The final season of Spartacus: War of the Damned begins January 25^th on Starz.  That’s tonight! We left off last season with Spartacus and his merry band of rebels facing the full might of the Roman legion, which are not against pulling shenanigans.

I was more than happy to sit down with Manu Bennett, who plays the undefeated Gaul and Spartacus BFF, Crixus.  Manu was passionate, assured, and especially candid as he spoke about his former co-star Andy Whitfield and what awaits Crixus in the new season. Generous to a fault, he also shared some spoils of war. (Note: This interview contains spoilers.)

The Flickcast: “Be Here Now” is emblazoned on your shirt.  Can you talk about why the phrase “Be Here Now” is important to you?

Manu Bennett: “Be Here Now” was a tattoo Andy [Whitfield] had on his forearm when he was going through his cancer treatment.  There’s a documentary that’s going to be coming out soon.

Rather than not being in the know about what happened to Andy, this documentary is for people who are really interested in the show and really fell in love with Andy and I know there’s so many people out there who did. I’m sure Andy would have liked everyone to go and watch this documentary to see what cancer can destroy in this life.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand is back with a vengeance, with more blood and you guessed it — more sand. In addition to shooting what will be a glorious Season 2, Starz is also shooting a six-part prequel that will be covering The House of Batiatus’ rise to arena awesomeness and air in January 2011.

In anticipation of the new episodes, The Flickcast was there to catch up with Andy Whitfield who plays none other than Spartacus himself. He achieved the greatest victory of all by defeating cancer, and we’re glad to hear he’s going to be back and better than ever with a small part in the prequel and a starring role once again in Season 2.

As buff gladiators strutted the Comic-Con convention floor towards the Anchor Bay Entertainment booth, I happily took a seat in a cozy room alongside the protein-packed actor. Starz certainly knows how to keep a woman’s interest.

Sitting down with Andy Whitfield was a delight. Besides being easy on the eyes, Andy was humble and charmingly insightful. But, don’t take my word for it. Following the jump, take a seat as the bringer of rain answers questions about fighting alongside his brethren and filming on location under the hot sun of New Zealand.