Interview with Jonas Armstrong (Menelaus)
Interview with Jonas Armstrong, who plays Menelaus in Troy: Fall Of A City.
Published: 14 February 2018
By many accounts he's a good king: he does a lot for his people, he's well read, he's intelligent. It’s fair to say he’s a better king than he is a husband
Describe Menelaus to us.
Menelaus is the King of Sparta. By many accounts he's a good king: he does a lot for his people, he's well read, he's intelligent.
It’s fair to say he’s a better king than he is a husband. When you play a character you always have to think about the perspective of your character. From that point of view, this is a man who feels he essentially does everything for his wife Helen - he tries to make her happy and as content as she can be, even though she is living a different life to what she would have been if she wasn't in Sparta. When she leaves him and elopes to Troy he feels incredibly wronged and becomes a man who is hell-bent on revenge and on getting his wife back.
Why do you think Helen leaves him?
Helen's personality is much more free spirited and bohemian than the strictness of Menelaus court in Sparta allows for. When she meets Paris she gets a taste of what life could be about. A more full life and a more expressive life.
How do you think Helen leaving Menelaus changes him?
As it’s so public he takes it as the ultimate humiliation. The waging of war comes more from [Menelaus brother and fellow Greek King] Agamemnon though. He's the war man - the great leader - and he knows that Troy commands a lot of the trade routes. I think the Greeks do use Helen leaving with Paris as an excuse to go to war - it's a lot to do with expansion from the Greek perspective. Menelaus and Agamemnon’s father never would have gone to war with Troy, but now he’s dead Agamemnon wants to invade. He wants to take control of the Dardanelles and that's why Troy’s such a significant and important prize, as well as winning Helen back.
What preparation did do you for your role?
I got the role two months prior to filming and started straight away. And obviously we knew that we'd have to be physically capable and work in the gym so myself and the Greek guys plus Paris and Hector all spent a lot of hours in the gym trying to look as good and 'battle ready' as we could. To play these parts you have to look like you can fight. You have to look physically capable. It’s kind of a plus for when you get a job like this, because essentially what are you getting paid for is keeping fit!
What are the differences between the Greeks and the Trojans?
When it comes to the war I think the Trojans are more organised, and the Greeks a lot more vicious, a lot more barbaric. But then again that's probably down to the circumstances - the Trojans are sitting in their Citadel, whilst we the Greeks are in camps and are desperate in a way. They're cold and hungry, and their families are hundreds of miles across the sea. They are there for this sole purpose, so when they get to fight they're going to try and make it as quick and as vicious as possible and teach the Trojans a lesson. They have to take every opportunity they can to make their mark.
What do you think audiences will enjoy about the show?
I think everybody's familiar with at least some parts of the story of Troy. Achilles, for example - everybody's heard of Achilles, and probably of Hector and Helen of Troy. But there’s so much more to discover, and it's not been told for a while. There was a film 15 years or so ago now, but there's never been a series. It’s never been told in this way, across eight hours of television before.
The Greeks
The Trojan Royal Family
Priam, King of Troy - played by David Threlfall
Priam has ruled Troy since he was a young man. He is married to Hecuba and father of Hector, Cassandra, Alexander, Deiphobus and Troilus. His father nearly ruined the city but Priam saved it from destruction and Troy now flourishes. Together, Priam and Hecuba have made it a powerful and wealthy city port.
Hecuba, Queen of Troy - played by Frances O’Connor
Hecuba is Priam's wife, mother to his children and rules Troy with him. Although she is not originally from Troy she has lived in the city for 30 years and is held in high regard by the Trojans.
Hector - played by Tom Weston-Jones
Hector is Priam’s eldest son and heir. He leads the Trojan army and is a celebrated warrior, brave and honourable. He is happily married to the Cilician princess Andromache.
Andromache - played by Chloe Pirrie
Andromache is from nearby Cilicia, an ally of Troy, and is married to Hector. Their marriage was arranged, but is a union of love. She desires children but conception has proved hard.
