should I be worried?”
So far, bad is good.
Walker relies on the crew to make sure her look remains true to ancient Rome, but otherwise, she has had to craft Atia from scratch because most books gloss over the women of the era.
“I didn’t want her to be an out-and-out monster, which is hard to do because of what she does at times,” Walker said. “I feel terribly sorry for her. She has no husband. She has these two kids. But she’s trying to do her best to survive and not be a victim of all these men and their intrigues.”
She thinks Atia, deep down, is ruled by her vulnerability.
“She wants love, Atia, believe it or not,” Walker said. “And people misread her and misinterpret her.”
Walker’s own children, ages 5 and 12, aren’t going to be watching “Rome” anytime soon, nor will they be subjected to Atia’s parenting techniques.
“God, I’d be locked up if I behaved like that in real life,” she said.
Despite the historical nature of the show, Walker hasn’t looked into Atia’s true destiny.
“No, maybe I should have,” she said. “I figured she’d make so many enemies, she’d have to die a gruesome death.”
Although several characters don’t survive the first season, rest assured Atia will return.
The second season doesn’t begin filming until next year. “Not quite sure when,” Walker said.
At least that will allow time for her TV son, played by 16-year-old Max Pirkis, to age into his emerging role as the future Augustus.
“It’ll allow him to have more gravity,” Walker said.
The show already has covered several years in Roman history. But Atia hasn’t aged one bit.
“I know,” Walker said. “I have it written into my contract. There’s going to be no latex. There’s going to be no gray hair.”