Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Netflix’s Original documentary series Roman Empire: Reign Of Blood captivated audiences this weekend with its fresh, uncensored look at the rise and fall of Emperor Commodus. The breakout star though? His scheming sister Lucilla.
Before Roman Empire: Reign of Blood, Lucilla’s splashiest appearance in pop culture was in Ridley Scott’s 2000 film Gladiator. Connie Nielsen played her as an elegant patrician schemer, still pining for her first love, a common but heroic soldier named Maximus played by Russell Crowe. Oh, and Joaquin Phoenix‘s Commodus was sexually obsessed with her. By the time she gets the balls to challenge his reign, it’s just about too late. In Gladiator, Maximus kills Commodus in the colosseum, leaving Lucilla ostensibly in control of the Roman Empire. But that’s not how things really happened…
As an historical docuseries, Roman Empire: Reign of Blood is predictably a lot more on the nose about the real Lucilla. The historical Lucilla was a pretty formidable lady. She was the second eldest daughter of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Faustina the Younger. As a teen she was married off to her father’s co-ruler, a power player named Lucius Verus. Now because Verus often found himself away from Rome on business, Lucilla was left in charge of running things. After Verus died, she was married off to another less auspicious power player.
Suffice to say, she was not thrilled when her less talented, and altogether unstable, younger brother took the throne. After watching her brother’s become increasingly erratic — and after losing some of her own power in the face of his ascension — she decided to plot his assassination. The scheme failed and Lucilla was exiled and then executed. So, no, she didn’t get a Hollywood happy ending. Still she remains a fascinating character in world history.
https://www.instagram.com/p/_YIjswv_hh/?taken-by=taiberdinnerblades
Roman Empire: Reign of Blood portrays Lucilla as an ever-pouting, constantly-scheming, brilliant political operative fond of plunging necklines. She’s played with stone cold power by Kiwi actress Tai Berdinner-Blades. She’s currently starring in a New Zealand production called Dirty Laundry (which is currently unavailable in the US) and you can follow her on Instagram here.
[Watch Roman Empire: Reign of Blood on Netflix]