Paris (Alexander) - played by Louis Hunter
Alexander, also known as Paris, is the second son of Priam and Hecuba. He spent his youth as a herdsman in the mountains unaware of his true background. His meeting with the gods changes everything.
Cassandra - played by Aimee Ffion Edwards
Cassandra is Priam and Hecuba’s daughter. At Alexander’s birth she had visions of disaster and continues to have premonitions. She has been looked after ever since, and is considered mentally unstable.
Aeneas - played by Alfred Enoch
Aeneas is Hector and Alexander’s cousin, who comes from the Trojan ally region of Dardania. He is upright, young but fearless. He has a father back at home but has lost his wife to sickness.
The Greeks
Helen, Queen of Sparta - played by Bella Dayne
Helen was born in Sparta and has lived there all her life. She is married to Menelaus, whose brother Agamemnon won her hand in competition, but it is a loveless match. She has a daughter, Hermione, but their relationship is strained. As the story begins, her unhappiness is beginning to become undeniable.
Menelaus, King of Sparta - played by Jonas Armstrong
Menelaus was born in Mycenae, which he considers the true cradle of civilization. He has ruled in Sparta for many years but it has yet to become his home. He does love Helen but his love is possessive and controlling. He admires his daughter Hermione greatly.
Agamemnon, King of Mycenae - played by Johnny Harris
King Agamemnon is Menelaus brother and the most powerful ruler of the Greek city-states. He holds huge influence in the region and is aware of Troy s burgeoning power across the ocean. He is married to Clytemnestra and father of Iphigenia, Electra and Orestes.
Odysseus, King of Ithaca - played by Joseph Mawle
Odysseus is renowned for his strategic intelligence, wisdom and cunning. He loves his home and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. He is a true islander, somewhat solitary, ruthless when needs must, but with a deep love of home and family. Odysseus is called upon to help the Greeks return Helen to Sparta.
Xanthius - played by David Avery
Xanthius is a servant of Odysseus and travels with him to Troy. A loner who prefers dogs to men, Xanthius is used by Odysseus to infiltrate the city. Quiet, invisible and deeply intelligent, Xanthius is Odysseus secret weapon.
Achilles, King of the Myrmidons - played by David Gyasi
Achilles is the most feared of all the Greek warriors travelling to Troy. He is by myth half human, half-god, created by the union of Peleus and Thetis, a sea-nymph. He is a great warrior, almost unbeatable, but his sense of honour tips into pride and stubbornness. His friend and lover is Patroclus, another great Myrmidon warrior. They are inseparable.
Picture: Menelaus (Jonas Armstrong), Achilles (David Gyasi), Agamemnon (Johnny Harris), Odysseus (Joseph Mawle)
The Gods
Zeus, King of the Gods - played by Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Zeus is the God of storms, tumult and justice, who holds ultimate power over both gods and mortals. He chooses not to take sides in the Trojan War, despite all attempts to engage his loyalty. He insists that even the Gods cannot change Fate, which will decide the outcome of the war. Zeus is married to Hera and father of many gods including Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis and Hermes.
Hera, Queen of the Gods - played by Inge Beckmann
Hera, is the goddess of marriage and wife of Zeus, but they have a turbulent relationship. She is furious at Paris for not choosing her in the judgment of the goddesses and fiercely loyal to the Greeks.
Athena - played by Shamilla Miller
Athena is goddess of wisdom and war. She sides with the Greeks, angry at her rejection by Paris. In particular, she favours Odysseus and Diomedes.
Aphrodite - played by Lex King
Aphrodite is the goddess of love. She is loyal to Paris, who chooses her as the finest of the three goddesses, so she supports the Trojans in the war.
Artemis - played by Thando Hopa
Artemis is the goddess of hunting and wildlife. She supports the Trojans in the war. Agamemnon offends her and she demands a terrible price from him.
Apollo - played by German de la Melena
Apollo is the god of prophecy, plague and healing. When Apollo’s priest asks for help on behalf of his daughter Chryseis, he is quick to answer. He favours the Trojans in the war.
Hermes - played by Frances Chouler
Hermes is the messenger of the gods and is present at the judgement of the goddesses, explaining to Paris the task the gods have set him.
