Meet the cast of Troy: Fall of a City
Everything you need to know about the characters and actors in the BBC's epic new drama series, from the Greeks and Trojans to the Gods and Goddesses
Joseph Mawle plays Odysseus
Tactful, rational and diplomatic, Odysseus is the mediator between Greek commander Agamemnon and Achilles. “He’s often called ‘the first modern man’,” says star Joseph Mawle. “He is the hero of Homer’s later work, The Odyssey, but learning about his role in the Trojan War has been a total discovery. In Greek mythology, to be a hero doesn’t necessarily mean doing something good, but doing something remarkable.”
Who is Joseph Mawle?
Game of Thrones. That’s where you know him from – Mawle played Benjen Stark in the HBO Westeros drama. He’s also starred as Detective Inspector Shine in Ripper Street, Firebrace in Birdsong and Jesus Christ himself in 2008 BBC film The Passion.
Jonas Armstrong plays Menelaus
The king of Sparta is admired by his people, until his wife Helen is stolen by Paris. Her betrayal makes him a laughing stock, which leads him to call upon the Greek leaders to sail to Troy to get her back. “Menelaus is a man who has been done wrong,” says Armstrong. “How would a man feel if his wife ran away with someone he’d invited to his kingdom? He has to get her back. The only thing he’s bothered about is pride.”
Who is Jonas Armstrong?
Yes, it’s Robin Hood. Armstrong played the folktale hero in the BBC series from 2006-2009. Since then, he’s played Nathaniel in Ripper Street, Skinner (alongside Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt) in Edge of Tomorrow and Joe Nash in Line of Duty series three.
Johnny Harris plays Agamemnon
The king of Mycenae (and older brother of Menelaus) commands the united Greek armed forces in the Trojan War. “These characters are the great archetypes — where all other stories are born,” says Harris. “I didn’t want Agamemnon to become the villain of the piece. What he does in the name of duty and to appease the gods is the work of a despot. But he believes in his cause; I want to make him human, so the audience can try to empathise with him.”
Who is Johnny Harris?
The screenwriter and actor might be a familiar face if you’ve seen Jawbone, Snow White and the Huntsman, Fortitude, Monsters: Dark Continent, Welcome to the Punch, or London to Brighton (he’s done quite a bit). However, his most famous role is Michael "Mick" Jenkins in the This is England series, for which he picked up a Bafta nomination.
David Gyasi plays Achilles
The most powerful warrior on the battlefield, Achilles is invincible except for a small spot on his heel, where his mother Thetis held him when she bathed him in the river Styx to make him immortal. Gyasi says he hopes to show a new side to the famous hero. “This is a world where the gods are operating among the mortals. Achilles is the fighter caught in between but he has other yearnings, too. Here, you’ll see him finally sense real passion.”
Who is David Gyasi?
Seen Chris Nolan’s Interstellar? Remember the astronaut that ages a few decades while Matthew McConaughey gets trapped on the water planet? That was Gyasi.
Gyasi was also Alex 'Lex' Carnahan in US series Containment and one of the Alaska crew members in Doctor Who episode Asylum of the Daleks.
Go on to the next page to read everything you need to know about the Gods and Goddesses in the story...
